The Cayman Islands consists of a group of three islands in the Caribbean Sea; Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. Located west of Jamaica, and just south of Cuba, these three islands are home to approximately 40,000 people and receive a spectacular 1.5 million visitors annually. These numbers are no surprise when you look a little closer at what the Caymans provide.

Over the last 30 years, the Cayman Islands have matured into one of the world's largest international financial centers. Grand Cayman is the biggest and most developed of the three islands. It is home to not only the majority of the population, but to many banks and financial institutions where local and international investors find the infrastructure, services and financial expertise matched to the best available worldwide. The capital, George Town, is the nucleus of this international centre.

Explore a little further and you will find a variety of resorts, hotels, watersports operations and restaurants that will suit the needs of anyone looking for the perfect Caribbean vacation. Those who call the Caymans home enjoy the ideal Caribbean lifestyle; beautiful beaches, climate and waters with the highest standard of living in the Caribbean.

All three of the Cayman Islands are the exposed, flattened tips of a subsea mountain range known as the Cayman Ridge. Rising from the deepest point (25,200 feet) in the Caribbean Sea, the islands break the surface just high enough to provide spectacular shallow and wall diving.

The Sister Islands have been rated as one of the top five dive destinations in the world. The absence of major development on these two islands has left pristine coral reefs, and generations of reef-building hard corals teeming with marine life. Intimate resorts and dive lodges provide visitors with great food, onsite dive shops and peace and quiet. With few miles between the two islands, many visitors take the time to explore both.

With financial services, natural beauty, first class diving, tranquility, and an accessible array of amenities, it's easy to see how the Cayman Islands are simultaneously a beautiful home and a wonderful place to visit.

Name: The name 'Cayman' derives from the Carib word for crocodile and appeared in the log of Sir Francis Duke , the first English visitor to the islands, in 1586. Prior to that, they were called 'Las Tortugas' ('turtles', in Spanish) by Columbus, who discovered the islands in 1503. 'Brac' ('craggy bluff', in Gaelic), was named for the limestone bluff running down the middle of the island.

Warm and humid, showing little seasonal variation, the average day in Cayman is tropically pleasant. Prevailing tradewinds are delightfully cool in the winter months, and a light sweater may be necessary in those evenings to remain comfortable.

The Cayman Islands lay in the far Western Caribbean, closer to the equator then some people realise, lying between latitudes 19° and 20° North. When enjoying outdoor activities, the sun can be HOT and best advise is to always to wear sun screen, a shady hat and sunglasses.

Please take the sun in small doses to avoid sunburn.