Where in the world is this place? The Cayman Islands are located near the Cayman trench in the middle of the Caribbean Sea The Cayman Islands are a group of three small tropical islands in the Carribean Sea, located between Cuba and Honduras, approximately 150 miles south of Cuba and 180 miles west of Jamaica. They consist of the large island, Grand Cayman, and two smaller islands 75 miles to the northeast and a mile apart called Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The three islands are outcroppings of the Cayman Ridge, a range of submarine mountains bisecting the area. Clear blue water surrounds the islands that are encircled by coral reefs. The climate is tropical, with warm rainy summers and relatively cooler, dry winters.
		Discovered in 1503 by Christoper Columbus, the Caymans have been an overseas territory of Britain since 1670 when the Spanish ceded the islands to them as part of the Treaty of Madrid. Ships of many nations would stop there to replenish their stores of water and supplies with the turtles, wild fowl, and large lizards that were so plentiful on the islands during the 1700's. The name Cayman is believed to derive from the Carib word for crocodile.
		The Caymans have a long and colorful history as a pirate haven during the age of privateers and pirates. Bloody Bay at Little Cayman Island is named for a famous pirate battle. After government sponsored piracy, called privateering, was outlawed, rouge pirates used the island as a refuge. Today, its primary industries are banking and tourism, and the Cayman Islands have become well known as both a corporate tax haven,and one of the most pristine scuba diving locations in the world. The late Philippe Cousteau honored Little Cayman as one of the three best diving areas in the world.
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