1.
Caribbean
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The Caribbean is a region that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands and the surrounding coasts. The region is southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and the North American mainland, east of Central America, situated largely on the Caribbean Plate, the region comprises more than 700 islands, islets, reefs and cays. These islands generally form island arcs that delineate the eastern and northern edges of the Caribbean Sea, in a wider sense, the mainland countries of Belize, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana are often included due to their political and cultural ties with the region. Geopolitically, the Caribbean islands are usually regarded as a subregion of North America and are organized into 30 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. From December 15,1954, to October 10,2010, there was a known as the Netherlands Antilles composed of five states. The West Indies cricket team continues to represent many of those nations, the region takes its name from that of the Caribs, an ethnic group present in the Lesser Antilles and parts of adjacent South America at the time of the Spanish conquest. The two most prevalent pronunciations of Caribbean are KARR-ə-BEE-ən, with the accent on the third syllable. The former pronunciation is the older of the two, although the variant has been established for over 75 years. It has been suggested that speakers of British English prefer KARR-ə-BEE-ən while North American speakers more typically use kə-RIB-ee-ən, usage is split within Caribbean English itself. The word Caribbean has multiple uses and its principal ones are geographical and political. The Caribbean can also be expanded to include territories with strong cultural and historical connections to slavery, European colonisation, the United Nations geoscheme for the Americas accords the Caribbean as a distinct region within the Americas. Physiographically, the Caribbean region is mainly a chain of islands surrounding the Caribbean Sea, to the north, the region is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida and the Northern Atlantic Ocean, which lies to the east and northeast. To the south lies the coastline of the continent of South America, politically, the Caribbean may be centred on socio-economic groupings found in the region. For example, the known as the Caribbean Community contains the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are in the Atlantic Ocean, are members of the Caribbean Community. The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is also in the Atlantic and is a member of the Caribbean Community. According to the ACS, the population of its member states is 227 million people. The geography and climate in the Caribbean region varies, Some islands in the region have relatively flat terrain of non-volcanic origin and these islands include Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, the Cayman Islands, Saint Croix, the Bahamas, and Antigua
2.
Greater Antilles
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The Greater Antilles is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. The Greater Antilles constitute nearly 90% of the mass of the entire West Indies. The remainder of the land belongs to the archipelago of the Lesser Antilles, the Lucayan Archipelago is not considered to be a part of the Antilles archipelagoes but rather of the North Atlantic. Cohen, S. Groene, J. Werner, L. Vladimir, hiller, H. L. Caribbean, The Greater Antilles, Bermuda, Bahamas. Anolis Lizards of the Caribbean, Ecology, Evolution, and Plate Tectonics, Ecology, Evolution, oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution. A Brief History of the Caribbean, new York, Facts on File,1992. Media related to Greater Antilles at Wikimedia Commons
3.
United Kingdom
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland, with an area of 242,500 square kilometres, the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants, together, this makes it the fourth-most densely populated country in the European Union. The United Kingdom is a monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 6 February 1952, other major urban areas in the United Kingdom include the regions of Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. The United Kingdom consists of four countries—England, Scotland, Wales, the last three have devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in their capitals, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively. The relationships among the countries of the UK have changed over time, Wales was annexed by the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. A treaty between England and Scotland resulted in 1707 in a unified Kingdom of Great Britain, which merged in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Five-sixths of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present formulation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, there are fourteen British Overseas Territories. These are the remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in the 1920s, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies. The United Kingdom is a country and has the worlds fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The UK is considered to have an economy and is categorised as very high in the Human Development Index. It was the worlds first industrialised country and the worlds foremost power during the 19th, the UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth or fifth in the world. The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946 and it has been a leading member state of the EU and its predecessor, the European Economic Community, since 1973. However, on 23 June 2016, a referendum on the UKs membership of the EU resulted in a decision to leave. The Acts of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government
4.
British Overseas Territories
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The 14 British Overseas Territories are territories under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom. They are the parts of the British Empire that have not been granted independence or have voted to remain British territories. These territories do not form part of the United Kingdom and, with the exception of Gibraltar, are not part of the European Union, though the Cyprus SBAs are subject to EU law and use the Euro. Most of the territories are internally self-governing, with the UK retaining responsibility for defence. The rest are either uninhabited or have a population of military or scientific personnel. They share the British monarch as head of state, the term British Overseas Territory was introduced by the British Overseas Territories Act 2002, replacing the term British Dependent Territory, introduced by the British Nationality Act 1981. Prior to 1 January 1983, the territories were referred to as British Crown Colonies. With the exceptions of the British Antarctic Territory and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Territories retain permanent civilian populations. Permanent residency for the 7,000 or so living in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri. Collectively, the Territories encompass a population of about 250,000 people, the vast majority of this,660,000 square miles, constitutes the British Antarctic Territory. The current minister responsible for the Territories excluding the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and the Sovereign Base Areas is Baroness Anelay, Minister of State for the Commonwealth, the other three territories are the responsibility of Sir Alan Duncan MP, Minister of State for Europe and the Americas. The first, unofficial, colony was Newfoundland, where English fishermen routinely set up camps in the 16th century. It is now a province of Canada known as Newfoundland and Labrador and it retains strong cultural ties with Britain. English colonisation of North America began officially in 1607 with the settlement of Jamestown, st. Georges town, founded in Bermuda in that year, remains the oldest continuously inhabited British settlement in the New World. Bermuda and Bermudians have played important, sometimes pivotal, but generally underestimated or unacknowledged roles in the shaping of the English and British trans-Atlantic Empires. These include maritime commerce, settlement of the continent and of the West Indies, separate self-governing colonies federated to become Canada, Australia, South Africa, and Rhodesia. These and other large self-governing colonies had become known as Dominions by the 1920s, the Dominions achieved almost full independence with the Statute of Westminster. Through a process of following the Second World War, most of the British colonies in Africa, Asia
5.
Cayman Islands
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The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory in the western Caribbean Sea. Its population is approximately 60,000, and its capital is George Town, the Cayman Islands are considered to be part of the geographic Western Caribbean Zone as well as the Greater Antilles. The territory is considered a major world offshore financial haven for many wealthy individuals. The Cayman Islands remained largely uninhabited until the 17th century, the first recorded permanent inhabitant of the Cayman Islands, Isaac Bodden, was born on Grand Cayman around 1661. He was the grandson of the original settler named Bodden who was one of Oliver Cromwells soldiers at the taking of Jamaica in 1655. England took formal control of the Cayman Islands, along with Jamaica, following several unsuccessful attempts at settlement, a permanent English-speaking population in the islands dates from the 1730s. With settlement, after the first royal land grant by the Governor of Jamaica in 1734, many were brought to the islands from Africa, this is evident today with the majority of native Caymanians being of African and English descent. The results of the first census taken in the islands in 1802 showed the population on Grand Cayman to be 933 with 545 of those inhabitants being enslaved, slavery was abolished in the Cayman Islands in 1833. At the time of abolition, there were over 950 Blacks of African ancestry enslaved by 116 white families of English ancestry. The islands continued to be governed as part of the Colony of Jamaica until 1962, 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, the ships had struck a reef and run aground during rough seas. Legend has it that King George III rewarded the island with a never to introduce taxes as compensation for their generosity. While this remains a legend, the story is not true. However, whatever the history, in practice the government of the Cayman Islands has always relied on indirect, the islands have never levied income tax, capital gains tax, or any wealth tax, making them a popular tax haven. On 11 September 2004 the island of Grand Cayman, which lies largely unprotected at sea level, was hit by Hurricane Ivan, an estimated 83% of the dwellings on the island were damaged including 4% requiring complete reconstruction. A reported 70% of all dwellings suffered severe damage from flooding or wind, another 26% sustained minor damage from partial roof removal, low levels of flooding, or impact with floating or wind driven hurricane debris. Power, water and communications were disrupted for months in areas as Ivan was the worst hurricane to hit the islands in 86 years. Grand Cayman began a rebuilding process and within two years its infrastructure was nearly returned to pre-hurricane status.23 years
6.
