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(Top) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coordinates: 21°46′48″N 71°48′00″W

Etymology
"Caicos" and "Turks & Caicos" redirect here. For the ship, see HMS Caicos (K505). For the film, see Turks
History
& Caicos (film).
Geography and environment The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI;[7]
Turks and Caicos Islands
Politics /tɜːrks/ and /ˈkeɪkəs, -koʊs, -kɒs/) are a British Overseas
Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and British Overseas Territory
Demography
smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in
Education the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and
Healthcare northern West Indies.[8] They are known primarily for
tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident
Economy Flag
population in July 2021 was put at 57,196, making it the Coat of arms
Transportation third-largest of the British overseas territories by Anthem: "God Save the King"

Postal system population.[7] 0:50

The islands are southeast of Mayaguana in the Bahamas National song: "This Land of Ours"[1]
Media
island chain and north of the island of Hispaniola (Haiti
Sports
and the Dominican Republic). Grand Turk (Cockburn
Notable people Town), the capital since 1766, is situated on Grand Turk
Island[2] about 1,042 kilometres (647 mi) east-southeast
See also
of Miami. They have a total land area of 430 square
Notes kilometres (170 sq mi).[a]
References The islands were inhabited for centuries by indigenous
Further reading peoples. The first recorded European sighting of them
Location of Turks and Caicos Islands (circled in
was in 1512.[11] In subsequent centuries, they were red)
External links
claimed by several European powers, with the British Sovereign state United Kingdom
Empire eventually gaining control. For many years they Treaty of Paris 3 September 1783
were governed indirectly through Bermuda, the Bahamas, Federation 3 January 1958
and Jamaica. When the Bahamas gained independence Separate colony 31 May 1962

in 1973, the islands received their own governor, and Capital Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
[2]
have remained an autonomous territory since.[7]
Largest city Providenciales
Official English
Etymology [ edit ] languages

The name Caico[s] is from the Lucayan caya hico, Ethnic groups 88% Afro-Caribbean
8% Euro-Caribbean
meaning 'string of islands'.[12][7] The Turks Islands are 4% Mixed or Indo-
named after the Turk's cap cactus, Melocactus intortus, Caribbeans
whose red cephalium resembles the fez hat worn by Demonym(s) Turks and Caicos Islander
Turkish men in the late Ottoman Empire.[12][7] Government Dependency under
constitutional monarchy

History [ edit ] • Monarch

• Governor
Charles III
Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam
Main article: History of the Turks and Caicos Islands • Deputy Anya Williams
Governor
• Premier Washington Misick
Pre-colonial era [ edit ]
Legislature House of Assembly
The first inhabitants of the islands were the Arawakan- Government of the United Kingdom
speaking Taíno people, who most likely crossed over from • Minister David Rutley
Hispaniola some time from AD 500 to 800.[13]:18 Together
Area
with Taíno who migrated from Cuba to the southern • Total 948 km2 (366 sq mi)
Bahamas around the same time, these people developed • Water (%) negligible
as the Lucayan.[8][14]:80–86 Around 1200, the Turks and Highest elevation 48 m (157 ft)
Caicos Islands were resettled by Classical Taínos from Population
Hispaniola.[15] • 2020 estimate 44,542[3] (215th)
• 2012 census 31,458[4]
European arrival [ edit ] • Density 121.7[5]/sq mi (47.0/km2)

GDP (nominal) 2020 estimate

It is unknown precisely who the first European to sight the
• Total US$924,583,000[6]
islands was. Some sources state that Christopher
Currency United States dollar (US$)
Columbus saw the islands on his voyage to the Americas (USD)
in 1492.[8] However, other sources state that it is more Time zone UTC−05:00 (EST)
likely that Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León was • Summer (DST) UTC−04:00 (EDT)
the first European in Turks and Caicos, in 1512.[11] In Date format dd/mm/yyyy
either case, by 1512 the Spanish had begun capturing the
Driving side left
Taíno and Lucayans as labourers in the encomienda
Calling code +1-649
system to replace the largely depleted native population
UK postcode TKCA 1ZZ
of Hispaniola.[16]:92–99[17]:159–160,191 As a result of this, ISO 3166 code TC
and the introduction of diseases to which the native
Internet TLD .tc
people had no immunity, the southern Bahama Islands
Website https://gov.tc/
and the Turks and Caicos Islands were completely
depopulated by about 1513, and remained so until the 17th century.[18]:34–37[19]:37–39[20][page range too broad]

