Located in the western Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory which comprises three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. Until the 17th century the islands weren't inhabited than by pirates, refugees and deserters. England took formal control of the Cayman Islands, along with Jamaica, as a result of the Treaty of Madrid of 1670. Following several unsuccessful attempts at settlement, a permanent English-speaking population in the islands dates from the 1730s.
After 1734 were brought many black slaves from Africa, even if the slavery was less common on the Cayman Islands than in other parts of the Caribbean. The islands continued to be governed as part of the Colony of Jamaica until 1962, when they became a separate Crown colony.Due to the tropical location of the islands, more hurricane or tropical systems have affected the Cayman Islands than any other region in the Atlantic basin; it has been brushed or directly hit, on average, every 2.23 years.
The worst hurricane to hit the islands in 86 years was Ivan, which damaged 83% of the dwellings on the island in 11-12 September 2004. They have an population of about 57,000, representing a mix of more than 100 nationalities, with about 60% mixed race (mostly African-Caucasian). Out of that number, about half are of Caymanian descent. The capital is George Town, the largest (by population) of all settlements in the British Overseas Territories (about 53.000 inhabitants).
The Cayman Islands historically have been a tax-exempt destination. On 8 February 1794, the Caymanians rescued the crews of a group of ten merchant ships, including HMS Convert. Legend has it that King George III rewarded the island with a promise never to introduce taxes as compensation for their generosity, as one of the ships carried a member of the King's own family. While this remains a popular legend, the story is not true.
In practice the government of the Cayman Islands has always relied on indirect and not direct taxes. The islands have never levied income tax, capital gains tax, or any wealth tax, so it is not surprising that they have more registered businesses than people, and the highest standard of living in the Caribbean (the 14th highest GDP per capita in the world). More than that, the islands print their own currency, the Cayman Islands Dollar (KYD), which is pegged to the US dollar 1.227 USD to 1 KYD.
About the stamp
The stamp is part of the series Cayman Islands Scenes, issued on June 26 2007, and consisting of photographs by some of the Islands’ best-known photographers: Patrick Broderick, Courtney Platt and Gary White:
• Brac Reef dock (0.20 KYD)
• Waterfront (0.25 KYD)
• East End blowholes (0.30 KYD) - It's on the postcard 1229
• Relaxing at sunset (0.40 KYD)
• Poinciana blooms (0.75 KYD)
• Little Cayman driftwood (1.00 KYD)
References
Cayman Islands - Wikipedia
Cayman Islands - Cayman Islands Government official website
Sender: William
Sent from George Town (Cayman Islands), on 29.07.2014
Fantastic. You are very lucky man. - Sami from Finland.
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