George Town, Cayman Islands
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George Town is a city situated on Grand Cayman island of the Cayman Islands. It serves as the capital of the Cayman Islands, in the British West Indies, as of 2007, the city had a population of 28,836, making it the second largest city of all the British Overseas Territories. George Town is the heart of the Cayman Islands financial services industry, the Caymanian government offices are located in the city. The Caymanian government offices are located in George Town and these offices include the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands, the Court Houses and the Government Administration Building. The Government Administration Building houses the offices of the Premier and other members of Cabinet, the former Old Courts Building located at the corner of Shedden Road and Harbour Drive is now the National Museum of Grand Cayman. The building was more than 150 years ago and has served the Caymanian government not only as a court building but as a jail. George Towns famous Seven Mile Beach is a crescent of coral-sand beach extending up to the West Bay region of Grand Cayman and is the most popular. The financial services generated CI$1.2 billion of GDP in 2007, 36% of all employment, the Cayman Islands ranks fifth internationally in terms of value of liabilities booked and sixth in terms of assets booked. It has branches of 40 of the worlds 50 largest banks, the Cayman Islands are the second largest captive domicile in the world with more than 700 captives, writing more than US$7.7 billion of premiums and with US$36.8 billion of assets under management. There are more than 9,500 funds under licence with globally recognised legal, audit/accounting, major law firms such as Maples and Calder have established themselves in the Cayman Islands. Similarly, large accounting firms such as KPMG, Ogier, Ernst & Young, as a result, the Cayman Islands are a leader in captive domiciles, hedge fund registrations and is considered a major international banking centre. George Town is a port of call for the Caribbean with cruise ships anchoring in George Town Harbour Tuesday through Friday. Cruise ships calling at George Town anchor offshore and ferry their passengers ashore by tenders, passengers disembark in George Town, in the centre of the Grand Cayman shopping district and usually remain anchored from early morning until mid-afternoon. For nightlife, Seven Mile Beach is host to numerous nightclubs, George Towns waterfront is also home to a Harley-Davidson shop, a Jimmy Buffetts Margaritaville franchise, and a Guy Harvey art studio and restaurant. Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman is the grandest hotel on the island, George Town, as well as the rest of Grand Cayman, is served by nearby Owen Roberts International Airport. It is one of the two entrance points to the Cayman Islands by air, the other being Charles Kirkconnell Airport on Cayman Brac. There are over 55 weekly flights into the Cayman Islands, Cayman Airways is the National Flag Carrier of the Cayman Islands and features five Boeing 737 jets and two Twin Otters. Non-stop service to Grand Cayman are available from Atlanta, Chicago, Tampa, Newark, London, Toronto, New York, Montego Bay, havana, Miami, Panama City, La Ceiba and more
7.
Multiracial
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Multiracial is defined as made up of or relating to people of many races. Many terms exist for people of multiracial backgrounds. While some of the used in the past are considered insulting and offensive. Individuals of multiracial backgrounds make up a significant portion of the population in parts of the world. In North America, studies have found that the population is continuing to grow. Because of a decline in racism, multiracial people no longer feel the need to hide their heritage, in many countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, mixed-race people make up the majority of the population. While defining race is controversial, race remains a commonly used term for categorization, insofar as race is defined differently in different cultures, perceptions of multiraciality will naturally be subjective. Some percentage of people who look black will possess genetic markers indicating the majority of their recent ancestors were European. The revised OMB standards identify a minimum of five categories, White, Black or African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian. Perhaps the most significant change for Census 2000 was that respondents were given the option to one or more races on the questionnaire to indicate their racial identity. Census 2000 race data are shown for people who reported a race either alone or in combination with one or more other races, in the English-speaking world, many terms for people of various multiracial backgrounds exist, some of which are pejorative or are no longer used. Mulato, zambo and mestizo are used in Spanish, mulato, caboclo, cafuzo, ainoko and mestiço in Portuguese and mulâtre and these terms are also in certain contexts used in the English-speaking world. In Canada, the Métis are an ethnic group of mixed European and First Nation descent. Half-breed is a term that referred to people of partial Native American ancestry, it is now considered pejorative. Mestee, once used, is now used mostly for members of historically mixed-race groups, such as Louisiana Creoles, Melungeons, Redbones. In South Africa, and much of English-speaking southern Africa, the term Coloured was used to describe a mixed-race person, while the term is socially accepted, it is becoming an outdated due to its association with the apartheid era. Charts and diagrams intended to explain the classifications were common, the well-known Casta paintings in Mexico and, to some extent, Peru, were illustrations of the different classifications. Most Brazilians of all groups are to some extent mixed-race according to genetic research
8.
White people
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White people is a racial classification specifier, used for people of Europid ancestry, with the exact implications dependent on context. The contemporary usage of people or a white race as a large group of populations contrasting with black, American Indian. It is today used as a racial classifier in multiracial societies, such as North Africa, United States. The term white race or white people entered the major European languages in the later 17th century, in the context of racialized slavery, description of populations as white in reference to their skin color predates this notion and is found in Greco-Roman ethnography and other ancient sources. Scholarship on race generally distinguishes the concept from pre-modern descriptions of collective difference. In the literature of the Ancient Near East and Classical Antiquity and we know that Egyptians were not oblivious to skin color, however, because artists paid attention to it in works of art, to the extent the pigments at the time permitted. Classicist James Dee states the Greeks do not describe themselves as white people—or as anything else because they had no word in their color vocabulary for themselves. Peoples skin color did not carry meaning, what mattered is where they lived. Religious conversion was sometimes described figuratively as a change in skin color, similarly, the Rigveda uses krsna tvac black skin as a metaphor for irreligiosity. The Ancient Egyptian funerary text known as the Book of Gates distinguishes four groups in a procession and these are the Egyptians, the Levantine/Canaanite peoples or Asiatics, the Nubians and the fair-skinned Libyans. The Egyptians are depicted as a reddish brown, the Nubians as black skinned, the Semites from the Levant and Canaan as light skinned. Herodotus described the Scythian Budini as having blue eyes and bright red hair. And the Egyptians – quite like the Colchians – as melánchroes and he also gives the possibly first reference to the common Greek name of the tribes living south of Egypt, otherwise known as Nubians, which was Aithíopes. Later Xenophon described the Aethiopians as black and the Persian troops as white compared to the skin of Greek troops. These color adjectives are found in contrast to the standard set by the own group. According to historian Irene Silverblatt, Race thinking … made social categories into racial truths, Alastair Bonnett argues that white identity, as it is presently conceived, is an American project, reflecting American interpretations of race and history. According to Gregory Jay, a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Before the age of exploration, group differences were based on language, religion. … the European had always reacted a bit hysterically to the differences of skin color, in the 16th and 17th centuries, East Asian peoples were almost uniformly described as white, never as yellow
9.
African diaspora
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Some scholars identify four circulatory phases of migration out of Africa. The term has also commonly been used to refer to recent emigration from Africa. Its constitutive act declares that it shall invite and encourage the participation of the African diaspora as an important part of our continent. The phrase African diaspora was coined during the 1990s, and gradually entered common usage during the 2000s, use of the term diaspora is modelled after the concept of the Jewish diaspora. Much of the African diaspora was dispersed throughout the Americas, Europe, beginning in the 15th century, Europeans captured or bought African slaves from West Africa and brought them to the Americas and Europe. The Atlantic Slave Trade ended in the 19th century, and the Arab Slave Trade ended in the middle of the 20th century, the dispersal through slave trading represents the largest forced migrations in human history. The economic effect on the African continent was devastating, as generations of people were taken from their communities and societies were disrupted. Some communities created by descendants of African slaves in the Americas, Europe, in other cases, blacks intermarried with non-blacks, and their descendants are blended into the local population. In the Americas, the confluence of multiple ethnic groups from around the world created multi-ethnic societies, in Central and South America, most people are descended from European, indigenous American, and African ancestry. In Brazil, where in 1888 nearly half the population was descended from African slaves, in the United States, there was historically a greater European colonial population in relation to African slaves, especially in the Northern Tier. There was considerable racial intermarriage in colonial Virginia, and other forms of racial mixing during the slavery, one of the results of this implementation was the loss of records of Indian-identified groups, who were classified only as black because of being mixed race. See Emigration from Africa for a treatment of voluntary population movements since the late 20th century. From the very onset of Spanish exploration and colonial activities in the Americas, juan Garrido was such an African conquistador. He crossed the Atlantic as a freedman in the 1510s and participated in the siege of Tenochtitlan, Africans had been present in Asia and Europe long before Columbuss travels. Its constitutive act declares that it shall invite and encourage the participation of the African diaspora as an important part of our continent. Their descendants are now found around the globe, but because of intermarriage they are not necessarily readily identifiable, a long line of scholars has challenged conventional views of the African diaspora as a mere dispersion of Black people. For them, it is a movement of liberation that opposes the implications of racialization and their position assumes that Africans and their descendants abroad struggle to reclaim power over their lives through voluntary migration, cultural production and political conceptions and practices. It also implies the presence of cultures of resistance with similar objectives throughout the global diaspora, from this view, the daily struggle against what they call the world-historical processes of racial colonization, capitalism, and western domination defines Blacks links to Africa
10.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
11.
Little Cayman
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Little Cayman is one of three islands comprising the Cayman Islands. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 60 miles northeast of Grand Cayman, Little Cayman is by far the least populous, with a permanent population of about 170. It is about 10 miles long with a width of 1 mile. Almost the entire island is at sea level, the highest elevation is about 40 feet. Little Cayman is known for its excellent scuba diving and birdwatching, unspoiled wildlife habitat, despite its small size, the island hosts a heritage festival and parade as part of Pirates Week, the annual Mardi Gras celebration of the Cayman Islands and the Sister Islands Cook-off. The first recorded sighting of Little Cayman, along with Cayman Brac, was by Christopher Columbus on May 10,1503 on his fourth and final voyage, at that time, he named the islands Las Tortugas for the many sea turtles found living there. The islands were later renamed Las Caymanas for the iguanas that were thought to be living there. The first settlement on the island was in the 17th century, after a raid by a Spanish privateer, the settlements were abandoned in 1671 and the island was not resettled until 1833, when Blossom Village was established by a few families. By the early 20th century, a few hundred people lived on Little Cayman and exported phosphate ore, coconuts, Little Cayman is famous for its scuba diving. The most popular dive site areas, Bloody Bay and Jacksons Bight, are located on the north side of the island, just west of its midpoint. The deeper sites on its side are generally visited on winter days when the north side is too rough. Little Cayman features dive sites as shallow as 20 feet and its walls are deep enough to effectively be infinite, Bloody Bay in particular is consistently ranked as one of the worlds top dive sites. Many dive operations claim the late Philippe Cousteau declared its wall to be one of the three best dives in the world, although this story may be apocryphal. At its shallowest point, the drop-off begins at a depth of 18 feet, allowing divers who plan carefully to achieve depth of over 100 feet. But the wall is so famous primarily because sections of it are so sheer as to be effectively vertical, the most vertical section of the wall was immortalized in 1999 by the Bloody Bay Wall Mural Project. A crew of photographers directed by Jim Hellemn photographed the wall piece by piece, the photograph was reproduced in National Geographic magazine in 2001. In 2010, photographers returned to the section of wall in an effort to create a comparison image showing changes over the intervening decade. The depth of Little Caymans dropoffs is often exaggerated by local divemasters claiming depths of 3,000 feet or 5,000 feet
12.
