Cayman Islands, Carribean Sea

The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica. The Cayman Islands are considered to be part of the geographic Western Caribbean Zone as well as the Greater Antilles. The territory is a major world offshore financial centre.

The Cayman Islands are located in the western Caribbean Sea and are the peaks of a massive underwater ridge, known as the Cayman Ridge (or Cayman Rise). This ridge flanks the Cayman Trough, 6,000 m (20,000 ft) deep [8] which lies 6 km (3.7 mi) to the south.[9] The islands lie in the northwest of the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba and west of Jamaica. They are situated about 700 km (430 mi) south of Miami,[10] 366 km (227 mi) south of Cuba,[11] and about 500 km (310 mi) northwest of Jamaica.[12] Grand Cayman is by far the biggest, with an area of 197 km2 (76 sq mi).[13] The two "Sister Islands" of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are located about 120 km (75 mi) east north-east of Grand Cayman and have areas of 38 and 28.5 km2 (15 and 11.0 sq mi)[14] respectively.

It was the Islands' ample supply of turtle, however, that made them a popular calling place for ships sailing the Caribbean and in need of meat for their crews. This began a trend that eventually denuded local waters of the turtle, compelling local turtle fishermen to go further afield to Cuba and the Miskito Cays in search of their catch.