| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cayman Islands |
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| Government type | British crown colony |
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| Capital | name: George Town (on Grand Cayman)
geographic coordinates: 19 20 N, 81 23 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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| Administrative divisions | 8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western |
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| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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| National holiday | Constitution Day, first Monday in July |
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| Constitution | 1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994 |
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| Legal system | British common law and local statutes |
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| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
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| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Stuart JACK (since 23 November 2005)
head of government: Leader of Government Business Kurt TIBBETTS (since 18 May 2005)
cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or coalition is appointed by the governor Leader of Government Business |
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| Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats; 3 appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1 |
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| Judicial branch | Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal |
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Political parties
and leaders | United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]; note - no national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections |
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Political pressure
groups and leaders | NA |
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International organization
participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
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| Flag description | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS |
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