Mastic Reserve
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Mastic Reserve lies at the eastern end of the North Side of Grand Cayman, one of the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean Sea. It, with the associated Mastic Trail, is managed by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands and is one of the territory’s Important Bird Areas and it is named after the yellow mastic and black mastic trees which occur in the reserve. Mastic Reserve is a 834 ha tract of forested land. It is bounded on the south and west by the Central Mangrove Wetland and it encompasses the largest tract of contiguous native dry forest in the Cayman Islands, as well as the highest part of the low-lying island, with an elevation of 18 m. It also includes stands of royal and silver thatch palms as well as abandoned agricultural land, the Mastic Trail is based on a traditional footpath that had fallen into disuse. In 1994 and 1995 it was restored and reopened as a 4 km walking track passes through the reserve. The southern part includes a 170 m hand-built rock causeway, known as the “Mastic Bridge”, other birds found in the reserve include West Indian woodpeckers and Caribbean doves
13.
Bodden Town (village)
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Bodden Town, Grand Cayman, is the former capital of the Cayman Islands and centre of the largest district in the Cayman Islands. It is situated on a harbour and a coral reef. The first settlement was named after a government leader, William Bodden, once ravaged by pirates, this village is known for its remains of a 4 mi wall and cannon. Bodden Town has a population of 10,341 and its top attractions include the Mission House, which features the lifestyle of early Caymanian settlers. Bodden Town is also considered the fastest growing district in the islands in terms of resident population. C. to offer associate, spectator sports available in Bodden Town include the Bodden Town FC. National Trust for the Cayman Islands – Bodden Town, retrieved june 4,2008
14.
Cayman Turtle Farm
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Cayman Turtle Centre is a conservation facility and tourist attraction located in the West Bay district of the Cayman Islands. It is used for raising the endangered Green Sea Turtle, established in 1968 by a group of American and British investors as Mariculture Limited, the centre was initially a facility used to raise the Green Sea Turtle for commercial purposes. By raising the turtle in an operation, the investors could raise turtle-meat for consumption without depleting the wild population of the species. Still in operation as a farm that breeds and raises turtles in order to sell product, currently, the centre is a conservation project as well as the largest land-based attraction in the Cayman Islands. The turtle centre welcomes more than 500,000 visitors annually, while on his maritime travels, Christopher Columbus, when coming across the Cayman Islands in 1503, called the islands Las Tortugas, because of the abundance of Green Sea Turtles found there. As settlements and towns on the islands were established over time, turtling became a way of survival, Mariculture named this venture The Cayman Turtle Farm and it was the first commercial enterprise to domesticate Green Sea Turtles. It is founded as Mariculture Ltd by Irvin Naylor, Henry Hamlin, Dr. Samuel Ayres III & Anthony G. A. Fisher with the blessing of, by the mid-1970s, the facility housed near 100,000 turtles. Unable to sell their products, the corporation filed bankruptcy in 1975 and was purchased by an investment group from Germany. In 1983, the farm was for sale again - this time it was purchased by the Cayman Islands government, in 2010, the facility was renamed the Cayman Turtle Centre, Island Wildlife Encounter in order that visitors knew about the park’s other attractions, beyond its sea turtles. The centre is 23 acres and featured predators, birds, caiman, the hurricane was located 90 miles southwest of Grand Cayman and produced little wind, but the waves washed turtles of all sizes from hatchlings to 600 pound adults out to sea. Cayman residents responded to rescue the turtles and many were saved at the time. For months thereafter, the turtles from the centre were spotted around the island for following Hurricane Michelle. 75% of the turtles were lost. The centres release and meat supply programs were reduced in an effort to build up the following the event. As a result of the disaster, the Cayman Islands government conceived a new vision for the centre when the pond was relocated across West Bay Road from the current facility. The new and more modern facility was far away from the sea that it would no longer be in danger of high seas such as had been experienced during the 2001 hurricane season. As well, the new park became a facility to include a nature park. The new tourist facility was named Boatswains Beach, a fresh water lagoon and waterfall was also included in addition to a predator tank where reef sharks would habitate
15.
Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
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Seven Mile Beach is a long crescent of coral-sand beach on the western end of Grand Cayman island. Seven Mile Beach is known for its beauty, recently receiving the honor of The Caribbeans Best Beach from Caribbean Travel and it is public property and one is able to walk the full length of the beach, regardless of where you are staying. The Seven Mile Beach is the most popular and most developed area of Grand Cayman and it is home to the majority of the islands luxury resorts and hotels. Despite the name, a generous measurement puts the actual length at just a bit over 6.3 miles long, a realistic length for the uninterrupted sandy beach is about 6 miles. The beach falls victim to erosion, which has reduced its size in some areas. Like the rest of Grand Cayman, the development around the Seven Mile Beach was severely damaged in Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, restaurants open to the public can be found at most of the resorts, which includes several public beach bars. Some small reefs are located just off shore which offer good snorkelling, most notably by the Marriott hotel, Government House, and just north of Seven Mile Public beach
16.
Hell, Grand Cayman
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Hell is a group of short, black, limestone formations located in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Located in West Bay, it is roughly the size of half a football field, visitors are not permitted to walk on the limestone formations but viewing platforms are provided. There are numerous versions of how Hell received its name, but they are variations on a ministration exclaimed. And Where the hell are you from, ironically, some of the stores in the area feature prominent quotations from the Bible on their sides. This is due to the pious and religious nature of Caymanian society, Hell is a unique formation which is characterized by jagged, spongy pinnacles of black-covered limestone. This phytokarst formation is produced when attacking filamentous algae interact with the Ironshore Formation limestone present at this location, phytokarst is a distinctive landform resulting from a curious type of biologic erosion. Filamentous algae bore their way into limestone to produce black-coated, jagged pinnacles marked by delicate, ordinary rainfall-produced karst and littoral karst are characterized by flat-bottomed pans and vertically oriented flutes, thus differing from phytokarst. Algae attack by dissolving calcite preferentially to dolomite, the ironshore karst is a special type, both in terms of its texture and origin. First, texture – it is a black, random spongework of pits, jagged ridges and it is developed in a narrow strip just above the tide line on ancient limestone rocks. If you break off a piece, you see that the black color is present near the surface. Second, origin – it is being dissolved largely by algae, bacteria and these tiny organisms bore into the rock and dissolve the calcite crystals. They are most dense within a centimeter or so at the surface, why this results in the characteristic macro-texture is not fully understood, but you always see the two elements together so they must be linked somehow. It is clear that proximity to the environment is key. Maybe the splash, spray and mist from the waves breaking provide just enough moisture to sustain the algae, so, when you travel around the Caribbean, look at the rocky shoreline, if it is limestone, biokarst may be well developed. The most famous occurrence is at a place called Hell on Grand Cayman
17.
Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park
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Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is a non-profit outdoor garden and wildlife facility located in the North Side District of Grand Cayman Island in the British West Indies. Opened in 1994 with only the Woodland Trail completed, the now also contains the Floral Colour Garden, a Cayman Heritage Garden, a lake, an orchid boardwalk exhibit. Also inside the park is a shop and a visitors interpretive center. Planning for the park began in the late 1980s with master plans being drawn up by landscape. The park was opened in 1994 by Queen Elizabeth II. At the time of the opening, only the Woodland Trail was completed. The park also serves the natural needs of the Cayman Islands as a protected area. The forest surrounded by the Woodland Trail and south of the area is protected in order to assist in conserving flora. Plants unique to the Cayman Islands have been planted and cared throughout the areas of the park. It is surrounded by the Frank Sound Forest Important Bird Area, the parks Woodland Trail was the first natural exhibit to open when the park was dedicated in 1994. It currently is estimated to more than 50% of flora native to the Cayman Islands. The trail was built to allow those visiting a unique and safe view of the landscape that takes up much of Grand Cayman Island. The four-fifths of a long trail encompasses approximately 40 acres and showcases several habitats that feature the rare and native Cockspur trees. The trail winds through areas that contain swamp, dry soil, about halfway along the trail is the Blue Iguana Habitat, developed and run by National Trust of Cayman Islands Blue Iguana Recovery Program. The reptile is frequently seen roaming in the areas surrounding the Wilderness Trail as well as the grounds of the park. The Cayman Heritage Garden showcases plants that have been a part of Caymanian life since settlers first arrived, the garden includes several areas that represent historical agricultural significance in the Cayman Islands. The Floral Colour Garden includes a gravel pathway leading through large stands of wooded areas containing native trees along with open spaces, gazebos. The garden was designed to emphasize a specific colour layout beginning with pink and then moving into red, orange, yellow, white, blue, purple, arbors, trellises, and gazebos round out the garden and give it a serene, peaceful look and feel
18.
