Turks and Caicos Islands

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Turks and Caicos Islands's Information


Capital	Cockburn Town
Languages	English (official)
Ethnic Groups	Black 87.6%, white 7.9%, mixed 2.5%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.7% (2006)
Religion	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%
Government	Parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly); self-governing overseas territory of the UK
Independance	None (overseas territory of the UK)
Area	948.00 km²
Land Area	948.00 km²
Population	51,430.00 Eight of the thirty islands are inhabited; the island of Providenciales is the most populated, but the most densely populated is Grand Turk
Location	two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti
GDP(PPP)	$632,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$29,100.00 (USD)
Export Commodities	Its main exports are lobster, dried and fresh conch, and conch shells.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include food and beverages, tobacco, and clothing.
Climate	Tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
Terrain	Low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps

Where is Turks and Caicos Islands?

Located in the North Atlantic Ocean, Turks and Caicos Islands is an island nation. It has a 389.00 km coastline.

The capital city of Turk and Caicos is Cockburn Town. It is also known as Grand Turk. The town is located on the west coast of the Turk district. The town was founded in the year of 1681 and it has been the seat of government since 1766. The town was best known for salt industries which came to an end in 1974. According to the 2012 census, Cockburn Town has a population of 4,831 people representing an increase of 21.5% compared to the 2001 census. The city’s main tourist attraction sites are the museum on Front Street, the white sandy beach, her majesty prison on Pond Street built in 1830, and the Grand Turk Cruise Center. The city of Cockburn Town experiences a relatively hot climate throughout the year. The average temperatures are 23.5 degree Celsius and 28 degree Celsius, respectively. Rainfall occurs from September to December. The hottest months start from December to March. During August to October, the islands are sometimes hit by hurricanes.

Turks and Caicos Islands is a North American country covering 948.00 km². and about 3 times smaller than Rhode Island. Its geographic coordinates are 21 45 N, 71 35 W and Cockburn Town is the capital city.

The name of the islands come from native plants (Turks) and a phrase meaning "string of islands" (Caicos).

Its ISO code is TC.

Geography

Turks and Caicos Islands has a mean elevation of 0 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate that is characterized by westerly gales and heavy rain from November to March. Its terrain consists of low, flat limestone with extensive marshes and mangrove swamps.

Population

Turks and Caicos Islands has a population of 51,430 making it the 209th largest in the world. 8 out of the 30 islands are inhabited.

English is the official language. The most common ethnic groups reported are black, white, and mixed. The majority of the population is Protestant Christian.

The official language of Turks and Caicos is English. English-based Creole is also spoken widely on the islands. Other minority languages include Spanish, Filipino, Italian, French and local minority languages. Spanish is growing in popularity among the people and many have learnt as a second language. The Creole spoken on the islands comprises of English words combined with words of African origin.

The dialing code for the country is -648.

Government

It is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. Its constitution was last ratified in 2011.

The government’s formal name is the Turks and Caicos Islands Government, with Queen Elizabeth II as the chief of State. Therefore, the system of government is a constitutional monarchy. The island is a British overseas territory and the governor is chosen by the monarch to act as a representative of the crown. The position in charge of the government is a locally elected premier. The parliament is known as the National Assembly and is located in Grand Turk. It comprises of 15 elected members, four appointed, along with the speaker, and the attorney general. The island has a unicameral parliamentary system with only one chamber. Candidates vying for seats in the National Assembly should be 21 years and above. Elections are held after every four years at the national level, and Citizens aged 18 years and above are eligible to vote. There are two main dominant parties in the Turks and Caicos Islands and they are the People’s National Party and People’s Democratic Movement.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Turks and Caicos Islands's GDP is $632,000,000.00 (USD) with $29,100.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 209th largest economy and its citizens the 62nd richest in the world. The currency of Turks and Caicos Islands is the Dollar (USD).

Its major imports include food and beverages, tobacco, and clothing.

Flag

The national flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands is the United Kingdom’s Blue Ensign defaced with the islands’ Coat of Arms. It adopted the flag in 1968. The coat of arms featured in the flag is a yellow shield with a lobster, cactus and conch shell within it. These symbols represent the islands’ flora and fauna. The Blue Ensign, which is used by territories and organizations affiliated with the United Kingdom, has been in use since 1801 when Ireland joined the United Kingdom while the islands' Coat of Arms was adopted in 1965.

This page was last modified on February 6th, 2018