European settlement [ edit ]

Main article: Colony of Jamaica

From the mid-1600s Bermudian salt collectors began seasonally

visiting the islands, later settling more permanently with their African
slaves.[8][21] For several decades around the turn of the 18th century,
the islands became popular pirate hideouts.[21] During the Anglo-
French War (1778–1783) the French captured the archipelago in
1783; however, it was later confirmed as a British colony with the
Treaty of Paris (1783). After the American War of Independence
(1775–1783), many Loyalists fled to British Caribbean colonies, also
bringing with them African slaves.[8][21] They developed cotton as an
Raking salt on a 1938 postage
important cash crop, but it was superseded by the development of stamp of the islands
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.[8]

In 1799, both the Turks and the Caicos island groups were annexed
by Britain as part of the Bahamas.[8] The processing of sea salt was
developed as a highly important export product from the West Indies
and continued to be a major export product into the nineteenth
century.

19th century [ edit ]

In 1807, Britain prohibited the slave trade and, in 1833, abolished

slavery in its colonies.[8] 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 The 1852 lighthouse on Grand
Turk
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.[22]:211

In 1841, the Trouvadore, 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 to island proprietors on Grand Turk Island for one year. They increased the small
population of the colony by seven per cent.[22]:212 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.[23] An 1878 letter documents the "Trouvadore Africans" and their descendants as constituting
an essential part of the "labouring population" on the islands.[22]:210 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, confirmed that the wreck has artifacts whose style and date of manufacture link them to the
Trouvadore.[22][23][24]

In 1848, Britain designated the Turks and Caicos as a separate colony under a council president.[8] In 1873–
4, the islands were made part of the Jamaica colony;[8] in 1894, the chief colonial official was restyled
commissioner. In 1917, Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden suggested that the Turks and Caicos join
Canada, but this suggestion was rejected by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George and the islands
remained a dependency of Jamaica.[25]

20th and 21st centuries [ edit ]

Main articles: West Indies Federation, British Overseas Territories, and Lucayan Archipelago

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.[8]
Beginning in 1965, the governor of the Bahamas was also governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands and
oversaw affairs for the islands.[7]

When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the Turks and Caicos
received their own governor (the last administrator was restyled).[8] In 1974,
Canadian New Democratic Party MP Max Saltsman 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.[26] 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 of an anti-independence party in 1980
and since then the islands have remained British territory.[8] Local
government was suspended from 1986 to 1988, following allegation of
government involvement with drug trafficking which resulted in the arrest of
Sharlene Cartwright-
Chief Minister Norman Saunders.[8][27]:495–6 Robinson, the first female
In 2002 the islands were re-designated a British Overseas Territory, with Premier of Turks and Caicos,
served from 2016 to 2021
islanders gaining full British citizenship.[8] A new constitution was
promulgated in 2006; however in 2009 Premier Michael Misick resigned in
the face of corruption charges, and the United Kingdom took over direct control of the government.[28][8] A
new constitution was promulgated in October 2012 and the government was returned to full local
administration after the November 2012 elections.[8][29]:56

In 2010 the leaders of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands discussed the possibility of forming a
federation.[30]

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 (PDM) came to
power with Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson as Premier.[31][8] She was replaced by Washington Misick after the
Progressive National Party won the 2021 general elections.[32]

Geography and environment [ edit ]

The two island groups are in the North

Atlantic Ocean about 160 kilometres
(99 mi) north of Hispaniola and about
1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from Miami in
the United States, at
21°46′48″N 71°48′00″W. The territory
is geographically contiguous to the
Bahamas, both comprising the Lucayan
Archipelago, but is politically a separate
entity. The Caicos Islands are separated
by the Caicos Passage from the closest
Bahamian islands, Mayaguana and
Great Inagua. The nearest foreign A map of the Turks and Caicos Islands
landmass from the Turks and Caicos
Islands is the Bahamian island of Little
Inagua, about 30 miles (48 km) from West Caicos.

