The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI;
and ) are a
British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of
tropical islands
Tropical Islands Resort is a tropical water park located in the former Brand-Briesen Airfield in Halbe, a municipality in the district of Dahme-Spreewald in Brandenburg, Germany, 50 kilometres (31 mi) from the southern boundary of Berlin. I ...
in the
Lucayan Archipelago
The Lucayan Archipelago (named for the original native Lucayan people), also known as the Bahama Archipelago, is an island group comprising the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The ar ...
of the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
and northern
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
.
They are known primarily for tourism and as an
offshore financial centre
An offshore financial centre (OFC) is defined as a "country or jurisdiction that provides financial services to nonresidents on a scale that is incommensurate with the size and the financing of its domestic economy."
"Offshore" does not refer ...
. The resident population in July 2021 was put at 57,196, making it the third-largest of the British overseas territories by population.
The islands are southeast of
Mayaguana
Mayaguana (from Taíno language ''Mayaguana'', meaning "Lesser Midwestern Land") is the easternmost island and district of The Bahamas. Its population was 277 in the 2010 census. It has an area of about .
About north of Great Inagua and southe ...
in
the Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...
island chain and north of the island of
Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic).
Grand Turk (Cockburn Town), the capital since 1766, is situated on
Grand Turk Island
Grand Turk Island is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is the largest island in the Turks Islands (the smaller of the two archipelagos that make up the island territory) with . Grand Turk contains the territory's capital, Cockburn T ...
about east-southeast of
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, United States. They have a total land area of .
The islands were inhabited for centuries by
indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
. The first recorded European sighting of them was in 1512.
In subsequent centuries, they were claimed by several European powers, with the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
eventually gaining control. For many years they were governed indirectly through
Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = "Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, es ...
, the Bahamas and
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the islands received their
own governor, and have remained an autonomous territory since.
Etymology
The name ''Caico
' is from the
Lucayan ''caya hico'', meaning 'string of islands'.
The Turks Islands are named after the Turk's cap cactus, ''
Melocactus intortus
''Melocactus intortus'', also known as the Turk's cap cactus, is a species of cactus endemic to the Caribbean. Etymology
The Turks Islands in the Turks and Caicos are named after this cactus, whose red cephalium resembles the fez worn by T ...
'', whose red
cephalium
Cephalium is a frequently brightly coloured structure of wool and bristle at the growing tip of certain cacti. It is most commonly found on cacti of the genus ''Melocactus
''Melocactus'' (melon cactus), also known as the Turk's cap cactus, is a ...
resembles the
fez hat
Fez most often refers to:
* Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire
* Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco
Fez or FEZ may also refer to:
Media
* ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...
worn by
Turkish men in the late
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.
History
Pre-colonial era
The first inhabitants of the islands were the
Arawakan-speaking Taíno people
The Taíno were a historic indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the pri ...
, who most likely crossed over from
Hispaniola some time from AD 500 to 800.
Together with Taíno who migrated from
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
to the southern Bahamas around the same time, these people developed as the
Lucayan.
Around 1200, the Turks and Caicos Islands were resettled by Classical Taínos from Hispaniola.
European arrival
It is unknown precisely who the first European to sight the islands was. Some sources state that
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
saw the islands on his voyage to the Americas in 1492.
However, other sources state that it is more likely that
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
conquistador
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, O ...
Juan Ponce de León was the first European in Turks and Caicos, in 1512.
[ In either case, by 1512 the Spanish had begun capturing the Taíno and Lucayans as labourers in the '' encomienda'' system to replace the largely depleted native population of Hispaniola. As a result of this, and the introduction of diseases to which the native people had no immunity, the southern Bahama Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands were completely depopulated by about 1513, and remained so until the 17th century.
]
European settlement
From the mid-1600s Bermudian salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...
collectors began seasonally visiting the islands, later settling more permanently with their African slaves. For several decades around the turn of the 18th century, the islands became popular pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
hideouts. During the Anglo-French War (1778–1783)
The Anglo-French War, also known as the War of 1778 or the Bourbon War in Britain, was a military conflict fought between France and Great Britain, sometimes with their respective allies, between 1778 and 1783. As a consequence, Great Britain wa ...
the French captured the archipelago in 1783, however it was later confirmed as British colony with the Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War and overall state of conflict ...
. After the American War of Independence (1775–1783), many Loyalists
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
fled to British Caribbean colonies, also bringing with them African slaves. They developed cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
as an important cash crop, but it was superseded by the development of the salt industry, with the labour done by African slaves forcibly imported from Africa or the other Caribbean islands and their descendants, who soon came to outnumber the European settlers.
In 1799, both the Turks and the Caicos island groups were annexed by Britain as part of the Bahamas. The processing of sea salt
Sea salt is salt that is produced by the evaporation of seawater. It is used as a seasoning in foods, cooking, cosmetics and for preserving food. It is also called bay salt, solar salt, or simply salt. Like mined rock salt, production of sea sa ...
was developed as a highly important export product from the West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
and continued to be a major export product into the nineteenth century.
19th century
In 1807, Britain prohibited the slave trade and, in 1833, abolished slavery in its colonies. British ships sometimes intercepted slave traders in the Caribbean, and some ships were wrecked off the coast of these islands. In 1837, the ''Esperança,'' a Portuguese slaver, was wrecked off East Caicos, one of the larger islands. While the crew and 220 captive Africans survived the shipwreck, 18 Africans died before the survivors were taken to Nassau. Africans from this ship may have been among the 189 liberated Africans whom the British colonists settled in the Turks and Caicos from 1833 to 1840.
In 1841, the ''Trouvadore
''Trouvadore'' was a Spanish slave ship that was shipwrecked in 1841 near East Caicos in the course of a run transporting Africans to be illegally sold to the sugarcane plantations in Cuba. As the United Kingdom had a treaty with Spain prohibi ...