Mahogany
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West Indian or Cuban mahogany, native to southern Florida and the Caribbean, formerly dominant in the mahogany trade, but not in widespread commercial use since World War II. Swietenia humilis, a small and often twisted mahogany tree limited to dry forests in Pacific Central America that is of limited commercial utility. Some botanists believe that S. humilis is a variant of S. macrophylla. While the three Swietenia species are classified officially as genuine mahogany, other Meliaceae species with timber uses are classified as true mahogany, some may or may not have the word mahogany in their trade or common name. Some members of the genus Shorea of the family Dipterocarpaceae are also sold as Philippine mahogany. Mahogany is an important lumber prized for its beauty, durability, and color. The leading importer of mahogany is the United States, followed by Britain, while the largest exporter today is Peru and it was estimated that in 2000, some 57,000 mahogany trees were harvested to supply the U. S. furniture trade alone. Mahogany is the tree of the Dominican Republic and Belize. A mahogany tree with two woodcutters bearing an axe and a paddle also appears on the Belizean national coat of arms, under the motto, Sub umbra floreo. The natural distribution of species within the Americas is geographically distinct. In the 20th century various botanists attempted to further define S. macrophylla in South America as a new species, such as S. candollei Pittier, but many authorities consider these spurious. According to Record and Hess, all of the mahogany of continental North and South America can be considered as one botanical species, the name mahogany was initially associated only with those islands in the West Indies under British control. When transported to Jamaica as slaves, they gave the name to the similar trees they saw there. Though this interpretation has been disputed, no one has suggested a more plausible origin, the indigenous Arawak name for the tree is not known. In 1671 the word appeared in print for the first time. Among botanists and naturalists, however, the tree was considered a type of cedar, the following year it was assigned to a new genus by Nicholas Joseph Jacquin, and named Swietenia mahagoni. Until the 19th century all of the mahogany was regarded as one species, although varying in quality and character according to soil and climate. In 1836 the German botanist Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini identified a species while working on specimens collected on the Pacific coast of Mexico
19.
Avocado
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The avocado is a tree that is native to South Central Mexico, classified as a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae. Avocado also refers to the fruit, which is botanically a large berry containing a single seed. Avocados are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world and they have a green-skinned, fleshy body that may be pear-shaped, egg-shaped, or spherical. Avocado trees are partially self-pollinating and are propagated through grafting to maintain a predictable quality and quantity of the fruit. The native, undomesticated variety is known as a criollo, and is small, with black skin. It probably coevolved with extinct megafauna, the oldest evidence of avocado use was found in a cave located in Coxcatlán, Puebla, Mexico, that dates to around 10,000 BC. The avocado tree also has a history of cultivation in Central and South America. A water jar shaped like an avocado, dating to AD900, was discovered in the city of Chan Chan. The earliest known account of the avocado in Europe is that of Martín Fernández de Enciso in 1519 in his book. The first written record in English of the use of the avocado was by Hans Sloane in a 1696 index of Jamaican plants. The plant was introduced to Indonesia in 1750, Brazil in 1809, South Africa and Australia in the late 19th century, and the Levant in 1908. The word avocado comes from the Spanish aguacate, which in turn comes from the Nahuatl word āhuacatl, sometimes the Nahuatl word was used with the meaning testicle, probably because of the likeness between the fruit and the body part. The modern English name is not etymologically related to the similar-sounding Spanish word abogado, meaning lawyer, the earliest known written use in English is attested from 1697 as avogato pear, a term which was later corrupted as alligator pear. Because the word sounded like advocate, several languages reinterpreted it to have that meaning. In other Central American and Caribbean Spanish-speaking countries, it is known by the Mexican name, while South American Spanish-speaking countries use a Quechua-derived word, the fruit is sometimes called an avocado pear or alligator pear. The Nahuatl ahuacatl can be compounded with words, as in ahuacamolli, meaning avocado soup or sauce. In the United Kingdom, the term avocado pear is still sometimes misused as applied when avocados first became available in the 1960s. It is known as fruit in parts of India and goes by the name bơ in Vietnamese
20.
Mango
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Mangoes are juicy stone fruit from numerous species of tropical trees belonging to the flowering plant genus Mangifera, cultivated mostly for their edible fruit. The majority of species are found in nature as wild mangoes. The genus belongs to the cashew family Anacardiaceae, mangoes are native to South Asia, from where the common mango or Indian mango, Mangifera indica, has been distributed worldwide to become one of the most widely cultivated fruits in the tropics. Other Mangifera species are grown on a more localized basis. It is the fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Mango trees grow to 35–40 m tall, with a radius of 10 m. The trees are long-lived, as some specimens still fruit after 300 years, in deep soil, the taproot descends to a depth of 6 m, with profuse, wide-spreading feeder roots, the tree also sends down many anchor roots, which penetrate several feet of soil. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 15–35 cm long, and 6–16 cm broad, when the leaves are young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a dark, glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The flowers are produced in terminal panicles 10–40 cm long, each flower is small and white with five petals 5–10 mm long, with a mild, over 400 varieties of mangoes are known, many of which ripen in summer, while some give double crop. The fruit takes three to six months to ripen, the ripe fruit varies in size and color. Cultivars are variously yellow, orange, red, or green, and carry a single flat, oblong pit that can be fibrous or hairy on the surface, ripe, unpeeled mangoes give off a distinctive resinous, sweet smell. Inside the pit 1–2 mm thick is a thin lining covering a single seed, the seed contains the plant embryo. Mangoes have recalcitrant seeds, they do not survive freezing and drying, the English word mango originated from the Malayalam word māṅṅa via Portuguese during spice trade with Kerala in 1498. The origin of the -o ending in English is unclear, when mangoes were first imported to the American colonies in the 17th century, they had to be pickled because of lack of refrigeration. Other fruits were also pickled and came to be called mangoes, especially bell peppers, and by the 18th century, in Mandarin Chinese, mango is 芒果, or mángguǒ in Pinyin. This is most likely a loanword from English, mangoes have been cultivated in South Asia for thousands of years and reached Southeast Asia between the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. By the 10th century CE, cultivation had begun in East Africa, the 14th-century Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta reported it at Mogadishu. Cultivation came later to Brazil, Bermuda, the West Indies, and Mexico, the mango is now cultivated in most frost-free tropical and warmer subtropical climates, almost half of the worlds mangoes are cultivated in India alone, with the second-largest source being China
21.
Melicoccus bijugatus
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The genus Melicoccus was first described by Patrick Browne, an Irish physician and botanist, in 1756. This description was based on M. bijugatus trees which were cultivated in Puerto Rico, in 1760, Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin described the first species in Brownes genus, which he named M. bijugatus. In 1762 Linnaeus used a variation of the name Melicocca bijuga. Over the next two centuries, Linnaeus spelling variation was used in almost all publications, a proposal was made in 1994 to conserve Melicocca over Melicoccus, but the proposal was rejected, leading to a restoration of the original version of the name. In 1888 German taxonomist Ludwig Radlkofer placed Melicoccus in the tribe Melicocceae together with eight other genera, the specific epithet bijugatus refers to the bijugate leaves, leaves which consist of two pairs of leaflets. Also, it is referred to as anoncillo in central Cuba. It is called ackee in the countries of Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, however, in the rest of the Caribbean, the latter name is used to refer to the related Blighia sapida. Melicoccus bijugatus is native to northern South America and naturalised in coastal and dry forest in Central America and it is believed to have been introduced into the Caribbean in pre-Columbian times and is also found in India. Trees can reach heights of up to 25 m and come with alternate, the leaves have 4 elliptic leaflets which are 5–12.5 cm long and 2. 5–5 cm wide. They are typically dioecious plants however polygamous trees occur from time to time, flowers have 4 petals and 8 stamens and produce void, green drupes which are 2. 5–4 cm long and 2 cm wide. Their pulp is orange, salmon or yellowish in color with a somewhat juicy and this fruit can be sweet or sour. In the southern areas of Mexico, it is eaten with chili powder, salt. The sweet varieties are eaten without condiments of any kind. Being tropical, M. bijugatus prefers warmer temperatures and its leaves can be damaged if the temperature hits the freezing point, with serious damage occurring below −4 °C. It is grown and cultivated for its ovoid, green fruit, the fruit, somewhat like a cross between a lychee and a lime, has a tight and thin, but rigid layer of skin, traditionally opened by biting into with the teeth. Inside the skin is a pulp, which is sucked by putting the whole fruit inside the mouth because the seed takes most of the volume of what is inside the skin. Despite the light color of the flesh, the juice stains a dark brown color. The species is commonly planted along roadsides as an ornamental tree
22.