The eight main islands and more than 22 smaller islands have a total land area of 616.3 square kilometres
(238.0 square miles),[a] consisting primarily of low, flat limestone with extensive marshes and mangrove
swamps and 332 square kilometres (128 sq mi) of beach front. The tallest peaks in the islands are Blue Hills
on Providenciales and Flamingo Hill on East Caicos, both at a modest 48 m.[7] The weather is usually sunny
(it is generally regarded that the islands receive 350 days of sun each year[33]) and relatively dry, but suffers
frequent hurricanes.[7] The islands have limited natural fresh water resources; private cisterns collect
rainwater for drinking. The primary natural resources are spiny lobster, conch, and other shellfish. Turks and
Caicos contains three terrestrial ecoregions: Bahamian dry forests,[34] Bahamian pineyards, and Bahamian-
Antillean mangroves.[35]

The two distinct island groups are separated by the Turks Island Passage.[8]

Turks Islands [ edit ]

The Turks Islands are separated from the Caicos Islands by Turks Island Passage, which is more than
2,200 m (7,200 ft) deep.[36] The islands form a chain that stretches north–south. The 2012 census 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 17.39 km2 (6.71 sq mi),[10] population 4,831)
Salt Cay (area 6.74 km2 (2.60 sq mi),[10] 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 324 km2 (125 sq mi).[37]:149

The main uninhabited islands are:

Big Sand Cay

Cotton Cay
East Cay
Endymion Rock
Gibbs Cay
Pear Cay

Mouchoir Bank [ edit ]

25 kilometres (16 mi) 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 958 square kilometres (370 sq mi) in area.[38]:127 Two banks further east, Silver Bank and
Navidad Bank, are geographically a continuation, but belong politically to the Dominican Republic.

Caicos Islands [ edit ]

The largest island in the Caicos archipelago is the sparsely-inhabited

Middle Caicos, which measures 144 square kilometres (56 sq mi) in
area, but has a population of only 168 at the 2012 Census. The most
populated island is Providenciales, with 23,769 inhabitants in 2012,
and an area of 122 square kilometres (47 sq mi). North Caicos (116
square kilometres (45 sq mi) in area) had 1,312 inhabitants. South
Caicos (21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi) in area) had 1,139 Humpback whale breaching off
South Caicos
inhabitants, and Parrot Cay (6 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi) in area)
had 131 inhabitants. East Caicos (which is administered as part of
South Caicos District) is uninhabited, while the only permanent inhabitants of West Caicos (administered as
part of Providenciales District) are resort staff.[39]

The Caicos Islands comprise the following main islands:

Ambergris Cays Dove Cay Long Cay Providenciales

Big Ambergris East Bay Cay Mangrove Cay Seal Cays
Cay East Caicos Middle Caicos Six Hill Cays
Little Ambergris Fish Cays Middleton Cay South Caicos
Cay Five Cays North Caicos Stubbs Cay
Bay Cay Five Little Cays Parrot Cay Water Cay
Bush Cay Fort George Cay Pine Cay West Caicos
Dellis Cay French Cay Plandon Cay West Sand Spit
Donna Cay Little Water Cay

Climate [ edit ]

The Turks and Caicos Islands feature a tropical savannah climate (AW), with relatively consistent
temperatures throughout the course of the year.[7] Summertime temperatures rarely exceed 33 °C (91 °F) and
winter nighttime temperatures rarely fall below 18 °C (64 °F).

