Turks and Caicos Islands facts

Turks and Caicos Islands
Overseas territory of the United Kingdom

Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Beautiful By Nature"
Anthem: God Save the Queen
National song: This Land of Ours 
Capital Cockburn Town
Largest city Providenciales
Official languages English
Ethnic groups
Demonym Turks and Caicos Islander
Government British overseas territory
 -  Monarch Elizabeth II
 -  Governor Ric Todd
 -  Premier Rufus Ewing
 -  UK government minister Mark Simmonds MP
Legislature House of Assembly
 -  Total 616.3 km2 (185th)
238 sq mi
 -  Water (%) negligible
 -  2012 census 46,400
 -  Density 75/km2
194.2/sq mi
HDI 0.930
very high · unranked
Currency United States dollar (USD)
Time zone R-Romeo (UTC-5) EST
Date format dd mm yyyy (AD)
Drives on the left
Calling code IDD Area code +1‑649
ISO 3166 code TC
Internet TLD .tc


The islands have a total land area of 616.3 square kilometres (238.0 sq mi). and they are on a tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.




Map of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The two island groups are in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Bahamas, north of Hispaniola, at . The Caicos Islands are separated by the Caicos Passage from the closest Bahamian islands, Mayaguana and Great Inagua.

The eight main islands and more than 299 smaller islands have a total land area of 616.3 square kilometres (238.0 sq mi), consisting primarily of low, flat limestone with extensive marshes and mangrove swamps and 332 square kilometres (128 sq mi) of beach front. The weather is usually sunny and relatively dry, but hurricanes are frequent during summer. 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 Islands

The Turks Islands are separated from the Caicos Islands by Turks Island Passage, which is more than 2,200 metres (7,200 ft) deep, The islands form a chain that goes from north to south.

There are only two inhabited islands, and these are:


Caicos Islands

The inhabited islands of the group are:

  • North Caicos is the largest island in the country.
  • Middle Caicos is the second largest island in the country.
  • South Caicos, or The Big South, is the fishing capital of the country.
  • Providenciales, or more commonly known as "Provo". In this island is the "Providenciales International Airport" and there are many holiday resorts. A large coral reef is situated to the north of the island.
  • Ambergris Cay
  • Pine Cay
  • Parrot Cay


Turks and Caicos Islands features a relatively dry and sunny marine tropical climate with relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year. The temperature during summer rarely is over 33 °C (91 °F) and during winter rarely is below 18 °C (64 °F).




Total population by island 2001-2012
Island Area
2001 2012 ! style="background: #CCC;" class="unsortable"|Change
Turks Islands
Grand Turk 17.39 3,976 4,831 21.5%
Salt Cay 6.74 120 108 -10%
Caicos Islands
South Caicos 21.21 1,063 1,139 7.1%
Middle Caicos 144.22 301 168 -44.2%
North Caicos 116.43 1,347 1,312 -2.6%
Parrot Cay 5.63 58 131 125.9%
Providenciales 122.20 13,021 23,769 82.5%
Turks and Caicos Islands 19,886 31,458 58.2%


The official language of the islands is English and the population also speaks Turks and Caicos Islands Creole which is similar to Bahamian Creole. Due to its close proximity to Cuba and Hispaniola, large Haitian Creole and Spanish-speaking communities have developed in the territory due to immigration from Creole-speaking Haiti and from Spanish-speaking Cuba and Dominican Republic.





Cockburn Town
  • Blue Hills
  • Bottle Creek
  • Conch Bar
  • Cockburn Harbour
  • Cockburn Town
  • Grace Bay Garden Loop, Turks and caicos island
  • Balfour Town, Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Whitby, Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Kew, Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Sandy Point, Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Lorimers
  • Bambarra, Turks and Caicos Islands


Turks and Caicos Islands Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.