'', an illegal Spanish slave ship, was wrecked off the coast of East Caicos. All of the 20 man crew and 192 captive Africans survived the sinking. Officials freed the Africans and arranged for 168 persons to be apprenticed
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
to island proprietors on Grand Turk Island for one year. They increased the small population of the colony by seven per cent. The remaining 24 were resettled in Nassau, Bahamas. The Spanish crew were also taken there, to be turned over to the custody of the Cuban consul and taken to Cuba for prosecution. An 1878 letter documents the "Trouvadore Africans" and their descendants as constituting an essential part of the "labouring population" on the islands. In 2004, marine archaeologists affiliated with the Turks and Caicos National Museum discovered a wreck, called the "Black Rock Ship", that subsequent research has suggested may be that of the ''Trouvadore''. In November 2008, a cooperative marine archaeology expedition, funded by the United States National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
, confirmed that the wreck has artifacts whose style and date of manufacture link them to the ''Trouvadore''.
In 1848, Britain designated the Turks and Caicos as a separate colony under a council president. In 1873–4, the islands were made part of the Jamaica colony; in 1894, the chief colonial official was restyled commissioner. In 1917, Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I.
Borde ...
suggested that the Turks and Caicos join Canada, but this suggestion was rejected by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...
and the islands remained a dependency of Jamaica.
20th and 21st centuries
On 4 July 1959 the islands were again designated as a separate colony, the last commissioner being restyled administrator. The governor of Jamaica also continued as the governor of the islands. When Jamaica was granted independence from Britain in August 1962, the Turks and Caicos Islands became a Crown colony. Beginning in 1965, the governor of the Bahamas was also governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands and oversaw affairs for the islands.
When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the Turks and Caicos received their own governor (the last administrator was restyled). In 1974, Canadian New Democratic Party MP Max Saltsman
Samuel Mayer "Max" Saltsman (29 May 1921 – 28 November 1985) was a Canadian businessman and politician for the social-democratic New Democratic Party, and served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Waterloo South, Waterloo and Water ...
tried to use his private member's bill C-249, "An Act Respecting a Proposed Association Between Canada and the Caribbean Turks and Caicos Islands" that proposed that Canada form an association with the Turks and Caicos Islands; however, it was never submitted to a vote. Since August 1976, the islands have had their own government headed by a chief minister (now premier), the first of whom was J. A. G. S. McCartney. Moves towards independence in the early 1980s were stalled by the election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
of an anti-independence party in 1980 and since then the islands have remained British territory. Local government was suspended from 1986 to 1988, following allegation of government involvement with drug trafficking which resulted in the arrest of Chief Minister Norman Saunders
Norman Blaine Saunders (January 1, 1907 – March 7, 1989) was a prolific 20th-century American commercial artist. He is best known for paintings in pulp magazines, paperbacks, men's adventure magazines, comic books and trading cards. On occasio ...
.
In 2002 the islands were re-designated a British Overseas Territory, with islanders gaining full British citizenship. A new constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
was promulgated in 2006; however in 2009 Premier Michael Misick
Michael Eugene Misick (; born 2 February 1966) is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician who was the 7th Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 15 August 2003 to 9 August 2006 and was the 1st Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands ...
resigned in the face of corruption charges, and the United Kingdom took over direct control of the government. A new constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
was promulgated in October 2012 and the government was returned to full local administration after the November 2012 elections.
In 2010 the leaders of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands discussed the possibility of forming a federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
.
In the 2016 elections, Rufus Ewing's Progressive National Party (PNP) lost for the first time since they replaced Derek Hugh Taylor's government in 2003. The People's Democratic Movement
The People's Democratic Movement is a political party in Papua New Guinea.
It was founded by Paias Wingti in 1985, after his faction left the Pangu Party. Wingti served as prime minister from 1985 to 1988 and from 1992 to 1994. He was later rep ...
(PDM) came to power with Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson
Sharlene Linette Cartwright-Robinson Justice of the Peace, JP (born 4 September 1971) is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician and lawyer who served as the 4th Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 20 December 2016 to 20 February 2021. S ...
as Premier. She was replaced by Washington Misick
Charles Washington Misick (born 13 March 1950) is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician who has been the 5th Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands since 20 February 2021. He has been the leader of the Progressive National Party since 20 Dec ...
after the Progressive National Party won the 2021 general elections.
Geography and environment
The two island groups are in the North Atlantic Ocean about north of Hispaniola and about from Miami in the United States, at . The territory is geographically contiguous to the Bahamas, both comprising the Lucayan Archipelago
The Lucayan Archipelago (named for the original native Lucayan people), also known as the Bahama Archipelago, is an island group comprising the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The ar ...
, but is politically a separate entity. The Caicos Islands are separated by the Caicos Passage from the closest Bahamian islands, Mayaguana
Mayaguana (from Taíno language ''Mayaguana'', meaning "Lesser Midwestern Land") is the easternmost island and district of The Bahamas. Its population was 277 in the 2010 census. It has an area of about .
About north of Great Inagua and southe ...
and Great Inagua
Inagua is the southernmost district of the Bahamas, comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua. The headquarters for the district council are in Matthew Town.
History
The original settlers were the Lucayan people, who arrived some ...
. The nearest foreign landmass from the Turks and Caicos Islands is the Bahamian island of Little Inagua
Little Inagua is a small remote island in the Bahamas. It is the largest uninhabited island in the Caribbean. The island remains in an undisturbed and natural state.
In 2002, it became part of Little Inagua National Park.
See also
*Inagua
*L ...
, about 30 miles (48 km) from West Caicos
West Caicos is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands southwest of Providenciales. West Caicos has an area of , and has been uninhabited for over a century.
Geography
The island is home to the Lake Catherine, a protected wildlife reserve, fil ...
