The Conch Bar Caves, located on

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 ...

, is the largest above-ground cave system 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 Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

Turks and Caicos Islands 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 in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...

archipelago. The caves are near their namesake village of Conch Bar. In the 1880s, the caves were mined for

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

, which was exported as

fertilizer A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

. Many markings and etchings have been left by miners in the caves, many with names and dates. It was during this time of excavation that a number of Lucayan artefacts were discovered within the cave system.

References

External links

Conch Bar Caves - Visit Turks and Caicos Islands
Caves of the Caribbean Geography of the Turks and Caicos Islands {{TurksCaicos-geo-stub