Manilkara zapota
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Manilkara zapota, commonly known as the sapodilla, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion and it was introduced to the Philippines during Spanish colonization. It is grown in quantities in Pakistan, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Bangladesh. The name zapota from the Spanish zapote ultimately derives from the Nahuatl word tzapotl, Sapodilla can grow to more than 30 m tall with an average trunk diameter of 1.5 m. The average height of cultivated specimens, however, is usually between 9 and 15 m with a diameter not exceeding 50 cm. It is wind-resistant and the bark is rich in a white, the ornamental leaves are medium green and glossy. They are alternate, elliptic to ovate, 7–15 cm long, the white flowers are inconspicuous and bell-like, with a six-lobed corolla. An unripe fruit has an outer skin and when picked. A fully ripened fruit has saggy skin and does not release chicle when picked, the fruit is a large berry, 4–8 cm in diameter. Inside, its flesh ranges from a yellow to an earthy brown color with a grainy texture akin to that of a well-ripened pear. Each fruit contains one to six seeds, the seeds are hard, glossy, and black, resembling beans, with a hook at one end that can catch in the throat if swallowed. The fruit has a sweet, malty flavor. The unripe fruit is hard to the touch and contains high amounts of saponin, the trees can only survive in warm, typically tropical environments, dying easily if the temperature drops below freezing. From germination, the tree will usually take anywhere from five to eight years to bear fruit. The sapodilla trees yield fruit twice a year, though flowering may continue year round and it is called ciku in standard Malay and sawo nilo in Kelantanese Malay. Compounds extracted from the leaves showed anti-diabetic, antioxidant and hypocholesterolemic effects in rats, acetone extracts of the seeds exhibited considerable antibacterial effects against strains of Pseudomonas oleovorans and Vibrio cholerae. Synonyms of this include, Sapote CRFG Publications, Sapodilla Sapodilla
23.
Breadfruit
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Breadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family originating in the South Pacific and that was eventually spread to the rest of Oceania. Its name is derived from the texture of the ripe fruit when cooked, similar to freshly baked bread. According to DNA fingerprinting studies, breadfruit has its origins in the region of Oceania from New Guinea through the Indo-Malayan Archipelago to western Micronesia, the trees have been widely planted in tropical regions elsewhere, including lowland Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean. In addition to the serving as a staple food in many cultures. Sir Joseph Banks and others saw the value of breadfruit as a highly productive food in 1769, in 1787, William Bligh was appointed Captain of the HMS Bounty, and ordered to proceed to the South Pacific to collect the plants. Although Bligh won the Royal Society medal for his efforts, the introduction was not entirely successful, Breadfruit trees grow to a height of 26 m. The large and thick leaves are cut into pinnate lobes. All parts of the tree yield latex, which is useful for boat caulking, the trees are monoecious, with male and female flowers growing on the same tree. The male flowers emerge first, followed shortly afterward by the female flowers, the latter grow into capitula, which are capable of pollination just three days later. Pollination occurs mainly by bats, but cultivated varieties produce fruit without pollination. The compound, false fruit develops from the perianth, and originates from 1. Breadfruit is one of the food plants, with a single tree producing up to 200 or more grapefruit-sized fruits per season. In the South Pacific, the trees yield 50 to 150 fruits per year, usually round, productivity varies between wet and dry areas. Studies in Barbados indicate a potential of 16 to 32 tons per hectare. The ovoid fruit has a surface, and each fruit is divided into many achenes, each achene surrounded by a fleshy perianth. Most selectively bred cultivars have seedless fruit, whereas seeded varieties are mainly for their edible seeds. Breadfruit is usually propagated using root cuttings, Breadfruit is closely related to the breadnut, from which it might have been naturally selected. It is noticeably similar in appearance to its relative of the same genus, Breadfruit has hundreds of varieties and thousands of common names varying according to its geographic distribution, and is cultivated in some 90 countries
24.
Tamarind
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Tamarind is a leguminous tree in the family Fabaceae indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus Tamarindus is a taxon, having only a single species. The tamarind tree produces edible, pod-like fruit which is used extensively in cuisines around the world, other uses include traditional medicine and metal polish. The wood can be used for woodworking, because of the tamarinds many uses, cultivation has spread around the world in tropical and subtropical zones. It grows wild in Africa in locales as diverse as Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, in Arabia, it is found growing wild in Oman, especially Dhofar, where it grows on the sea-facing slopes of mountains. It reached South Asia likely through human transportation and cultivation several years prior to the Common Era. It is widely distributed throughout the belt, from Africa to South Asia, northern Australia. Today, India is the largest producer of tamarind, the consumption of tamarind is widespread due to its central role in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and the Americas, particularly Mexico. The tamarind is a long-lived, medium-growth shrub, which attains a maximum height of 12 to 18 metres. The crown has an irregular, vase-shaped outline of dense foliage, the tree grows well in full sun in clay, loam, sandy, and acidic soil types, with a high resistance to drought and aerosol salt. The evergreen leaves are arranged and pinnately compound. The leaflets are green, elliptical ovular, pinnately veined. The branches droop from a single, central trunk as the tree matures and is often pruned in agriculture to optimize tree density, at night, the leaflets close up. The tamarind does flower, though inconspicuously, with red and yellow elongated flowers, flowers are 2.5 cm wide, five-petalled, borne in small racemes, and yellow with orange or red streaks. Buds are pink as the four sepals are pink and are lost when the flower blooms, the fruit is an indehiscent legume, sometimes called a pod,12 to 15 cm in length, with a hard, brown shell. The fruit has a fleshy, juicy, acidulous pulp and it is mature when the flesh is coloured brown or reddish brown. The tamarinds of Asia have longer pods containing six to 12 seeds, whereas African, the seeds are somewhat flattened, and glossy brown. The tamarind is best described as sweet and sour in taste, and is high in acid, sugar, B vitamins
25.
Mastic Trail
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Mastic Reserve lies at the eastern end of the North Side of Grand Cayman, one of the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean Sea. It, with the associated Mastic Trail, is managed by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands and is one of the territory’s Important Bird Areas and it is named after the yellow mastic and black mastic trees which occur in the reserve. Mastic Reserve is a 834 ha tract of forested land. It is bounded on the south and west by the Central Mangrove Wetland and it encompasses the largest tract of contiguous native dry forest in the Cayman Islands, as well as the highest part of the low-lying island, with an elevation of 18 m. It also includes stands of royal and silver thatch palms as well as abandoned agricultural land, the Mastic Trail is based on a traditional footpath that had fallen into disuse. In 1994 and 1995 it was restored and reopened as a 4 km walking track passes through the reserve. The southern part includes a 170 m hand-built rock causeway, known as the “Mastic Bridge”, other birds found in the reserve include West Indian woodpeckers and Caribbean doves
26.
Coconut
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The coconut tree is a member of the family Arecaceae and the only species of the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the coconut palm or the seed, or the fruit. The spelling cocoanut is a form of the word. The term is derived from the 16th-century Portuguese and Spanish word coco meaning head or skull, coconuts are known for their great versatility, as evidenced by many traditional uses, ranging from food to cosmetics. They form a part of the diets of many people in the tropics and subtropics. Coconuts are distinct from other fruits for their quantity of water. When mature, they can be used as seed nuts or processed to give oil from the kernel, charcoal from the hard shell, the endosperm is initially in its nuclear phase suspended within the coconut water. As development continues, cellular layers of endosperm deposit along the walls of the coconut, when dried, the coconut flesh is called copra. The oil and milk derived from it are used in cooking and frying, as well as in soaps. The husks and leaves can be used as material to make a variety of products for furnishing and decorating, the coconut also has cultural and religious significance in certain societies, particularly in India, where it is used in Hindu rituals. Cocos nucifera is a palm, growing up to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 m long. Coconuts are generally classified into two types, tall and dwarf. On fertile soil, a coconut palm tree can yield up to 75 fruits per year. Given proper care and growing conditions, coconut palms produce their first fruit in six to ten years, botanically, the coconut fruit is a drupe, not a true nut. Like other fruits, it has three layers, the exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp, the exocarp and mesocarp make up the husk of the coconuts. Coconuts sold in the shops of nontropical countries often have had the exocarp removed, the mesocarp is composed of a fiber, called coir, which has many traditional and commercial uses. The shell has three germination pores or eyes that are visible on its outside surface once the husk is removed. A full-sized coconut weighs about 1.44 kg and it takes around 6,000 full-grown coconuts to produce a tonne of copra
27.
