Caimanas

Caimanas is a constituent republic of Antilles Commonwealth.

Caimanas Republic
Archipelago of the Cayman Islands
Constituent Republic of Vekllei
Part of the Antilles Commonwealth
Accession	1836, as part of the British Atlantic Territories
Area	259 km²
Capital	Tortuga
Languages	English, Caimanas English
Population	412,830

The Republic of Caimanas is a constituent republic in the western Caribbean Sea, and part of the country of Vekllei. It is a city-state archipelago of 3 main islands, of which Grand Caimana is the most developed. The archipelago lies 500km northwest of Jamaica, and south of Cuba.

The islands were originally settled by pirates and shipwrecked sailors in the 17th Century, who found no indigenous population living there. The UK acquired the islands as part of the 1670 Treaty of Madrid, but were unable to exercise settlement until the 1730s. As was the case across most British Caribbean territories, slaves were brought to the Caimanas over the following two centuries until the abolition of the practice in 1833. The islands were briefly part of the Colony of Jamaica until the Jamaican Revolution in 1886, after which they became part of the British Atlantic Territories and eventually Vekllei.

The islands have few natural resources and have to import much of their goods and construction material. Food is also imported, but programmes undertaken by the Bureau of Agriculture have supplemented imports through the development of large community gardens and light farms. Today, the local economy is dominated by professional services including education, training, the civil service and finance. The national Ratings Corporation is headquartered there, as are a large number of other financial institutions in Vekllei. The island also sees some domestic tourism from other Vekllei republics, who come to see its dive sites and coral reefs.

Caimanas is the westernmost Vekllei republic, and in many ways carries on the culture of opportunism and independence that characterised its early years. It has a distinct local culture and lingua franca, called Caimana English influenced by West African and Guinea Coast languages. Locals go in for Anglo-Carib and Afro-Carib fare like cassava, jerk seasoning and meat pies. They consume a lot of seafood, mostly grouper and snapper.

The capital of Tortuga is home to most of the republic’s population, and resembles many other Vekllei Caribbean cities. It is low-rise and lush with gardens and parks. All three islands have tram service, and Grand Caimana has a railway running from its east to west ends. Little Caimana is home to the archipelago’s international airport, as well as Air Station Caimana, which is a major military installation. All islands are linked by hydrofoil ferries.

Public Holidays

• New Year’s Day 1 Jan
• Ash Wednesday
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Commonwealth Day 1 May
• Constitution Day 1st Mon in Jul
• Republic Day 15 Dec
• Christmas Day 25 Dec
• Boxing Day 26 Dec