.
The eight main islands and more than 22 smaller islands have a total land area of , consisting primarily of low, flat limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
with extensive marsh
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...
es and mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
swamps and of beach front. The tallest peaks in the islands are Blue Hills on Providenciales
Providenciales (known locally as Provo) is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of and a 2012 Census population of 23,769. Providenciales is the la ...
and Flamingo Hill on East Caicos
East Caicos is the fourth largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To the west, it is separated from Middle Caicos by Lorimer Creek, a narrow passage that can accommodate only small boats. To the south is South Caicos. East Caicos has no ...
, both at a modest 48 m. The weather is usually sunny (it is generally regarded that the islands receive 350 days of sun each year) and relatively dry, but suffers frequent hurricane
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s. The islands have limited natural fresh water resources; private cisterns collect rainwater for drinking. The primary natural resources are spiny lobster
Spiny lobsters, also known as langustas, langouste, or rock lobsters, are a family (Palinuridae) of about 60 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda Reptantia. Spiny lobsters are also, especially in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, So ...
, conch, and other shellfish. Turks and Caicos contains three terrestrial ecoregions: Bahamian dry forests
The Bahamian dry forests are a tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, covering an area of . They are found on much of the northern Bahamas, including Andros, Abaco, and Grand Ba ...
, Bahamian pineyards
The Bahamian pineyards are a tropical and subtropical coniferous forest ecoregion in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Geography
The Bahamian pineyards cover an area of . Pineyards are found on four of the northern islands in the Ba ...
, and Bahamian-Antillean mangroves
The Greater Antilles mangroves is a mangrove ecoregion that includes the coastal mangrove forests of the Greater Antilles – Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico.
Geography
Mangroves are estimated to cover 5,569 km in Cuba (or 4.8% of th ...
.[ See Supplementary appendix S1 and interactive map at https://ecoregions.appspot.com/.]
The two distinct island groups are separated by the Turks Island Passage.
Turks Islands
The Turks Islands are separated from the Caicos Islands by Turks Island Passage, which is more than deep. The islands form a chain that stretches north–south. The 2012 census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
population was 4,939 on the two main islands, the only inhabited islands of the group:
* Grand Turk (with the capital of the territory, area , population 4,831)
* Salt Cay (area , population 108)
Together with nearby islands, all on Turks Bank, those two main islands form the two administrative districts of the territory (out of six in total) that fall within the Turks Islands. Turks Bank, which is smaller than Caicos Bank, has a total area of about .
The main uninhabited islands are:
* Big Sand Cay
Big or BIG may refer to:
* Big, of great size or degree
Film and television
* ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks
* '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show
* ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...
* Cotton Cay
Cotton Cay is an uninhabited island located in the Turks and Caicos Islands, about northeast of Salt Cay.
The island is oblong in shape, generally of low elevation, and has a low density coastal vegetation. It covers an area of about . Plantat ...
* East Cay
Serranilla Bank ( es, Isla Serranilla, Banco Serranilla and ''Placer de la Serranilla'') is a partially submerged reef, with small uninhabited islets, in the western Caribbean Sea. It is situated about northeast of Punta Gorda, Nicaragua, and ...
* Endymion Rock
* Gibbs Cay
Gibbs or GIBBS is a surname and acronym. It may refer to:
People
* Gibbs (surname)
Places
* Gibbs (crater), on the Moon
* Gibbs, Missouri, US
* Gibbs, Tennessee, US
* Gibbs Island (South Shetland Islands), Antarctica
* 2937 Gibbs, an asteroid
Sc ...
* Pear Cay
Mouchoir Bank
east of the Turks Islands and separated from them by Mouchoir Passage is the Mouchoir Bank. Although it has no emergent cays or islets, some parts are very shallow and the water breaks on them. Mouchoir Bank is part of the Turks and Caicos Islands and falls within its Exclusive Economic Zone. It measures in area. Two banks further east, Silver Bank
Silver Bank ( es, Banco de la Plata) is a submerged bank in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Dominican Republic and southeast of the territory of Turks and Caicos Islands. It covers an area of . It is separated from Mouchoir Bank in the west by ...
and Navidad Bank, are geographically a continuation, but belong politically to the Dominican Republic.
Caicos Islands
The largest island in the Caicos archipelago is the sparsely-inhabited Middle Caicos, which measures in area, but has a population of only 168 at the 2012 Census. The most populated island is Providenciales
Providenciales (known locally as Provo) is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of and a 2012 Census population of 23,769. Providenciales is the la ...
, with 23,769 inhabitants in 2012, and an area of . North Caicos ( in area) had 1,312 inhabitants. South Caicos
South Caicos is the seventh-largest island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago, with a land area of . South Caicos is known for excellent fishing, both deep-sea and bone fishing, and scuba diving. South Caicos was formerly a salt exporter, the is ...
( in area) had 1,139 inhabitants, and Parrot Cay
Parrot Cay is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The island contains about of land, a mile-long beach and features a high-end beach resort with 61 rooms. Parrot Cay became a private island resort in 1998. It is located about south east ...
( in area) had 131 inhabitants. East Caicos
East Caicos is the fourth largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To the west, it is separated from Middle Caicos by Lorimer Creek, a narrow passage that can accommodate only small boats. To the south is South Caicos. East Caicos has no ...
(which is administered as part of South Caicos District) is uninhabited, while the only permanent inhabitants of West Caicos
West Caicos is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands southwest of Providenciales. West Caicos has an area of , and has been uninhabited for over a century.
Geography
The island is home to the Lake Catherine, a protected wildlife reserve, fil ...
(administered as part of Providenciales District) are resort staff.
The Caicos Islands comprise the following main islands:
* Ambergris Cays
Ambergris ( or , la, ambra grisea, fro, ambre gris), ''ambergrease'', or grey amber is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a mar ...