Biodiversity [ edit ]

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a biodiversity hotspot. The islands
have many endemic species 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, snakes, insects and plants,
and marine organisms; in addition to being an important breeding
area for seabirds.[40]

The UK and Turks and Caicos Islands Governments have joint

A blue tang and a squirrelfish in
responsibility for the conservation and preservation to meet Princess Alexandra Land and Sea
obligations under international environmental conventions.[41] National Park, Providenciales

Due to this significance, the islands are on the United Kingdom's

tentative list for future UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[42]

Politics [ edit ]

Main article: Politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory.[7] As

a British territory, its sovereign is King Charles III of the United
Kingdom, represented by a governor appointed by the monarch, on
the advice of the Foreign Office.[7] 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.[43] A street in Cockburn Town, the
capital of the Turks and Caicos
The territory's legal system is based on English common law, with a
Islands
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 has been the seat of government since 1766.

The Turks and Caicos Islands participate in the Caribbean Development Bank, is an associate in CARICOM,
a member of the Universal Postal Union and maintains an Interpol sub-bureau. The United Nations Special
Committee on Decolonization includes the territory on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories.

Under the new Constitution that came into effect in October 2012, legislative power is held by a unicameral
House of Assembly, 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.[7]

In the 2021 elections the Progressive National Party won in a landslide and Washington Misick became
Premier.[31]

Administrative divisions [ edit ]

Main article: Districts of the Turks and Caicos Islands

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, the Turks and Caicos
Islands are divided into 15 electoral districts (four in the Turks Islands and eleven in the Caicos Islands).

Judiciary [ edit ]

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.[7] 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.[44]

List of Chief Justices [ edit ]

Main page: Category: Chief justices of the Turks and Caicos Islands

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 [ edit ]

Policing is primarily the responsibility of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. Customs and
border enforcement is the responsibility of the Border Force. At times these may be supported by the Turks
and Caicos Islands Regiment.

Military and defence [ edit ]

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The defence of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the responsibility of the United Kingdom. The Royal Navy has
a ship on permanent station in the Caribbean, HMS Medway, and additionally sends another Royal Navy or
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship as a part of the Atlantic Patrol (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.[7] [45] In the autumn of 2022, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary RFA Tideforce, with a 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.[46]

Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment [ edit ]

Main article: 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 and it is to be similar to the Royal Bermuda Regiment and the Cayman Islands Regiment. The Turks
and Caicos Islands Regiment, like regiments in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, 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 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.[47]

In spring 2020, a Security and Assistance Team from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence arrived in Turks
and Caicos to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, and to help build the
new Turks and Caicos Regiment.[48]

In early June 2020, Lieutenant Colonel Ennis Grant was appointed as the commanding officer of the new
Turks and Caicos Regiment.[49]

Demography [ edit ]

Population [ edit ]

Eight of the thirty islands in the territory are inhabited, with a total Historical population
population estimated from preliminary results of the census of 25 January
Year Pop. ±%
2012 (released on 12 August 2012) of 31,458 inhabitants, an increase of
1911 5,615 —
58.2% from the population of 19,886 reported in the 2001 census.[4] July
1921 5,522 −1.7%
2021 estimates put the population at 57,196.[7] One-third of the population
is under 15 years old, and only 4% are 65 or older. In 2000 the population 1943 6,138 +11.2%

was growing at a rate of 3.55% per year. The infant mortality rate was 1960 5,668 −7.7%
18.66 deaths per 1,000 live births and the life expectancy at birth was 1970 5,558 −1.9%
73.28 years (71.15 years for males, 75.51 years for females). The total 1980 7,413 +33.4%
fertility rate was 3.25 children born per woman. The annual population 1990 11,465 +54.7%
growth rate is 2.82%. 2000 20,014 +74.6%
The CIA World Factbook breaks down the islanders' ethnicity as African 2012 31,458 +57.2%
87%, European 7.9%, Mixed 2.5.%, East Indian 1.3% and Other 0.7%.[7] Sources:[4][50]
There is a small Dominican and Haitian community on the islands.[7][8]