Casuarina
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Casuarina is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian Subcontinent, southeast Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was once treated as the genus in the family. They are evergreen shrubs and trees growing to 35 m tall, the foliage consists of slender, much-branched green to grey-green twigs bearing minute scale-leaves in whorls of 5–20. The apetalous flowers are produced in small catkin-like inflorescences, most species are dioecious, but a few are monoecious. The fruit is a woody, oval structure superficially resembling a conifer cone, made up of numerous carpels, each containing a single seed with a small wing. Casuarina species are a source of the larvae of hepialid moths, members of the genus Aenetus, including A. lewinii and A. splendens. Endoclita malabaricus also feeds on Casuarina, the noctuid turnip moth is also recorded feeding on Casuarina. Pedunculagin, casuarictin, strictinin, casuarinin and casuariin are ellagitannins found in the species within the genus, – River Sheoak Casuarina equisetifolia L. – Australian Pine, Beach Sheoak, Common Ironwood, ঝাউ in বাংলা, ಗಾಳಿ ಮರ in Kannada. Gray Sheoak, Longleaf Ironwood, Saltmarsh Ironwood, Swamp Oak Casuarina grandis L. A. S. Johnson Casuarina junghuhniana Miq, Casuarina oligodon L. A. S. Johnson Casuarina pauper F. Muell. Ex L. A. S. Johnson Sources, Commonly known as the she-oak, sheoak, ironwood, or beefwood, the tree has delicate, slender terminal branches, and leaves that are no more than scales, making the tree look more like a wispy conifer. The plants are tolerant of windswept locations, and are widely planted as windbreaks. C. equisetifolia is a common tropical seashore tree known as Common Ironwood, Beefwood, Bull-oak, or Whistling-pine, the wood of this tree is used commercially for shingles or fencing, and is said to make excellent, hot burning firewood. C. oligodon has been planted in New Guinea in an ancient silviculture by highland gardeners practicing an intensive traditional permaculture, the wood of this tree is used for building-timber, furniture and tools, and makes excellent firewood. The trees root nodules are known to fix nitrogen, and it is prized for its ability to increase the soils fertility. Its abundant leaf-fall is high in nitrogen and traditionally prized for mulch, the resin exuded from some casuarinas is edible and was a food source for Aboriginal people. C. cunninghamiana, C. glauca and C, the species has nearly quadrupled in southern Florida between 1993 and 2005, where it is known as Australian pine. C. equisetifolia is widespread in the Hawaiian Islands where it both on the seashore in dry, salty, calcareous soils and up in the mountains in high rainfall areas on volcanic soils. It is also an introduced, invasive plant in Bermuda, where it was introduced to replace the Juniperus bermudiana windbreaks killed by juniper blight in the 1940s
28.
Mangrove
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A mangrove is a shrub or small tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are salt tolerant trees, also called halophytes, and are adapted to life in coastal conditions. They contain a complex filtration system and complex root system to cope with salt water immersion. They are adapted to the low oxygen conditions of waterlogged mud, the saline conditions tolerated by various mangrove species range from brackish water, through pure seawater, to water concentrated by evaporation to over twice the salinity of ocean seawater. The term mangrove comes to English from Spanish, and is likely to originate from Guarani and it was earlier mangrow, but this word was corrupted via folk etymology influence of the word grove. Mangrove swamps are found in tropical and subtropical tidal areas, areas where mangal occurs include estuaries and marine shorelines. The intertidal existence to which trees are adapted represents the major limitation to the number of species able to thrive in their habitat. High tide brings in water, and when the tide recedes. The return of tide can flush out these soils, bringing back to salinity levels comparable to that of seawater. At low tide, organisms are exposed to increases in temperature and desiccation. About 110 species are considered mangroves, in the sense of being a tree grows in such a saline swamp, though only a few are from the mangrove plant genus. However, a mangrove swamp typically features only a small number of tree species. It is not uncommon for a mangrove forest in the Caribbean to feature three or four tree species. For comparison, the tropical rainforest biome contains thousands of tree species, though the trees themselves are few in species, the ecosystem that these trees create provides a home for a great variety of other organisms. Mangrove plants require a number of adaptations to overcome the problems of anoxia, high salinity. Each species has its own solutions to problems, this may be the primary reason why, on some shorelines. Small environmental variations within a mangal may lead to greatly differing methods for coping with the environment, once established, mangrove roots provide an oyster habitat and slow water flow, thereby enhancing sediment deposition in areas where it is already occurring
29.
Delonix regia
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Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae. It is noted for its leaves and flamboyant display of flowers. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental tree and it is also one of several trees known as flame tree. This species was placed in the genus Poinciana, named for Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy. It is a non nodulating legume and they appear in corymbs along and at the ends of branches. The naturally occurring variety flavida has yellow flowers, the pods are green and flaccid when young and turn dark-brown and woody. They can be up to 60 cm long and 5 cm wide, the seeds are small, weighing around 0.4 g on average. The compound leaves have an appearance and are a characteristic light, bright green and are doubly pinnate. Each leaf is 30–50 cm long with 20 to 40 pairs of leaflets or pinnae. Delonix regia is endemic to the Madagascars dry deciduous forests but has been introduced into tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide, in the wild it is endangered, but it is widely cultivated elsewhere. The royal poinciana requires a tropical or near-tropical climate, but can tolerate drought and it prefers an open, free-draining sandy or loamy soil enriched with organic matter. The tree does not like heavy or clay soils and flowers more profusely when kept slightly dry. In addition to its value, it is also a useful shade tree in tropical conditions, because it usually grows to a modest height but spreads widely. In areas with a dry season, it sheds its leaves during the drought. In the continental United States, it grows in South Florida, Central Florida and it is much loved in the Caribbean and is featured in many Dominican & Puerto Rican paintings. It is the flower of St. Kitts and Nevis. In Mauritius and La Réunion it announces the coming of the new year and it is very widely grown in the Northern Australia, Hong Kong, Paraguay, Peru, Spain the valencian coast and on all Canary Islands, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka and southern China. It is the tree in Vietnam, Tainan, Taiwan, Xiamen, Fujian Province, Peoples Republic of China
30.
Central American agouti
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The Central American agouti is a species of agouti from the family Dasyproctidae. The main portion of its range is from Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula, through Central America, to northwestern Ecuador, Colombia, a highly disjunct population is found in southeastern Peru, far southwestern Brazil, Bolivia, western Paraguay and far northwestern Argentina. The disjunct population has been treated as a species, the brown agouti. The Central American agouti has also introduced to Cuba, Bahamas, Jamaica, Hispaniola. Though some populations are reduced due to hunting and deforestation, large populations remain, Central American agoutis from the main part of their range weigh 3–4.2 kg and are typically reddish, orange or yellowish grizzled with black. In western Colombia and Ecuador some have tawny foreparts and yellowish to the rump, like other agoutis, Central American agoutis are diurnal and live in monogamous pairs. They mainly feed on fruits and seeds, and are important seed dispersers
31.
Green sea turtle
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The green sea turtle, also known as the green turtle, black turtle, or Pacific green turtle, is a large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, the common name comes from the usually green fat found beneath its carapace, these turtles shells are olive to black. This sea turtles dorsoventrally flattened body is covered by a large, teardrop-shaped carapace, it has a pair of large and it is usually lightly colored, although in the eastern Pacific populations parts of the carapace can be almost black. Unlike other members of its family, such as the sea turtle. The adults usually inhabit shallow lagoons, feeding mostly on various species of seagrasses, the turtles bite off the tips of the blades of seagrass, which keeps the grass healthy. Like other sea turtles, green sea turtles migrate long distances between feeding grounds and hatching beaches, many islands worldwide are known as Turtle Island due to green sea turtles nesting on their beaches. Females crawl out on beaches, dig nests and lay eggs during the night, later, hatchlings emerge and scramble into the water. Those that reach maturity may live to 80 years in the wild, C. mydas is listed as endangered by the IUCN and CITES and is protected from exploitation in most countries. It is illegal to collect, harm, or kill them, in addition, many countries have laws and ordinances to protect nesting areas. However, turtles are still in danger due to human activity, in some countries, turtles and their eggs are hunted for food. Pollution indirectly harms turtles at both population and individual scales, many turtles die after being caught in fishing nets. Also, real estate development often causes habitat loss by eliminating nesting beaches, the green sea turtle is a member of the tribe Chelonini. A1993 study clarified the status of genus Chelonia with respect to the marine turtles. The carnivorous Eretmochelys, Caretta and Lepidochelys were assigned to the tribe Carettini, herbivorous Chelonia warranted their status as a genus, while Natator was further removed from the other genera than previously believed. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758 as Testudo mydas. In 1868, Marie Firmin Bocourt named a species of sea turtle Chelonia agassizii. This species was referred to as the sea turtle
32.