** Big Ambergris Cay
Big Ambergris Cay is a private residential island and home to Ambergris Cay Private Island Resort, located within the Turks and Caicos Islands. Not to be confused with Ambergris Caye in Belize, Big Ambergris Cay is situated to the southeast of th ...
** Little Ambergris Cay
* Bay Cay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...
* Bush Cay
* Dellis Cay
Dellis Cay is a private island located in the Turks and Caicos Islands
archipelago.
This island sits south of Parrot Cay and north of Pine Cay and can be easily noted in the chain of Caicos Islands.Kirby, Jill. (2005). ''Bahamas, Turks & Caico ...
* Donna Cay
* Dove Cay
* East Bay Cay
* East Caicos
East Caicos is the fourth largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To the west, it is separated from Middle Caicos by Lorimer Creek, a narrow passage that can accommodate only small boats. To the south is South Caicos. East Caicos has no ...
* Fish Cays
* Five Cays
* Five Little Cays
* Fort George Cay
* French Cay
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
* Little Water Cay
* Long Cay
Long Cay (formerly known as Fortune Island; pt, Caio Longo; es, Cayo Largo; french: Île de la Fortune) is an island in the Bahamas in an atoll that includes Acklins Island and Crooked Island. It is 8 square miles (21 km²) and is in the Ackl ...
* Mangrove Cay
Mangrove Cay is one of the districts of the Bahamas, on Andros Island
Andros Island is an archipelago within the Bahamas, the largest of the Bahamian Islands. Politically considered a single island, Andros in total has an area greater than ...
* Middle Caicos
Middle Caicos is the largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To the west, it is separated from North Caicos by Juniper Hole, and to the east, from East Caicos by Lorimer Creek, both narrow passages that can accommodate only small boats. T ...
* Middleton Cay
* North Caicos
* Parrot Cay
Parrot Cay is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The island contains about of land, a mile-long beach and features a high-end beach resort with 61 rooms. Parrot Cay became a private island resort in 1998. It is located about south east ...
* Pine Cay
Pine Cay is an privately owned island occupied by 36 homeowners and a small exclusive resort The Meridian Club in the Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consis ...
* Plandon Cay
* Providenciales
Providenciales (known locally as Provo) is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of and a 2012 Census population of 23,769. Providenciales is the la ...
* Seal Cays
* Six Hill Cays
* South Caicos
South Caicos is the seventh-largest island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago, with a land area of . South Caicos is known for excellent fishing, both deep-sea and bone fishing, and scuba diving. South Caicos was formerly a salt exporter, the is ...
* Stubbs Cay
* Water Cay
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...
* West Caicos
West Caicos is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands southwest of Providenciales. West Caicos has an area of , and has been uninhabited for over a century.
Geography
The island is home to the Lake Catherine, a protected wildlife reserve, fil ...
* West Sand Spit
Climate
The Turks and Caicos Islands feature a tropical savannah climate
Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...
( AW), with relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year. Summertime temperatures rarely exceed and winter nighttime temperatures rarely fall below .
Biodiversity
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a biodiversity hotspot
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the c ...
. The islands have many endemic species
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
and others of international importance, due to the conditions created by the oldest established salt-pan development in the Caribbean. The variety of species includes a number of endemic species of lizards, snake
Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...
s, insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...
s and plant
Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...
s, and marine organisms
Marine life, sea life, or ocean life is the aquatic plant, plants, aquatic animal, animals and other organisms that live in the seawater, salt water of seas or oceans, or the brackish water of coastal estuary, estuaries. At a fundamental leve ...
; in addition to being an important breeding area for seabird
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...
s.
The UK and Turks and Caicos Islands Governments have joint responsibility for the conservation and preservation to meet obligations under international environmental conventions.
Due to this significance, the islands are on the United Kingdom's tentative list for future UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
s.
Politics
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory. As a British territory, its sovereign is King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, represented by a governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
appointed by the monarch, on the advice of the Foreign Office. With the election of the territory's first Chief Minister, J. A. G. S. McCartney, the islands first adopted a constitution on 30 August 1976. The national holiday, Constitution Day, is celebrated annually on 30 August.
The territory's legal system is based on English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
common law
In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipresen ...
, with a small number of laws adopted from Jamaica and the Bahamas. Suffrage is universal for those over 18 years of age. English is the official language. Grand Turk is the administrative and political capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands and Cockburn Town
Cockburn Town ( ) is the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, spreading across most of Grand Turk Island. It was founded in 1681 by salt collectors.
Geography
Cockburn Town is located on the largest island in the Turks Islands archipelago, ...
has been the seat of government since 1766.
The Turks and Caicos Islands participate in the Caribbean Development Bank
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is a financial institution that helps Caribbean nations finance social and economic programs in its member countries. CDB was established by an Agreement signed on October 18, 1969, in Kingston, Jamaica, and ent ...
, is an associate in CARICOM, a member of the Universal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to ...
and maintains an Interpol
The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...
sub-bureau. The United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization
The United Nations Special Committee on the Situation with Regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, or the Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), is a committee of ...
includes the territory on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories
Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter defines a non-self-governing territory (NSGT) as a territory "whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government". In practice, an NSGT is a territory deemed by the United Nations Gene ...
.
Under the new Constitution that came into effect in October 2012, legislative power is held by a unicameral House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gove ...
, consisting of 19 seats, 15 elected and four appointed by the governor; of elected members, five are elected at large and 10 from single-member districts for four-year terms.
In the 2021 elections
Many elections occurred in 2021. The National Democratic Institute maintains calendar of elections around the world
* 2021 United Nations Security Council election
* 2021 national electoral calendar
* 2021 local electoral calendar Africa
* 2021 ...
the Progressive National Party won in a landslide and Washington Misick
Charles Washington Misick (born 13 March 1950) is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician who has been the 5th Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands since 20 February 2021. He has been the leader of the Progressive National Party since 20 Dec ...
became Premier.
