The Cayman Islands, located in the western Caribbean Sea, were colonised from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries and were administered by Jamaica after 1863.

In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies. When the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.

The Cayman Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

They are divided into six districts, with Georgetown as the capital. The official language of the Cayman Islands is English. The currency in the Cayman Islands is the Cayman Islands dollar (KYD).

With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial centre.

A stock exchange was opened in 1997. The tourism and financial services industries create a significant majority of gross domestic product (GDP).