Overview
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. Grand Turk Island suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Geography
- Location
- two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti; note - although the Turks and Caicos Islands do not border the Caribbean Sea, geopolitically they are often designated as being Caribbean
- Total Area
- 948 sq km
- Climate
- tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry
- Terrain
- low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
- Natural Resources
- spiny lobster, conch
- Coastline
- 389 km
- Land Borders
- 0 km
People & Society
- Population
- 60,439 (2024 est.)
- Languages
- English (official)
- Religions
- 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 Witness 1.8%, other 14% (2006 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Black 87.6%, White 7.9%, mixed 2.5%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.7% (2006 est.)
- Life Expectancy
- 81.3 years (2024 est.)
- Urbanization
- 94.2% of total population (2023)
Government
- Government Type
- parliamentary democracy
- Capital
- Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
- Independence
- none (overseas territory of the UK)
- Constitution
- several previous; latest signed 7 August 2012, effective 15 October 2012 (The Turks and Caicos Constitution Order 2011)
- Legal System
- mixed system of English common law and civil law
- Executive Branch
- King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor Dileeni Daniel-SELVARATNAM (since 29 June 2023)
Economy
- Economic Overview
- British Caribbean island territorial economy; GDP and its tourism industry hit hard by COVID-19 disruptions; major biodiversity locale; US dollar user; fossil fuel dependent; negative trade balance; increasing unemployment
- GDP (Official Rate)
- $1.745 billion (2024 est.)
- Major Industries
- tourism, offshore financial services