Administrative divisions
The Turks and Caicos Islands are divided into six administrative districts (two in the Turks Islands and four in the Caicos Islands), headed by district commissioners. For the House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible gove ...
, the Turks and Caicos Islands are divided into 15 electoral districts (four in the Turks Islands and eleven in the Caicos Islands).
Judiciary
The judicial branch of government is headed by a Supreme Court; appeals are heard by the Court of Appeal and final appeals by the United Kingdom's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...
. There are three justices of the Supreme Court, a Chief Justice and two others. The Court of Appeal consists of a president and at least two justices of appeal.
Magistrates' Courts are the lower courts and appeals from Magistrates' Courts are sent to the Supreme Court.
As of April 2020, the Chief Justice is Justice Mabel Agyemang
Mabel Maame Agyemang (; formerly also Yamoa) is the current Chief Justice of the Turks and Caicos Islands.Delana Isles"New chief justice takes the bench" ''Turks and Caicos Weekly News'', 04 April 2020.Nigel Dakin"Governor Dakin announces new jud ...
.
List of Chief Justices
* 1985–1987: John Charles Rowell Fieldsend
* 1987–1990: Frederick Smith
* 1998–2004: Richard William Ground
* 2004–2007: Christopher James Ellis Gardner
* 2008–2012: Frederick Gordon Roy Ward
* 2014–2020: Margaret Ramsay-Hale
* 2020–: Mabel Maame Agyemang
Public Safety
Policing is primarily the responsibility of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is the national police force of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies. It is one of the oldest police f ...
. Customs and border enforcement is the responsibility of the Border Force. At times these may be supported by the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment
The Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is a single territorial infantry battalion of the British Armed Forces, formed in 2020.
Background
The Turks a ...
.
Military and defence
The defence of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the responsibility of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. The Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
has a ship on permanent station in the Caribbean, , and additionally sends another Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...
ship as a part of the Atlantic Patrol
''Atlantic Patrol'' is a 1940 Canadian short documentary film, part of the ''Canada Carries On'' series of short films by the National Film Board of Canada, produced for the Office of Public Information.Ohayon, Albert"Propaganda cinema at the N ...
(NORTH) tasking. These ships' main mission in the region is to maintain British sovereignty for the overseas territories, provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief during disasters such as hurricanes, which are common in the area, and to conduct counter-narcotic operations. In the fall of 2022, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary RFA Tideforce (A139), ''RFA Tideforce, with a AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat, Wildcat helicopter embarked, was deployed to the islands to provide surveillance support to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police which was confronted with rising gang violence in the territory.
Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment
Governor Nigel Dakin announced in early December 2019 that the Turks and Caicos will build its own defence regiment, the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment, with the assistance of the UK's Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence and it is to be similar to the Bermuda Regiment and the Cayman Regiment. The Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment, like the Bermuda Regiment and the Cayman Regiment, will focus on increasing the nation's security, and, for times of natural disasters, the Regiment would be trained in engineering and communications. In mid December 2019, a team from the UK's Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence was on Turks and Caicos to start on building the Regiment. It is projected that the Turk and Caicos Regiment will go operational sometime within the third quarter of 2020, putting it nearly half a year after the Cayman Regiment.
In spring 2020, a Security and Assistance Team from the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), United Kingdom Ministry of Defence arrived in Turks and Caicos to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic in the Turks and Caicos Islands, COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, and to help build the new Turks and Caicos Regiment.
In early June 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Ennis Grant was appointed as the commanding officer of the new Turks and Caicos Regiment.
Further recruitment of Senior personnel into the new Turks and Caicos Regiment took place from mid-late Jun through early July 2020. This includes a second-in-command, two junior officers or troop commanders, a warrant officer class 1 or regimental sergeant major, and a warrant officer class 2 or chief clerk. A further recruitment of an additional 40 personnel is expected further down in 2020.
Demography
Population
Eight of the thirty islands in the territory are inhabited, with a total population estimated from preliminary results of the census of 25 January 2012 (released on 12 August 2012) of 31,458 inhabitants, an increase of 58.2% from the population of 19,886 reported in the 2001 census.[ July 2021 estimates put the population at 57,196.] One-third of the population is under 15 years old, and only 4% are 65 or older. In 2000 the population was growing at a rate of 3.55% per year. The infant mortality rate was 18.66 deaths per 1,000 live births and the life expectancy at birth was 73.28 years (71.15 years for males, 75.51 years for females). The total fertility rate was 3.25 children born per woman. The annual population growth rate is 2.82%.
''The CIA World Factbook'' breaks down the islanders' ethnicity as Afro-Caribbean, African 87%, Demographics of Europe, European 7.9%, Multiracial, Mixed 2.5.%, Indo-Caribbean, East Indian 1.3% and Other 0.7%. There is a small Dominican and Haitian community on the islands.
Population by island
Language
The official language of the islands is English, but the population also speaks Turks and Caicos Islands Creole, which is similar to Bahamian Creole. Due to its proximity to Cuba and Hispaniola, large Haitian Creole and Spanish-speaking communities have developed in the territory due to immigration, both legal and illegal, from Haitian Creole-speaking Haiti and from Spanish-speaking Cuba and Dominican Republic.
Religion
86% of the population of Turks and Caicos are Christianity, Christian (Baptists 35.8%, Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), Church of God 11.7%, Roman Catholics 11.4%, Diocese of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, Anglicans 10%, Methodism, Methodists 9.3%, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh-day Adventists 6%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.8%), with other faiths making up the remaining 14%.