Blue iguana
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The blue iguana, also known as the Grand Cayman iguana, Grand Cayman blue iguana or Cayman Island blue iguana, is an endangered species of lizard endemic to the island of Grand Cayman. Previously listed as a subspecies of the Cuban iguana, it was reclassified as a species in 2004 because of genetic differences discovered four years earlier. The blue iguana is one of the species of lizard. The preferred habitat for the iguana is rocky, sunlit, open areas in dry forests or near the shore, as the females must dig holes in the sand to lay eggs in June. A possible second clutch is laid in September, the blue iguanas herbivorous diet includes plants, fruits, and flowers. Its coloration is tan to gray with a bluish cast that is more pronounced during the breeding season and it is large and heavy-bodied with a dorsal crest of short spines running from the base of the neck to the end of the tail. The species decline is mainly being driven by predation by feral pets, at least five non-profit organizations are working with the government of the Cayman Islands to ensure the survival of the blue iguana. The blue iguana is endemic to the island of Grand Cayman, the Lesser Caymans iguana has been introduced to Grand Cayman, where it has interbred with that islands native blue iguana. Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek words cyclos meaning circular and ourá meaning tail and its specific name is a Latinized form of the name of the scientist who collected the holotype of this species, Bernard C. Lewis. Its closest relatives are the Cuban iguana and the Northern Bahamian rock iguana, the species has a low genetic diversity but does not seem to suffer the same lack of vitality that afflicts other such species of rock iguana. One theory is that the species evolved from a single female Cuban iguana with eggs inside her who drifted across the sea, perhaps during a storm. It is distinct from the subspecies found on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac known as C. nubila caymanensis, although it can breed with this subspecies, in 1938, Bernard C. Lewis of the Institute of Jamaica joined an Oxford University biological expedition to the Cayman Islands. Lewis was able to obtain two blue iguanas, a male and a female, which were lodged with the British Museum of Natural History. Chapman Grant, in a monograph published in 1940, formally described the blue iguana for the first time as Cyclura macleayi lewisi, schwartz and Carey established the trinomial in 1977. They held that the blue iguana was a distinct subspecies of the Cuban iguana. They emphasized its overall bright blue coloration, and noted that further study could reveal it to be a distinct species, catherine Malone, to re-examine the phylogeography of the different species. The blue iguana is the largest native animal on Grand Cayman with a total nose-to-tail length of 5 ft. It may be the heaviest species of iguana and most massive lizard in the Western Hemisphere and its body length is 20–30 inches with a tail equal in length
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Cuban amazon
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The Cuban amazon is a medium-sized parrot 28–33 centimetres long. It is mainly green with some feathers in its wings. The green feathers are edged with a black rim. Its lower face, chin and throat are pink, and its forehead. The extent of the colours of the head, the extent of the rosy pink on the upper chest. Its irises are pale olive-green, its beak is horn-coloured, the juvenile has little or no red on the abdomen, less black edging on the green feathers, and some of the feathers on the top of its head may be pale yellow rather than white. Traditionally, most authorities have recognized four subspecies of the Cuban amazon, present throughout Cuba, including Isla de la Juventud. A. l. bahamensis, also called the Bahama amazon, two extant populations in the Bahamas, one on the Abaco Islands and one on Great Inagua. Now extirpated populations were present on the Acklins and Crooked Islands, a. l. caymanensis, also called the Grand Cayman amazon. Now restricted to the island of Cayman Brac, but formerly also on Little Cayman, the two populations are very similar genetically, but some authorities have maintained that A. l. palmarum is a valid subspecies. This review also revealed differences among the populations on the islands in the Bahamas. The recognition of three subspecies from the Bahamas is also supported by genetics, the Cuban amazon lives in different habitats on different islands. It was once found throughout Cuba, but it is now confined to the forested areas of the main island. There are about 10,000 individuals in Cuba including an estimated 1, on the Cayman Islands the parrot lives in dry forest and on agricultural land. The population living on Grand Cayman numbers about 3,400 individuals, the population on Little Cayman was extirpated in the 1940s. The populations were estimated at about 3,550 individuals on Abaco and 6,350 on Inagua in 2006, in the winter Cuban amazons gather in flocks, and disperse into pairs during the breeding season. The Cuban amazon feeds on a number of fruits and seeds including the fruits of palm trees, the breeding season is from March to September. Two to four eggs are laid, which are incubated by the female for 26–28 days
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Turtle farming
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Turtle farming is the practice of raising turtles and tortoises of various species commercially. Raised animals are sold for use as food, traditional medicine ingredients. Some farms also sell young animals to other farms, either as breeding stock, Turtle farms primarily raise freshwater turtles, therefore, turtle farming is usually classified as aquaculture. However, some terrestrial tortoises are raised on farms for the pet trade. Only three serious attempts are believed to have made to farm sea turtles. Only one of them, in Cayman Islands, continues including as a tourist attraction, the one in Australias Torres Strait Islands folded after a few years of operation, and the one in Réunion has been converted to a public aquarium. Japan is said to be the pioneer of softshelled turtle farming, initially stocked with wild-caught animals, the farm started breeding them in 1875. By the early 20th century, Hattoris farm had about 13.6 hectares of ponds, it was reported to produce 82,000 eggs in 1904. This was supplemented with byproducts of fish processing and sericulture, as well as boiled wheat, the farm turtles lived in a symbiotic relationship with carp and eels, which were raised in the same ponds. The fish stirred up the mud, and the shy turtles felt more comfortable foraging in turbid water, Hattoris company has survived into the 21st century, as the Hattori-Nakamura Soft-Shelled Turtle Farm, operating in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. According to a 1991 report, Japans turtle farm industry continued to be based in central Japan. The majority of worlds turtle farms are located in China. According to a study published in 2007, over a thousand turtle farms operated in China, the farms were mostly located in Chinas southern provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and Hunan, although more recent sources indicate Zhejiang as particularly important. Some of the farms have been operating since the 1980s, the steadily growing since. According to the responses obtained from 684 of those farms, they had a total of than 300 million animals, extrapolating from this sample, the researchers estimated that about 300 million farm-raised turtles are sold annually by Chinas registered turtle farms, worth around US$750 million. They note that a number of unregistered farms also exist. According to more recent Chinese statistics, annual production just of Chinese softshelled turtle amounted to 204,000 tons in 2008. The most common species raised by Chinese turtle farmers is the Chinese softshell turtle, accounting for over 97% of all reported sales, both in terms of head count and weight
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Invasive species
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One study pointed out widely divergent perceptions of the criteria for invasive species among researchers and concerns with the subjectivity of the term invasive. Such invasive species may be either plants or animals and may disrupt by dominating a region, wilderness areas, particular habitats and this includes non-native invasive plant species labeled as exotic pest plants and invasive exotics growing in native plant communities. It has been used in this sense by government organizations as well as groups such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The European Union defines Invasive Alien Species as those that are, firstly, outside their natural distribution area and it is also used by land managers, botanists, researchers, horticulturalists, conservationists, and the public for noxious weeds. The kudzu vine, Andean Pampas grass, and yellow starthistle are examples, an alternate usage broadens the term to include indigenous or native species along with non-native species, that have colonized natural areas. Deer are an example, considered to be overpopulating their native zones and adjacent suburban gardens, by some in the Northeastern, sometimes the term is used to describe a non-native or introduced species that has become widespread. However, not every introduced species has adverse effects on the environment, a nonadverse example is the common goldfish, which is found throughout the United States, but rarely achieves high densities. Scientists include species and ecosystem factors among the mechanisms that when combined, while all species compete to survive, invasive species appear to have specific traits or specific combinations of traits that allow them to outcompete native species. In some cases, the competition is about rates of growth, in other cases, species interact with each other more directly. Researchers disagree about the usefulness of traits as invasiveness markers, one study found that of a list of invasive and noninvasive species, 86% of the invasive species could be identified from the traits alone. Another study found invasive species tended to have only a subset of the presumed traits. Repeated patterns of movement, such as ships sailing to and from ports or cars driving up. An introduced species might become if it can outcompete native species for resources such as nutrients, light, physical space, water. If these species evolved under great competition or predation, then the new environment may host fewer able competitors, allowing the invader to proliferate quickly. Ecosystems in which are being used to their fullest capacity by native species can be modeled as zero-sum systems in which any gain for the invader is a loss for the native, however, such unilateral competitive superiority is not the rule. For example, barbed goatgrass was introduced to California on serpentine soils, which have low water-retention, low nutrient levels, a high magnesium/calcium ratio, and possible heavy metal toxicity. Plant populations on these soils tend to low density, but goatgrass can form dense stands on these soils. Some species, like Kalanchoe daigremontana, produce allelopathic compounds, that might have an effect on competing species
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Indotyphlops braminus
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The specific name is a latinized form of the word Brahmin, which is a caste among Hindus. Adults are small and thin, typically 6.35 -16.5 cm in length, the head and tail-tip look much the same, with no narrowing of the neck. The rudimentary eyes appear only as a pair of small dots under the head scales, the tip of the tail ends with a tiny, pointed spur. The head scales are small and resemble those on the body, twenty rows of dorsal scales occur along the entire body. The coloration of the adults varies from shiny silver gray to gray or purple. The venter is grayish to brown, juveniles are colored much the same as the adults. The tiny eyes are covered with translucent scales, rendering these snakes almost entirely blind, the eyes cannot form images, but are still capable of registering light intensity. I. braminus is variously known as brahminy blind snake, flowerpot snake, common snake, island blind snake. The moniker flowerpot snake derives from the snakes incidental introduction to various parts of the world through the plant trade, found in Africa and Asia, it is an introduced species in many parts of the world, including Australia, the Americas, and Oceania. It is common throughout most of Florida now, the vertical distribution is from sea level to 1,200 m in Sri Lanka and up to 1,500 m in Guatemala. The type locality given is Vizagapatam and this is also the only snake reported from the Lakshadweep Islands. It occurs in the Cocos Islands, on Christmas Island, in Australia, it occurs in the Northern Territory near Darwin, and at the northern tip of Queensland. In Oceania, it occurs on Palau, Guam, Saipan, in the Americas, it occurs in the United States, western and southern Mexico, and Guatemala, and on the Cayman Islands. Usually, they occur in urban and agricultural areas and these snakes live under ground in ant and termite nests. They are also found under logs, moist leaves, and humus in wet forest, dry jungle, the distribution and survival of this group of snakes directly reflect soil humidity and temperature. Their diet consists of the larvae, eggs, and pupae of ants and this species is parthenogenetic and all specimens collected so far have been female. They lay eggs or may bear live young, up to eight offspring are produced - all female and all genetically identical. Ramphotyphlops braminus at the Reptarium. cz Reptile Database, image of Ramphotyphlops braminus at the Institute of Toxicology and Genetics
