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All the Cayman Islands George Town George Town

George Town

The capital of the Cayman Islands is a center of offshore banking, but gets battered by blistering hurricanes.

George Town, Cayman Islands

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George Town: beautiful and serene   Erik - Flickr
sudden rain in harbor   jmfisher / Atlas Obscura User
starfish point   jmfisher / Atlas Obscura User
George Town after Hurricane Ivan   Roger Wollstadt
The Grand Cayman after Ivan   Mark F - Flickr
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At first glance, George Town has it all.

Stunning beaches, incredible snorkeling, and a thriving nightlife--throw in a few bank privacy laws and no direct income tax and voila! The fifth largest financial hub in the world and hot spot for the famous and wealthy. Alas, all is not well in paradise. The renowned tax haven also happens to be a nucleus of destructive hurricane activity.

The small, flat island that hosts about two million tourists a year is extremely susceptible to heavy winds and rising sea levels. This factoid becomes particularly consequential in the face of devastating hurricanes that hit the island on average, every 2.2 years. In 2004, Hurricane Ivan submerged over 25% of Grand Cayman. Researchers estimate that over 80% of the island’s buildings were damaged in the hurricane.

George Town’s incredibly resilient financial sector reopened with power only days after the hurricane struck. Impressive as it was, the recovery was criticized by many of the island’s less fortunate inhabitants who were left in the dark. However, the situation isn’t entirely obvious--Grand Cayman has more registered businesses than it has citizens. It seems the government was just serving the larger constituency.

Related Tags

Weird Weather Phenomena Intriguing Environs Disaster Areas Shops Ecosystems

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Added By

Mordy

Edited By

jmfisher

  • jmfisher

Published

August 25, 2010

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Sources
  • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/tax/schemes/cayman.html
  • http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/caymanislands/1472195/Banks-reopen-but-Cayman-Islands-remain-in-crisis-after-hurricane.html
  • http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-20219637
  • https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/cj.html#Geo
George Town
George Town
Cayman Islands
19.286814, -81.37207

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of George Town

George Town

Cayman Islands

Places 2

Nearby Places

Ugland House

George Town, Cayman Islands

miles away

Hell, Grand Cayman

West Bay, Cayman Islands

miles away

The Blowholes

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of George Town

George Town

Cayman Islands

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