Catholics are served by the Roman Catholic Mission Sui Iuris of Turks and Caicos, Mission ''Sui Iuris'' for Turks and Caicos, which was erected in 1984 with territory taken from the then Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nassau, Diocese of Nassau.
Culture
The Turks and Caicos Islands are perhaps best known musically for ripsaw music, a genre which originated on the islands. The Turks and Caicos Islands are known for their annual Music and Cultural Festival showcasing many local talents and other dynamic performances by many music celebrities from around the Caribbean and United States.
Women continue traditional crafts of using a straw to make baskets and hats on the larger Caicos islands. It is possible that this continued tradition is related to the liberated Africans who joined the population directly from Africa in the 1830s and 1841 from shipwrecked slavers; they brought cultural craft skills with them.
The island's most popular sports are fishing, sailing, association football, football (soccer) and cricket (which is the national sport).
Turks and Caicos cuisine is based primarily around seafood, especially conch. Two common local dishes are conch fritters and conch salad.
Citizenship
Because the Turks and Caicos is a British Overseas Territory and not an independent country, its nationality laws are partly determined by British nationality law and History of British nationality law, its history. People with close ties to Britain's Overseas Territories all hold the same nationality: British Overseas Territories citizenship (BOTC), originally defined by the British Nationality Act 1981 as British Dependent Territories citizenship. BOTC, however, does not confer any right to live in any British Overseas Territory, including the territory from which it is derived. Instead, the rights normally associated with citizenship derive from what is called Belonger status and island natives or those descended from natives are said to be Belonger status#Belonger status in Turks and Caicos, Belongers. The Turks and Caicos government amended its immigration law in 2021 in that regard, making the granting of Belonger Status exclusive to "being married for ten years to a Belonger (other than a Belonger by marriage), or by being the dependent child of someone who becomes a Belonger by marriage." It was also made possible "for someone who has invested $500,000 or more in Providenciales or West Caicos, or $250,000 or more in Grand Turk or the family Islands, to obtain a residence permit for up to ten years."
In 2002, the British Overseas Territories Act restored full British citizenship status to all citizens of British Overseas Territories, including the Turks and Caicos.
Education
The Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services oversees education in Turks and Caicos. Public education is supported by taxation and is mandatory for children aged five to sixteen. Primary education lasts for six years and secondary education lasts for five years. In the 1990s the Primary In-Service Teacher Education Project (PINSTEP) was launched in an effort to increase the skills of its primary school teachers, nearly one-quarter of whom were unqualified. Turks and Caicos also worked to refurbish its primary schools, reduce textbook costs, and increase equipment and supplies given to schools. For example, in September 1993, each primary school was given enough books to allow teachers to establish in-class libraries. In 2001, the student-teacher ratio at the primary level was roughly 15:1.
Public secondary schools include:
* HJ Robinson High School (Grand Turk)
* Clement Howell High School (Providenciales)
* Long Bay High School (Providenciales)
* Raymond Gardiner High School (North Caicos)
* Marjorie Basden High School (South Caicos)
International School of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a private school which serves preschool through grade six, is in Leeward, Turks and Caicos Islands, Leeward, Providenciales
Providenciales (known locally as Provo) is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of and a 2012 Census population of 23,769. Providenciales is the la ...
. In 2014 it had 106 students. It was known as The Ashcroft School until 2014.
The Turks and Caicos Islands Community College offers free higher education to students who have successfully completed their secondary education. The community college also oversees an adult literacy program. Once a student completes their education at Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, they are allowed to further their education at a university in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom for free. They have to commit to working in the Turks and Caicos Islands for four years to receive this additional education.
Charisma University is a non-profit private university recognised by the Turks and Caicos Islands Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services that offers accredited undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degree programmes, along with certificate programs in various disciplines taught by over a 100 faculty members.
The public University of the West Indies Open Campus has one site in the territory.
Healthcare
The Turks and Caicos established a National Health Insurance Plan in 2010. Residents contribute to a National Health Insurance Plan through salary deduction and nominal user fees. The majority of care is provided by private-public-partnership hospitals managed by Interhealth Canada, one hospital in Providenciales and one hospital on Grand Turk Island. In addition, there are a number of government clinics and private clinics. The hospitals opened in 2010 and have been accredited by Accreditation Canada since 2012.
Economy
The economy of Turks and Caicos is dominated by tourism, offshore finance and fishing. The US dollar is the main currency used on the islands.
Historically the salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...
industry, along with small sea sponge, sponge and hemp exports, sustained the Turks and Caicos Islands (only barely, however; there was little population growth and the economy stagnated). The economy grew in the 1960s, when American investors arrived on the islands and funded the construction of an airstrip on Providenciales and built the archipelago's first hotel, "The Third Turtle". A small trickle of tourists began to arrive, supplementing the salt-based economy. Club Med set up a resort at Grace Bay soon after. In the 1980s, Club Med funded an upgrading of the airstrip to allow for larger aircraft, and since then, tourism has been gradually on the increase.
In 2009, GDP contributions were as follows: Hotels & Restaurants 34.67%, Tax haven, Financial Services 13.12%, Construction 7.83%, Transport, Storage & Communication 9.90%, and Real Estate, Renting & Business Activities 9.56%. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported.
In 2010/2011, major sources of government revenue included Import Duties (43.31%), Stamp Duty on Land Transaction (8.82%), Work Permits and Residency Fees (10.03%) and Accommodation Tax (24.95%). The territory's gross domestic product as of late 2009 is approximately US$795 million (per capita $24,273).
The labour force totalled 27,595 workers in 2008. The labour force distribution in 2006 is as follows:
The unemployment rate in 2008 was 8.3%. In 2007–2008, the territory took in revenues of $206.79 million against expenditures of $235.85 million. In 1995, the island received economic aid worth $5.7 million. The territory's currency is the United States dollar, with a few government fines (such as airport infractions) being payable in pounds sterling. Most commemorative coin issues are denominated in crowns.
