The Cayman Islands are a British Overseas Territory. The islands are self-governed but are under the direct protection of the United Kingdom; and the Queen of England is depicted on Cayman Islands currency and postal stamps. The people here speak English, although there are many other languages spoken by its’ inhabitants.  Christopher Columbus first sighted Cayman Brac and Little Cayman on 10 May 1503 during his fourth trip to the New World. Columbus was en route to Hispaniola when his ship was thrust westward toward "two very small and low islands, full of tortoises, as was all the sea all about, insomuch that they looked like little rocks, for which reason these islands were called Las Tortugas." Grand Cayman soon became an important port of call for seafarers to restock on fresh meat, water and the silver thatch palm used for rope making. One of the favourite meat sources of these early visitors was the caiman, a small crocodilian creature that inhabited the mangroves and from which Cayman was renamed. Unfortunately, an early taste for these reptiles was so great that they were hunted to extinction. There are no caimans, crocodiles or alligators here now; although in 2007 a large crocodile was caught in the mangroves, the mystery of where it had come from has never been solved.