Little Cayman is the smallest and least populous of the three islands that make up the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean Sea. It lies about 5 miles (8km) west of Cayman Brac and has an area of approximately 11 square miles (28.5 km²). The island is about 10 miles (16km) long and just over 1 mile (1.6km) wide, and is generally low-lying, with some areas on the north shore reaching about 40 feet (12m) above sea level. The 2021 census recorded a population of 161.
History
Christopher Columbus sighted Little Cayman and Cayman Brac on May 10, 1503 during his fourth voyage to the Americas. He referred to the islands as Las Tortugas because of the large number of turtles observed in the surrounding waters.
The first recorded settlements on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac date from 1661 to 1671. The settlements were abandoned after attacks by Spanish privateers, when the governor of Jamaica recalled the settlers to Jamaica. By the 19th century, settlement had resumed on Little Cayman, including at Blossom Village. A historic route from Blossom Village to Salt Rock Dock dates from the 1840s.
Phosphate mining took place on Little Cayman during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Remains of the industry include former open-pit mining areas and a walled enclosure used to hold mules that transported phosphate by narrow-gauge railway to Salt Rock Dock.
Geography Owen Island
Owen Island, also known as Owen's Island or the Key, is a small islet in South Hole Sound off the southwestern coast of Little Cayman, approximately 1,000 feet (300m) from the main island. It has an area of approximately 4.25 hectares (10.5 acres) and rises to less than 3 meters (10ft) above sea level. The islet is uninhabited and has no permanent structures.
Demographics In the 2021 census, Little Cayman had a population of 161, comprising 102 males and 59 females. Of the population, 48 (29.7%) were Caymanian and 113 (70.3%) were non-Caymanian. The median age was 44.
Transport and services
Little Cayman is served by Edward Bodden Airfield. Cayman Airways Express operated domestic flights between Grand Cayman and the Sister Islands, including Little Cayman. The airfield is limited to smaller aircraft and connects Little Cayman with Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.
The island has police and fire services and a medical clinic. Little Cayman Education Services is a government school providing early-years and primary education from Reception through Year 6, with services offered according to local need."Little Cayman Education Services." Cayman Islands Department of Education. Retrieved on September 14, 2016.
Tourism and recreation
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a major recreational activity on Little Cayman, particularly around Bloody Bay Wall on the island's north coast. Bloody Bay forms part of Little Cayman's marine protected area system. National Geographic has identified Bloody Bay Wall as a notable diving site and describes the reef wall as descending to more than 1,000 feet (300m).
In 1999, underwater photographer Jim Hellemn created a composite photograph of a section of Bloody Bay Wall from approximately 280 individual photographs. The resulting image Portrait of a Coral Reef, was published in National Geographic in October 2001. Hellemn returned to the same site in 2010 with marine scientists to produce a comparison image documenting changes to the reef over the intervening decade.
Beaches
Little Cayman has several named beaches around its coastline, including Point of Sand, Jackson's Beach and Preston Bay Beach. Point of Sand lies at the eastern end of the island and is used for swimming and snorkeling; Cayman Brac is visible across the channel, and strong currents can occur near the reef opening. Preston Bay Beach is also a protected nesting area for Sister Islands rock iguanas and sea turtles.
Environment and conservation
Booby Pond Nature Reserve
Booby Pond Nature Reserve contains the Booby Pond and Rookery Ramsar site, an 82-hectare (200-acre) wetland designated as internationally important in 1994. The reserve supports a resident colony of red-footed boobies, described by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands as one of the largest colonies of the species in the region.
Fauna
Little Cayman supports most of the remaining population of the critically endangered Sister Islands rock iguana (Cyclura nubila caymanensis), an endemic subspecies found only on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. The population has been affected by habitat loss, road mortality and introduced predators, including feral cats and dogs.
Conservation efforts include protection of nesting habitat at Preston Bay and population monitoring by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands and the Cayman Islands Department of Environment. Little Cayman also provides habitat for species including the West Indian whistling duck and nesting sea turtles.
Central Caribbean Marine Institute The Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) was founded in 1998 and operates the Little Cayman Research Centre on the island's north coast. The research centre is approximately 6,600 square feet (610m²) and supports resident and visiting researchers, students and education groups. CCMI conducts research on coral reef resilience and restoration and operates conservation and education programmes based on Little Cayman.
Since 2011, CCMI, local dive operators and volunteers have also carried out regular culls of invasive lionfish around Little Cayman. CCMI reports that these efforts have reduced lionfish abundance at regularly culled sites compared with areas where culling does not occur.
Culture and heritage
Little Cayman Museum The Little Cayman Museum, located in Blossom Village, developed from the personal collection of Linton and Polly Tibbetts and focuses on preserving the cultural heritage of Little Cayman. The museum also serves as a venue for travelling exhibitions organised in collaboration with the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands.
Events Little Cayman participates in the Cayman Islands' annual Pirates Week celebrations, including a local heritage festival and parade. This is held as part of the wider national programme. The island also hosts the Little Cayman Agriculture Show at Blossom village Park.
References
External links
Little Cayman, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism