User:DanB/Cayman Info

This page is about using the Cayman Islands as a location for a Basestead or Seastead Outpost. The basic idea is to assemble a moderate number of would-be Seasteaders into one location on land. After assembling, we then work simultaneously on engineering work (designing and building seastead structures) as well as socio-economic structures (laws, businesses, etc). For more discussion of these ideas, see the following links:

-linka -linkb

Overview

The Cayman Islands are located a bit south of Cuba. The main island is Grand Cayman, however two smaller islands are also included in the country. The 2006 population estimate is 52,000, up from 41,000 in 1999. This rapid population growth can be attributed to the strong economy of the island. The per capita GDP is $42,000, making it the richest territory in the Caribbean. There are no income taxes on either people or companies. All government revenue is derived from indirect taxation of imports, mostly at a level of 20%. The national debt of CI is about $70 million, or about $1,400 per capita (compared to $40,000 and rapidly increasing per capita debt in the US).

Economy

Two points about the economic situation seem relevant for seasteading. First, financial services is one of the economic staples. This means that there will probably be many software jobs. Indeed, this site claims that CI needs foreign workers and that 49% of the work force are expatriates who have received work permits. The other major component of the economy is tourism. As tourism is also expected to be a major component of the seastead economy, there could be synergy here (a seastead could be an interesting tourist attraction for CI).