The territory is a major offshore financial centre for international businesses and the rich mainly due to the state charging no tax on income earned or stored.

[14][13] No immediate colonisation followed Columbus's sighting, but a variety of settlers from various backgrounds eventually arrived, including pirates, shipwrecked sailors, and deserters from Oliver Cromwell's army in Jamaica.

[24][14] In the 1950s, tourism began to flourish, following the opening of Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA),[25] along with a bank and several hotels, as well as the introduction of a number of scheduled flights and cruise stop-overs.

[14] The Cayman Islands government focused on boosting the territory's economy via tourism and the attraction of off-shore finance, both of which mushroomed from the 1970s onwards.

Another 26% sustained minor damage from partial roof removal, low levels of flooding, or impact with floating or wind-driven hurricane debris.

All three islands were formed by large coral heads covering submerged ice-age peaks of western extensions of the Cuban Sierra Maestra range and are mostly flat.

One notable exception to this is The Bluff on Cayman Brac's eastern part, which rises to 43 m (141 ft) above sea level, the highest point on the islands.

Marine life around the island of the Grand Cayman includes tarpon, silversides (Atheriniformes), French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru), and giant barrel sponges.

The blue iguana is endemic to the Grand Cayman[45] particularly because of rocky, sunlit, open areas near the island's shores that are advantageous for the laying of eggs.

Nevertheless, habitat destruction and invasive mammalian predators remain the primary reasons that blue iguana hatchlings do not survive naturally.

This is due to extremely low birth rates among Caymanians, which almost forces the government to seek workers from overseas to sustain the country's economy.

This has raised concerns among many young Caymanians, who worry about the workforce becoming increasingly competitive with the influx of workers, as well as rent and property prices going up.

[65] Islanders' accents retain elements passed down from English, Scottish, and Welsh settlers (among others) in a language variety known as Cayman Creole.

It is quite common to hear residents converse in Spanish[65] as many citizens have relocated from Latin America to work and live on Grand Cayman.

The Cayman Islands have come under criticism for allegations of money laundering and other financial crimes, including a 2016 statement by then US president Barack Obama that described a particular building which was the registered address of over 12,000 corporations as a "tax scam".

[90] Other Grand Cayman tourist attractions include the ironshore landscape of Hell; the 23-acre (93,000 m2) marine theme park "Cayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter", previously known as "Boatswain's Beach"; the production of gourmet sea salt; and the Mastic Trail, a hiking trail through the forests in the centre of the island.

The Observation Tower is 75 feet tall and provides 360-degree views across Seven Mile Beach, George Town, the North Sound, and beyond.

A prospective immigrant worker will not be granted a permit unless certain medical conditions are met, including testing negative for syphilis and HIV.

[97] The Cayman Islands presently imposes a controversial "rollover" in relation to expatriate workers who require a work permit.

[116] Before the 2021 Caymanian general election, leader of the CDP McKeeva Bush received a two-month suspended jail sentence for assaulting a woman in February 2020 leading to a no-confidence motion against him.

[117] Premier McLaughlin asked Governor Martyn Roper to dissolve Parliament on 14 February, triggering early elections instead of having the vote on the motion.

[127] Since the formation of the Regiment, it has been deployed on a few operational tours providing HADR, or Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief as well as assisting with the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The legend behind the lack of taxation comes from the Wreck of the Ten Sail, when multiple ships ran aground on the reef off the north coast of Grand Cayman.

It is said that out of gratitude, and due to their small size, King George III then issued the edict that the citizens of the country of the Cayman Islands would never pay tax.

Though the Cayman Islands is involved in no major international disputes, they have come under some criticism due to the use of their territory for narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

In an attempt to address this, the government entered into the Narcotics Agreement of 1984 and the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty of 1986 with the United States, to reduce the use of their facilities associated with these activities.

Due to their status as an overseas territory of the UK, the Cayman Islands has no separate representation either in the United Nations or in most other international organisations.

The islands' national flag carrier is Cayman Airways, with Owen Roberts International Airport hosting the airline as its hub.

In addition, the women's professional squash association hosts one of their major events each year in an all-glass court being set up in Camana Bay.

[156] Founded in 1996, NGCI is an arts organisation that seeks to fulfil its mission through exhibitions, artist residencies, education/outreach programmes and research projects in the Cayman Islands.