Population by island [ edit ]

Native
Area
Island Capital Population[b] Taino Notes
(km2)
Name

Caicos Islands

South Caicos Cockburn Harbour 21.2 2,013 Kasiba

West Caicos New Marina 28 10 Makobisa Resort staff only

Downtown Yukanaka
Providenciales 122 33,253
Providenciales Yanikana

Pine Cay South Bay Village 3.2 30 Buyana Resort staff only

Half resort staff,

Parrot Cay Parrot Cay Village 5 90
half residential

North Caicos Bottle Creek 116.4 2,066 Kaiko

Middle Caicos Conch Bar 136 522 Aniyana

Big Ambergris
Ambergris Cays 10.9 50
Cay

Other Caicos
East Caicos 146.5 0 Wana
Islands

Turks Islands

Grand Turk Cockburn Town 17.6 8,051 Amuana

Kanamani
Salt Cay Balfour Town 7.1 315
Kanomani

Other Turks
Cotton Cay 2.4 0 Makarike
Islands

Turks and Caicos

Cockburn Town 616.3 49000[7]
Islands

Structure of the population [ edit ]

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2017): [51] [show]

Language [ edit ]

The official language of the islands is English, but the population also speaks Turks and Caicos Islands
Creole, which is similar to Bahamian Creole.[52] 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.[53]

Religion [ edit ]
Main article: Religion in the Turks and Caicos Islands

86% of the population of Turks and Caicos are Christian (Baptists

35.8%, Church of God 11.7%, Roman Catholics 11.4%, Anglicans
10%, Methodists 9.3%, Seventh-day Adventists 6%, Jehovah's
Witnesses 1.8%), with other faiths making up the remaining 14%.[7]
St. Mary's Cathedral, Grand Turk
Catholics are served by the Mission Sui Iuris for Turks and Caicos,
which was erected in 1984 with territory taken from the then Diocese
of Nassau.[54]

Culture [ edit ]
See also: Music of the Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos Islands are perhaps best known musically for
ripsaw music, a genre which originated on the islands.[55]:34 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 The Turks and Caicos National
Museum on Grand Turk
population directly from Africa in the 1830s and 1841 from
shipwrecked slavers; they brought cultural craft skills with them.
[22]:216

The island's most popular sports are fishing, sailing, football (soccer) and cricket (which is the national sport).

Turks and Caicos cuisine is based primarily around seafood, especially conch.[56] Two common local dishes
are conch fritters and conch salad.[57]

Citizenship [ edit ]
See also: British Overseas Territories citizen § Access to British 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 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.[58]:213–214 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 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."[59] 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."[59]

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 [ edit ]

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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] In 2001, the student-teacher ratio at the primary level was roughly 15:1.
[citation needed]

Public secondary schools include:[60]

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, Providenciales. In 2014 it had 106 students. It was known as The Ashcroft School until
2014.[61]

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 [62][63] 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.[64]

Healthcare [ edit ]

The Turks and Caicos established a National Health Insurance Plan in 2010.[65]:231 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.[66]

Economy [ edit ]

The economy of Turks and Caicos is dominated by tourism, offshore

finance and fishing.[7][8] The US dollar is the main currency used on
the islands.

Historically the salt industry, along with small 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
Cruise terminal at Grand Turk investors arrived on the islands and funded the construction of an
Island
airstrip on Providenciales and built the archipelago's first hotel, "The
Third Turtle".[citation needed] A small trickle of tourists began to arrive,
supplementing the salt-based economy. Club Med set up a resort at Grace Bay soon after.[citation needed] 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.[8]

In 2009, GDP contributions were as follows:[67] Hotels & Restaurants 34.67%, Financial Services 13.12%,
Construction 7.83%, Transport, Storage & Communication 9.90%, and Real Estate, Renting & Business
Activities 9.56%. [clarification needed] Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported.[7]

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).[67]

