 |
 |
 |
|
 |
To reserve your Pedicab please call (345)916-7634 or BOOK ONLINE! |
|
The Islands' motto, He hath founded it upon the seas, is printed at the bottom of the shield. This line, a verse from Psalm 24, acknowledges Cayman's Christian heritage, as well as its ties to the sea. The proposal for a coat of arms was approved by the Legislative Assembly in 1957, and public input was sought on its design. The Royal Warrant assigning "Armorial Ensigns for the Cayman Islands" was approved by Her Majesty's command on 14 May 1958.
|
• About The Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands were first sighted by European eyes when Christopher Columbus, on 10 May 1503, encountered them during his disastrous fourth and final voyage to the New World. He named them Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles there. The first recorded English visitor to the islands was Sir Francis Drake, who landed there in 1586 and named them the Cayman Islands after the Neo-Taino nations term (caiman) for crocodile (Zayas, 1914).
The first recorded permanent inhabitant of the Cayman Islands, Isaac Bodden, was born on Grand Cayman around 1700. He was the grandson of the original settler named Bodden who was probably one of Oliver Cromwell's soldiers at the taking of Jamaica in 1655.
The islands, along with nearby Jamaica, were captured, then ceded to England in 1670 under the Treaty of Madrid. They were governed as a single colony with Jamaica until 1962 when they became a separate British Overseas Territory and Jamaica became an independent Commonwealth realm.
The island of Grand Cayman was hit by Hurricane Ivan on 11-12 September 2004, which destroyed many buildings and damaged 70% of them. Power, water and communications were all disrupted for a period of time as Ivan was the worst hurricane to hit the islands since 1932. However, Grand Cayman promptly engaged in a major rebuilding process, and within two years its infrastructure was nearly returned to pre-Ivan levels.
The Cayman Islands currently enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean region, aided by thriving tourism and banking industries.
A dependency of Jamaica for many decades, in 1962 the Cayman Islands opted to remain under British rule when Jamaica became independent. The islands are now a British dependency, with a Governor and Legislature of elected members. Today the islands have a thriving economy based on the financial and tourism industries.
