1863-1962: Jamaican dependency and Crown dependency choice
The Cayman Islands were a Jamaican dependency from 1863 and chose direct Crown dependency upon Jamaican independence.[1]
2009: the constitutional referendum
A new constitution was approved by 63% of voters on 20 May 2009.[2]
· Referendum or popular consultation
2009 Caymanian constitutional referendum
Caymanians approved a new constitution providing for internal autonomy, not independence.
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: The Cayman Islands were administered as a dependency of Jamaica from 1863; upon Jamaican independence, the Cayman Islands chose to become a direct dependency of the British Crown rather than an independent state, having received their first constitution in 1959.
- Cayman Islands - Government and society (Encyclopædia Britannica) link, Constitutional history section. Source record
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2.
Claim: A referendum on a draft constitution was held in the Cayman Islands on 20 May 2009 alongside general elections; the new constitution was approved by 63% of voters, received Privy Council approval on 10 June 2009, came into effect providing for internal autonomy under a governor, cabinet and Parliament, and was subsequently amended in 2020.
- 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendum (Wikipedia) link, Referendum result and effect section. Source record
Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/cayman-islands-political-status/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.