The primary agricultural products include limited amounts of maize, beans, cassava (tapioca) and citrus fruits. Fish and conch are the only significant export, with some $169.2 million of lobster, dried and fresh conch, and conch shells exported in 2000, primarily to the United Kingdom and the United States. In recent years, however, the catch has been declining. The territory used to be an important trans-shipment point for South American narcotics destined for the United States, but due to the ongoing pressure of a combined American, Bahamian and Turks and Caicos effort this trade has been greatly reduced.
The islands import food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufacture and construction materials, primarily from the United States and the United Kingdom. Imports totalled $581 million in 2007.
The islands produce and consume 236.5 GWh of electricity, per year, all of which comes from fossil fuels.
Tourism
Tourism is one of the largest sources of income for the islands, with most visitors coming from America via ship. Tourist arrivals had risen to 264,887 in 2007 and to 351,498 by 2009. In 2010, a total of 245 cruise ships arrived at the Grand Turk Cruise Terminal, carrying a total of 617,863 visitors.
The government is pursuing a two-pronged strategy to increase tourism. Upmarket resorts are aimed at the wealthy, while a large new cruise ship port and recreation centre has been built for the masses visiting Grand Turk. Turks and Caicos Islands has one of the longest coral reefs in the world and the world's only conch farm.
The French vacation village company of Club Méditerannée (Club Med) has an all-inclusive adult resort called 'Turkoise' on Providenciales
Providenciales (known locally as Provo) is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of and a 2012 Census population of 23,769. Providenciales is the la ...
.
The islands have become popular with various celebrities. Several Hollywood stars have owned homes in the Turks and Caicos, including Dick Clark and Bruce Willis. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner married on Parrot Cay
Parrot Cay is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The island contains about of land, a mile-long beach and features a high-end beach resort with 61 rooms. Parrot Cay became a private island resort in 1998. It is located about south east ...
in 2005. Actress Eva Longoria and her ex-husband Tony Parker went to the islands for their honeymoon in July 2007. Musician Nile Rodgers has a vacation home on the island.
To boost tourism during the Caribbean low season of late summer, since 2003 the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board have organised and hosted an annual series of concerts during this season called the Turks & Caicos Music and Cultural Festival. Held in a temporary Shell (theater), bandshell at The Turtle Cove Marina in The Bight on Providenciales
Providenciales (known locally as Provo) is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of and a 2012 Census population of 23,769. Providenciales is the la ...
, this festival lasts about a week and has featured several notable international recording artists, such as Lionel Richie, LL Cool J, Anita Baker, Billy Ocean, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Kenny Rogers, Michael Bolton, Ludacris, Chaka Khan, and Boyz II Men. More than 10,000 people attend annually.
;Resorts
* Grace Bay Club
* The Somerset on Grace Bay
* Beaches Resorts – Turks & Caicos
* Seven Stars Resort
* Alexandra Resort
* West Bay Club
Transportation
Providenciales International Airport is the main entry point for the Turks and Caicos Islands, with JAGS McCartney International Airport serving the capital Cockburn Town on Grand Turk Island. Altogether, there are List of airports in the Turks and Caicos Islands, seven airports, located on each of the inhabited islands. Five have paved runways (three of which are approximately long and one is approximately long), and the remaining two have unpaved runways (one of which is approximately long and the other is significantly shorter).
The islands have of highway, paved and unpaved. Like the United States Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands drive on the left.
The territory's main international ports and harbours are on Grand Turk and Providenciales
Providenciales (known locally as Provo) is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of and a 2012 Census population of 23,769. Providenciales is the la ...
.
The islands have no significant railways. In the early twentieth century East Caicos
East Caicos is the fourth largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To the west, it is separated from Middle Caicos by Lorimer Creek, a narrow passage that can accommodate only small boats. To the south is South Caicos. East Caicos has no ...
operated a horse-drawn railway to transport sisal from the plantation to the port. The route was removed after sisal trading ceased.
Spaceflight
From 1950 to 1981, the United States had a missile tracking station on Grand Turk. In the early days of the American space program, NASA used it. After his three earth orbits in 1962, American astronaut John Glenn successfully landed in the nearby ocean and was brought back ashore to Grand Turk island.
Postal system
There is no postal delivery in the Turks and Caicos; mail is picked up at one of four post offices on each of the major islands. Mail is transported three or seven times a week, depending on the destination. The Post Office is part of the territory's government and reports to the Minister of Government Support Services.
Media
Mobile phone service is provided by Cable & Wireless Communications, through its Flow (brand), Flow brand, using GSM 850 and Digital AMPS, TDMA, and Digicel, using GSM 900 and 1900 and Islandcom Wireless, using 3G 850. Cable & Wireless provides CDMA mobile phone service in Providenciales and Grand Turk. The system is connected to the mainland by two submarine cables and an Intelsat earth station. There were three AM broadcasting, AM radio stations (one inactive) and six FM broadcasting, FM stations (no shortwave) in 1998. The most popular station is Power 92.5 FM which plays Top 100 hits. Over 8000 radio receivers are owned across the territory.
West Indies Video (WIV) has been the sole cable television provider for the Turks and Caicos Islands for over two decades and WIV4 (a subsidiary of WIV) has been the only broadcast station in the islands for over 15 years; broadcasts from the Bahamas can also be received. The territory has two internet service providers and its country codes, country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is ".tc". Amateur radio callsigns begin with "VP5" and visiting operators frequently work from the islands.
WIV introduced Channel 4 News in 2002 broadcasting local news and infotainment programs across the country. Channel 4 was re-launched as WIV4 in November 2007.
In 2013 4NEWS became the islands' first High-definition television, high-definition cable news service with television studios in Grace Bay, Providenciales. DigicelPlay is the local cable provider.