The labour force totalled 27,595 workers in 2008. The labour force distribution in 2006 is as follows:

Skill level Percentage

Unskilled/Manual 53%

Semi-skilled 12%

Skilled 20%

Professional 15%

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.[68]

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.[citation needed]

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.[69]

Tourism [ edit ]
Main article: Tourism in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Tourism is one of the largest sources of income for the islands, with most visitors coming from America via
ship.[7] 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.[70]

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[71][72] and the world's only conch
farm.[73]

The French vacation village company of Club Méditerannée (Club

Med) has an all-inclusive adult resort called 'Turkoise' on
Providenciales. A Turks and Caicos sunset

The islands have become popular with various celebrities. Several

Hollywood stars have owned homes in the Turks and Caicos,
including Dick Clark[74] and Bruce Willis.[75] Ben Affleck and Jennifer
Garner married on Parrot Cay 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.
[76]

To boost tourism during the Caribbean low season of late summer,

since 2003 the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board have organised and View of the southwestern beach
hosted an annual series of concerts during this season called the at Grand Turk Island
Turks & Caicos Music and Cultural Festival.[77] Held in a temporary
bandshell at The Turtle Cove Marina in The Bight on Providenciales,
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.[78] More than 10,000 people attend annually.[78]

Resorts

Grace Bay Club[79]

The Somerset on Grace Bay[80]
Beaches Resorts – Turks & Caicos[81]
Seven Stars Resort[82]
Alexandra Resort[83]
West Bay Club[84]

Transportation [ edit ]

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 seven airports, located on each of the inhabited islands. Five have paved runways (three of which are
approximately 2,000 m (6,600 ft) long and one is approximately 1,000 m (3,300 ft) long), and the remaining
two have unpaved runways (one of which is approximately 1,000 m (3,300 ft) long and the other is
significantly shorter).[85][unreliable source?]

The islands have 121 kilometres (75 miles) of highway, 24 km (15 mi) paved and 97 km (60 mi) unpaved. Like
the United States Virgin Islands and British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands drive on the left.[86]

The territory's main international ports and harbours are on Grand Turk and Providenciales.[87]

The islands have no significant railways. In the early twentieth century East Caicos operated a horse-drawn
railway to transport sisal from the plantation to the port. The 14-kilometre (8.7-mile) route was removed after
sisal trading ceased.[88]

Spaceflight [ edit ]

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.[89][90]

Postal system [ edit ] Replica of Friendship 7 at Grand

Turk Airport
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.[91] Mail is
transported three or seven times a week, depending on the destination.[92] The Post Office is part of the
territory's government and reports to the Minister of Government Support Services.[93]

Media [ edit ]

Mobile phone service is provided by Cable & Wireless Communications, through its Flow brand, using GSM
850 and 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 radio stations
(one inactive) and six 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 code top-level domain (ccTLD) is ".tc". Amateur radio callsigns begin with "VP5" and visiting
operators frequently work from the islands.

Turks and Caicos is served by the ARCOS-1[94] submarine cable, connecting the territory to the Dominican
Republic to the south, to the Bahamas to the north and onto the USA and countries in Central America.

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 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[95]
and the Turks and Caicos Free Press.[96] All three publications are weekly. The Weekly News and the Sun
both have supplement magazines. Other local magazines Times of the Islands,[97] s3 Magazine,[98] Real Life
Magazine, Baller Magazine, and Unleashed Magazine.

Sports [ edit ]

Cricket is the islands' national sport.[99] The national team takes part in regional tournaments in the ICC
Americas Championship,[100] as well as having played one Twenty20 match as part of the 2008 Standford
20/20.[101] Two domestic leagues exist, one on Grand Turk with three teams and another on Providenciales.
[99]

As of December 2020, the 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.[102]

Because the territory is not recognised by the International Olympic Committee, Turks and Caicos Islanders
compete for Great Britain at the Olympic Games.[103]

Notable people [ edit ]

Politics [ edit ]