Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Cayman Islands

Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: George Town (on Grand Cayman)
geographic coordinates: 19 18 N, 81 23 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western

Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:
Constitution Day, first Monday in July

Constitution:
The Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009, 6 November 2009

Legal system:
British common law and local statutes

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Duncan TAYLOR (since 15 January 2010)
head of government: Premier McKeeva BUSH (since 6 November 2009)
cabinet: The Cabinet (six members appointed by the governor on the advice of the premier, selected from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly) (For more information visit the  )
elections: 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 as premier

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; 18 elected by popular vote and 2 ex officio members from The Cabinet; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 May 2009 (next to be held not later than May 2013)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDP 9, PPM 5, independent 1

Judicial branch:
Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal; Summary Court

Political parties and leaders:
United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
National Trust
other: environmentalists

International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:
a blue field, 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 crest with a pineapple, representing the connection with Jamaica, and a turtle, representing Cayman's seafaring tradition, above a shield bearing a golden lion, symbolizing Great Britain, below which are three green stars (representing the three islands) surmounting white and blue wavy lines representing the sea and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS