Geography:
The Turks and Caicos Islands consists of two groups of small tropical islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, just South East of the Bahamas and 914 Kilometers from Miami, Florida. Much of the British Overseas Territory is undisturbed terrain, with inhabitation on only 9 of the 40 islands and cays that make up the Turks and Caicos.
Low, flat limestone forms the skeleton of the islands’ 616.3 Kilometers of total land area, which includes substantial mangrove swamps and marshes and 379 Kilometers of beachfront. The climate is most often sunny and fairly dry with the Hurricane Season (August to November) marked with the highest levels of rainfall for the year.
Eighty-two percent of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ population (33,302 in 2006) resides in the Caicos Islands, with Providenciales—the country’s center for commerce and tourism—maintaining the largest number of inhabitants by far (22,542). The Caicos Islands, are characterized by six large islands, West Caicos (uninhabited since the 1900’s), Providenciales, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, East Caicos and South Caicos and a number of small reefs and Cays in the south that sit in the Caicos Bank.
With the development of Dellis Cay, Ambergris Cay and West Caicos in progress, the population of the Caicos Islands is slated for a notable increase.
Separated from the Caicos Islands by the Columbus Passage (formerly named the Turks Island Passage, this passage of water is 7000-feet deep), The Turks islands consist of two main islands, Grand Turk and Salt Cay (the only inhabited areas in the Turks Islands). The Turks Islands offer a glimpse into the Turks and Caicos’s colonial era, with many historical structures from this time still standing.
Image Credit: Sunset Point Villa
Coral Reef and Nature Reserves:The Turks and Caicos Islands currently maintains the third largest coral reef system in the world and has over 30 Nature Reserves, Sanctuaries and National Parks. The lush waters of the Turks and Caicos attracts many snorkelers and scuba divers to its reefs each year, with the shallow reefs just off the shores of Grace Bay Beach withstanding the most human interaction. Artificial reef systems have become a recent trend in methods to combat the damage caused by the increased exposure of these shallow reefs.Furthermore, Nature Reserves and Sanctuaries have been enforced to preserve local species of mangroves, tropical fish, flamingoes and iguanas (Turks and Cacios is home to the tiny Rock Iguana, currently critically endangered. Little Water Cay has become a protected habitat for the reptiles, where visitors can view the animals.).
Image credit: Turks and Caicos Tourist Board
History and Politics:Many historians argue that Grand Turk is the first landing-point on legendary explorer Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the New World. Columbus’s logbook description of a “bean-shaped” island with many small islands to the south and east fits quite well with Grand Turk’s geographical traits. Following European arrival, the Turks and Caicos’ original occupants, the Taino or Lucayan Indians, eventually perished and the islands switched between British, French and Spanish rule, eventually remaining a British Overseas Territory. The Turks and Caicos Islands are also said to have a considerable history of piracy during the colonialism era.Grand Turk’s Cockburn town has been the seat of government since 1766. The Turks and Caicos Islands were placed under Jamaican Jurisdiction until 1962, when they were accorded the status of a British Crown Colony. Following this new entitlement, the governor of the Bahamas also oversaw affairs in the TCI from 1965 to 1973, when the Bahamas were granted their independence. The Turks and Caicos received their own governor some time after the Bahamas’ independence.Prior to Jamaican authority, the Turks and Caicos Islands were occupied by Bermudian salt collectors, who first sailed to the islands in the late 1600’s; remnants of the once thriving salt industry can still be found in the form of mills and other structures in Grand Turk and Salt Cay. During this time, the French, Spanish, and even the Bahamas also briefly occupied the country.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom remains sovereign, as the islands are a British territory. Represented by a Governor (His Excellency the Governor Richard Tauwahre) the head of government is the Premier, while The Executive Council includes three ex officio members and five members of the Legislative Council, who are appointed by the governor. The 19 seats of The Legislative Council include 13 popularly elected seats. Currently, The People’s National Party, led by Hon. Premier Dr. Michael E. Misick holds eight seats in Legislative Council with members of the major opposing party, the People’s Democratic Movement—led by Derek H. Taylor—holding 5 seats.
Economy:The Turks and Caicos Islands’ main source of revenue is a burgeoning Tourism Industry, followed by offshore financial services and fishing, with exports of conch, spiny lobster and local fish reaching over $160 million in 2000.With limited local agricultural resources, the islands import most food and beverages, tobacco, clothing and building materials mainly from the United States and the United Kingdom, causing the cost-of-living to be comparatively high, when evaluated against that of other West Indian territories.
Communications:International Communications provider, Cable and Wireless maintained a monopoly over the local telephone and Internet services for many years, introducing mobile phone service (which would later become BMobile) in 1995. However, the introductions of Express High Speed Internet (a subsidiary of WIV) and mobile phone competitors Digicel and IslandCom have created balance in their respective markets.WIV4 has been the only Television broadcast station in the territory for over 15 years and WIV has been the sole Cable Television provider for over two decades. The government of the Turks and Caicos will introduce their own TV station, TCI New Media, in late 2007/early 2008.There are currently over 5000 cable subscribers across the Turks and Caicos Islands.
