The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory.
two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti
21 45 N, 71 35 W
Central America and the Caribbean
total: 948 sq km
land: 948 sq km
water: 0 sq km
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
0 km
389 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry
low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
mean elevation: NA
elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Flamingo Hill 48 m
spiny lobster, conch
agricultural land: 1.1%
arable land 1.1%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0%
forest: 36.2%
other: 62.7% (2011 est.)
0 sq km (2012)
frequent hurricanes
limited natural freshwater resources, private cisterns collect rainwater
about 40 islands (eight inhabited)
51,430 (July 2016 est.)
noun: none
adjective: none
black 87.6%, white 7.9%, mixed 2.5%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.7% (2006)
English (official)
Protestant 72.8% (Baptist 35.8%, Church of God 11.7%, Anglican 10%, Methodist 9.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.8%, other 14%
0-14 years: 21.87% (male 5,732/female 5,517)
15-24 years: 14.31% (male 3,628/female 3,730)
25-54 years: 53.31% (male 13,861/female 13,558)
55-64 years: 6.1% (male 1,696/female 1,443)
65 years and over: 4.4% (male 1,018/female 1,247) (2016 est.)
total: 32.9 years
male: 33.2 years
female: 32.5 years (2016 est.)
2.23% (2016 est.)
15.7 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
3.2 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
9.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
eight of the thirty islands are inhabited; the island of Providenciales is the most populated, but the most densely populated is Grand Turk
urban population: 92.2% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 2.48% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
GRAND TURK (capital) 5,000 (2014)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
total: 10.4 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
total population: 79.8 years
male: 77.1 years
female: 82.7 years (2016 est.)
1.7 children born/woman (2016 est.)
improved:
urban: 81.4% of population
rural: 81.4% of population
total: 81.4% of population
unimproved:
urban: 18.6% of population
rural: 18.6% of population
total: 18.6% of population (2007 est.)
NA
NA
NA
note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)
3.3% of GDP (2015)
destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and the US
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands
abbreviation: TCI
etymology: the Turks Islands are named after the Turk's cap cactus (native to the islands and appearing on the flag and coat of arms), while the Caicos Islands derive from the native term "caya hico" meaning "string of islands"
overseas territory of the UK
parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
none (overseas territory of the UK)
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
several previous; latest signed 7 August 2012, effective 15 October 2012 (Turks and Caicos Constitution Order 2011) (2016)
mixed legal system of English common law and civil law
see United Kingdom
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor John FREEMAN (since 17 October 2016)
head of government: Premier Rufus EWING (since 13 November 2012)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor from among members of the House of Assembly
elections/appointments: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor
description: unicameral House of Assembly (19 seats; 15 members in multi-seat constituencies and a single all-islands constituency directly elected by simple majority vote, 1 member nominated by the premier and appointed by the governor, 1 nominated by the opposition party leader and appointed by the governor, and 2 from the Turks and Caicos Islands Civic Society directly appointed by the governor; members serve 4-year terms)
elections: last held on 9 November 2012 (next to be held in 2016)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - PNP 8, PDM 7
highest resident court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and such number of other judges as determined by the governor); Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 2 justices); note - appeals beyond the Supreme Court are referred to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)
judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court and Appeals Court judges appointed by the governor in accordance with the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body of high level judicial officials; Supreme Court judges appointed until mandatory retirement at age 65, but can be extended to age 70; Appeals Court judge tenure determined by individual terms of appointment
subordinate courts: magistrates' courts
People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Oswald SKIPPINGS]
People's Progressive Party
Progressive National Party or PNP [Rufus EWING]
NA
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU
none (overseas territory of the UK)
none (overseas territory of the UK)
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and displays a conch shell, a spiny lobster, and Turk's cap cactus - three common elements of the islands' biota
conch shell, Turk's cap cactus
name: "This Land of Ours"
lyrics/music: Conrad HOWELL
note: serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the UK, "God Save the Queen" is the official anthem (see United Kingdom)
10% (1997 est.)
The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, offshore financial services, and fishing. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than three-quarters of the more th
$NA
$632 million (2007 est.)
$568.3 million (2006 est.)
11.2% (2007 est.)
$29,100 (2007 est.)
household consumption: 49.2%
government consumption: 20.4%
investment in fixed capital: 26.7%
investment in inventories: -0.1%
exports of goods and services: 47.7%
imports of goods and services: -44% (2016 est.)
agriculture: 0.5%
industry: 9.7%
services: 89.8% (2016 est.)
corn, beans, cassava (manioc, tapioca), citrus fruits; fish
tourism, offshore financial services
3% (2016 est.)
4,848 (1990 est.)
note: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
revenues: $225.6 million
expenditures: $187.2 million (2016 est.)
calendar year
2.2% (2016 est.)
1% (2015 est.)
$24.77 million (2008 est.)
lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
$591.3 million (2008 est.)
food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials
$NA
the US dollar is used
population without electricity: 5,143
electrification - total population: 91%
electrification - urban areas: 92%
electrification - rural areas: 80% (2012)
200 million kWh (2014 est.)
200 million kWh (2014 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
0 kWh (2013 est.)
76,000 kW (2014 est.)
100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
1,340 bbl/day (2014 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
1,328 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)
200,000 Mt (2013 est.)
general assessment: fully digital system with international direct dialing
domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service available
international: country code - 1-649; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic (2015)
no local terrestrial TV stations, broadcasts from the Bahamas can be received and multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; government-run radio network operates alongside private broadcasters with a total of about 15 stations (2007)
.tc
number of registered air carriers: 1
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 16 (2015)
VQ-T (2016)
8 (2013)
total: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2013)
total: 121 km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 97 km (2003)
major seaport(s): Cockburn Harbour, Grand Turk, Providenciales
defense is the responsibility of the UK
have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder
transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe