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Scuba diving
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Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving in which the scuba diver uses a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus which is completely independent of surface supply, to breathe underwater. They may include additional cylinders for decompression gas or emergency breathing gas, closed-circuit or semi-closed circuit rebreather scuba systems allow recycling of exhaled gases. The volume of gas used is reduced compared to that of open circuit, therefore, scuba divers engaged in armed forces covert operations may be referred to as frogmen, combat divers or attack swimmers. A scuba diver primarily moves underwater by using fins attached to the feet, scuba divers are trained in the procedures and skills appropriate to their level of certification by instructors affiliated to the diver certification organisations which issue these certifications. A minimum level of fitness and health is required by most training organisations, the closed-circuit rebreathers were first developed for escape and rescue purposes, and were modified for military use, due to their stealth advantages, as they produce very few bubbles. The first commercially successful closed-circuit scuba was designed and built by English diving engineer, Henry Fleuss in 1878, while working for Siebe Gorman in London. Sir Robert Davis, head of Siebe Gorman, improved the oxygen rebreather in 1910 with his invention of the Davis Submerged Escape Apparatus, rebreathers have been increasingly used by civilians for recreation, especially since the end of the Cold War. This reduced the risk of attack by Communist Bloc forces. After that, the armed forces had less reason to requisition civilian rebreather patents. The single hose two stage scuba regulators trace their origins to Australia, where Ted Eldred developed the first example of type of regulator. This was developed because patents protected the Aqualungs twin hose design, the single hose regulator separates the demand valve from the cylinder, giving the diver air at the ambient pressure at the mouth, rather than ambient pressure at the cylinder valve. The term SCUBA originally referred to United States combat frogmens oxygen rebreathers, SCUBA was originally an acronym, but is now generally used as a common noun or adjective, scuba. It has become acceptable to refer to equipment or scuba apparatus—examples of the linguistic RAS syndrome. Scuba diving may be performed for a number of reasons, both personal and professional, recreational diving is done purely for enjoyment and has a number of technical disciplines to increase interest underwater, such as cave diving, wreck diving, ice diving and deep diving. Divers may be employed professionally to perform tasks underwater, some of these tasks are suitable for scuba. There are divers who work, full or part-time, in the diving community as instructors, assistant instructors, divemasters. Other specialist areas of diving include military diving, with a long history of military frogmen in various roles. Their roles include direct combat, infiltration behind enemy lines, placing mines or using a manned torpedo, in some cases diver rescue teams may also be part of a fire department, paramedical service or lifeguard unit, and may be classed as public service diving
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Snorkeling
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Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped breathing tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn, use of this equipment allows the snorkeler to observe underwater attractions for extended periods with relatively little effort and to breathe while face-down at the surface. Snorkeling is a recreational activity, particularly at tropical resort locations. The primary appeal is the opportunity to observe life in a natural setting without the complicated equipment. It appeals to all ages because of how little there is. It is the basis of the two disciplines of the underwater sport of finswimming. Snorkeling is mentioned by Aristotle in his Parts of Animals and he refers to divers using instruments for respiration resembling the elephants trunk. The snorkel may be an item or may be integrated with a full-face snorkelling mask. The integrated system is suitable for surface snorkelling, but the separate snorkel may also be used for free-diving. It is used for breathing air from above the surface when the wearers mouth and nose are submerged. The snorkel may have a piece of rubber or a clip that attaches the snorkel to the outside of the strap of the diving mask. An alternative technique is fitting the snorkel between the mask-strap and the head, but this practice may increase the chance that the mask leaks, the optimum design length of the snorkel tube is at most 40 centimeters. A longer tube would not allow breathing when snorkelling deeper, since it would place the lungs in deeper water where the water pressure is higher. The lungs would then be unable to inflate when the snorkeler inhales, the pressure difference across the tissues in the lungs, between the blood capillaries and air spaces would increase the risk of pulmonary edema. The greater the volume of the tube, and the smaller the tidal volume of breathing, a smaller diameter tube reduces the dead volume, but also increases resistance to airflow and so increases the work of breathing. Occasional exhalation through the nose while snorkeling will slightly reduce the buildup of carbon dioxide, the simplest type of snorkel is a plain tube that is allowed to flood when underwater. The displacement method expels water by filling the snorkel with air, it is a technique that takes practice but clears the snorkel with less effort, clearing splash water while at the surface requires blast clearing. Some snorkels have a sump at the lowest point to allow a volume of water to remain in the snorkel without being inhaled when the snorkeler breathes
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Owen Roberts International Airport
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Owen Roberts International Airport is an airport located in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. It is the international airport for the Cayman Islands as well as the main base for Cayman Airways. The airport is named after British Royal Air Force Wing Commander Owen Roberts, a pioneer of aviation in the country. The new upgraded Owen Roberts International Airport terminal will no longer have an observation waving gallery, Owen Roberts was a Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force, during World War II. Following the war, Roberts retired and later founded Caribbean International Airways, by 1950, Roberts had established regular service between Cayman and Tampa, Florida, Kingston, Jamaica, and Belize. He worked to lobby Cayman Islands Commissioners Ivor Smith and Andrew Gerrard to build airfields on all three of the Cayman Islands. Owen Roberts had acquired two used Lockheed Lodestar twin prop airliners purchased to keep up with the competition whose interest was now piqued by the soon-to-be completed airfield at George Town. The inaugural flight of CIA, Ltd. from Kingston, Jamaica to Grand Cayman was set for 10 April 1953, tragically, however, the Lodestar piloted by Roberts crashed on takeoff from Palisadoes Airport. 13 people, including the 40-year-old Roberts, were killed, the only survivor of the crash was Roberts brother-in-law, Lt. Col. Edward Remington-Hobbs. Roberts was survived by a wife, Patricia, and their two daughters, in London and his Grand son unfortunately passed before him, his name was Will Roberts. He died in a car crash in East End with his best friend Spencer Grainger, the Grand Cayman Island Airport was later named after the late Wg Cdr. In 2007, the Cayman Islands Government announced plans to expand, plans include the expansion of the check-in area, the purchase of a new X-ray machine and baggage screening machine as well as the employment of additional passenger screening staff. Phase 1 of the project, the expansion of the car parks. In 2014, Airport Authority unveiled a new plan to major renovations at Owen Roberts International Airport as part of a master plan to renovate. This new expansion will allow passenger airlines to fly their newer and larger aircraft to Owen Roberts International, British Airways currently serves the airport with Boeing 777-200 wide body aircraft. Virgin Atlantic currently does not serve the airport, the expansion work began in 2015 with a temporary extended departure hall being added to accommodate passenger traffic while the tendering process is completed and construction commenced. On March 9,2015, the Florida-based company RS&H, who are partnered with the Cayman Island Airport Authority and this new design is based mostly around the design criteria created by Canadian firm WS&P in 2014. Work on Owen Roberts estimated to cost around some $55 Million KYD, on 23 June 2015 it was confirmed by CIAA CEO Albert Anderson that construction work will start early August 2015, and is estimated to be finished in generally 2 years
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Cayman Airways
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Cayman Airways is the flag carrier airline of the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. With its head office in Grand Cayman, it mainly as an international and domestic scheduled passenger carrier. Its operations are based at Owen Roberts International Airport in George Town, the airline also offers a limited charter service with a recent example being flights to and from Los Angeles. Cayman Airways slogan is Those who fly us love us, the airline was established and started operations on August 7,1968. It was formed following the Cayman Islands Governments purchase of 51% of Cayman Brac Airways from LACSA, the Costa Rican flag carrier, by 1970, LACSA had introduced British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven twin jets on its San Jose, Costa Rica – Grand Cayman – Miami route. Early on, Cayman Airways first aircraft was a single Douglas DC-3, a few months after it was formed, the airline flew its first international route to Kingston, Jamaica using a BAC One-Eleven wet leased from LACSA. International service to Miami was initiated using a single leased Douglas DC-6 propliner, the airline was also offering direct connecting jet service between Miami and Kingston via Grand Cayman at this time. In 1979, an additional BAC One-Eleven jet as well as a Hawker Siddeley 748 turboprop, Cayman Airways also operated a Douglas DC-8-52 jetliner and a leased Boeing 727-100 jet during the 1980s. These jets were replaced with Boeing 737-200 and then with Boeing 737-300 aircraft. Boeing 737-400 jetliners were previously operated at as well, louis as well as Kingston and Montego Bay in Jamaica. The airline also served Panama City, Panama in the recent past, the airline also flew nonstop at one point between Miami and Grand Turk Island and Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos Islands with Boeing 727-200 and Boeing 737-200 jetliners. These were the routes flown by the carrier that did not directly serve the Cayman Islands. Non-jet flights between Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are currently operated with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter series 300, worth and Havana, Cuba appear to have helped the airline. The airline has also added one Boeing 737-800 as an interim measure, on Wednesday January 5,2017, Cayman Airways initiated charter service to Los Angeles with their Boeing 737-800 registration VP-CNG. The companys mascot is an embellishment of the original Sir Turtle designed by Suzy Soto, as first designed, Sir Turtle did not have the red flying scarf. That original design was used on baggage stickers by Cayman Islands Customs, mrs. Soto was married to Eric Bergstrom, with whom she built the Tortuga Club on the East End of Grand Cayman. The red flying scarf was later added to Sir Turtle in 1978 by Capt. Wilbur Thompson, the Chief Pilot of Cayman Airways at the time, Cayman Airways largely serves major destinations in the United States, Jamaica and Cuba as well as destinations in Honduras. These ramps also allow passengers with limited mobility, including those in wheel chairs to have easier access to the aircraft
Cayman Islands
Grand Cayman travel guide from Wikivoyage