Turks and Caicos's newspapers include the ''Turks and Caicos Weekly News'', the ''Turks and Caicos Sun'' and the ''Turks and Caicos Free Press''. All three publications are weekly. The ''Weekly News'' and the ''Sun'' both have supplement magazines. Other local magazines ''Times of the Islands'', ''s3 Magazine'', ''Real Life Magazine'', ''Baller Magazine'', and ''Unleashed Magazine''.
Sports
Cricket is the islands' national sport. The Turks and Caicos Islands cricket team, national team takes part in regional tournaments in the ICC Americas Championship, as well as having played one Twenty20 match as part of the Stanford 20/20#2008 tournament, 2008 Standford 20/20. Two domestic leagues exist, one on Grand Turk with three teams and another on Providenciales.
As of December 2020, the Turks and Caicos Islands national football team, Turks and Caicos Islands' football team is ranked 203rd out of 210 teams in the FIFA World Rankings. Its highest ever ranking was 158th, achieved in 2008.
Because the territory is not recognised by the International Olympic Committee, Turks and Caicos Islanders compete for Great Britain at the Olympic Games.
Notable people
Politics
* Nathaniel Francis (1912 – 2004 both in the Turks and Caicos Islands) was a politician who served as the island territory's acting Chief Minister from 28 March 1985 until 25 July 1986, when he was forced to resign after charges of corruption and patronage were levelled against him
* Clement Howell (1935 in Blue Hills, Providenciales – 1987 near Nassau, Bahamas) was a politician who served on a four-member interim Advisory Council beginning in July 1986
* James Alexander George Smith McCartney (1945 in Grand Turk – 1980 in New Jersey) also known as "Jags" McCartney was a politician who served as the island territory's first Chief Minister from August 1976 until 9 May 1980, when he died in a plane crash over New Jersey.
* Ariel Misick (born 1951) is a former minister of development and commerce. He served on a four-member interim Advisory Council from July 1986 to 3 March 1988
* Michael Misick
Michael Eugene Misick (; born 2 February 1966) is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician who was the 7th Chief Minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 15 August 2003 to 9 August 2006 and was the 1st Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands ...
(born 1966 in Bottle Creek, North Caicos) is the former chief minister from 15 August 2003 to 9 August 2006 and was the first Premier from 9 August 2006 to 23 March 2009. He is on trial for conspiracy to receive bribes, conspiracy to defraud the government and money laundering.
* Washington Misick
Charles Washington Misick (born 13 March 1950) is a Turks and Caicos Islander politician who has been the 5th Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands since 20 February 2021. He has been the leader of the Progressive National Party since 20 Dec ...
(born 1950 in the Turks and Caicos Islands) is a politician who serves as the current Premier and formerly as the Chief Minister from April 1991 to 31 January 1995.
* Norman Saunders (politician), Norman B. Saunders (born 1943 in the Turks and Caicos Islands) is a former politician who served as the island territory's Chief Minister until March 1985, when he was arrested in Miami. In July 1985 he was sentenced to eight years in prison on conspiracy charges related to drug smuggling.
* Oswald Skippings (born 1953 in the Turks and Caicos Islands) is a politician who served as the island territory's Chief Minister from 19 June 1980 to November 1980 and again from 3 March 1988 to April 1991.
Sports
* Trevor Ariza (born 1985 in Miami) is an American professional basketball player. He is of Turks & Caicos Islands and Dominican descent through his parents, Lolita Ariza and Trevor Saunders of Grand Turk
* Christopher Bryan (born 1960 in the Turks and Caicos Islands) is a former association football player. In 2006 he became the President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association
* Errion Charles (born 1965 in Saint Vincent) is a sportsman from the Turks and Caicos Islands who has represented his nation at both association football and cricket
* Billy Forbes (footballer, born 1990), Billy Forbes (born 1990 in Providenciales) is an association football player who currently plays for Valour FC. He holds the record for the most goals for the national team.
* Gavin Glinton (born 1979 in Grand Turk) is a footballer who last played for Nam Dinh FC
* Gregory Watts (born 1967 in the Turks and Caicos Islands) is a former footballer, he played as a defender
* Delano Williams (born 1993 in Grand Turk) is a British sprinter. He trains with the Racers Track Club in Jamaica
Celebrities
* LisaRaye McCoy (born 1967 in Chicago Illinois) is an American actress and former first lady of the Turks and Caicos Islands. McCoy married former chief turned premiere Michael Misick back in April 2006. In 2008 LisaRaye released a statement that she and the premiere were divorcing citing his corruption of governmental funds, infidelity and bribery. The divorce was finalized in 2010.
See also
* Index of Turks and Caicos Islands–related articles
* Outline of the Turks and Caicos Islands
Notes
References
Further reading
* Boultbee, Paul G. ''Turks and Caicos Islands''. Oxford: ABC-Clio Press, 1991.
* Correll, Donovan Stewart and Helen B. Correll. ''Flora of the Bahama Archipelago (including the Turks and Caicos Islands)''. Vaduz: J. Cramer, 1982.
* Keegan, William F. ''Bahamian Archaeology: Life in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands before Columbus.'' Nassau: Media Pub., 1997.
* White, Anthony W. ''A Birder’s Guide to The Bahama Islands (including the Turks and Caicos Islands).'' Colorado Springs: American Birding Association, 1998.
External links
Government
Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands official website
FCO – UK and Turks and Caicos Islands
General information
Visit Turks & Caicos
Turks & Caicos National Museum
from UCB Libraries GovPubs
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Turks And Caicos Islands
Turks and Caicos Islands,
British Overseas Territories, .Turks
Dependent territories in the Caribbean
English-speaking countries and territories
States and territories established in 1973
1973 establishments in North America
1973 establishments in the British Empire
1970s establishments in the Turks and Caicos Islands