Turks and Caicos Islands
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The Turks and Caicos Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean. The two island groups are in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Bahamas, north of Haiti, and 575 miles from Miami, at . The territory is geographically part of the Bahamas, but not politically. The thirty islands total 166 square miles (430 km²), primarily of low, flat limestone with extensive marshes and mangrove swamps. The weather is usually sunny and relatively dry, but suffers frequent hurricanes. 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. The United Nations Committee on Decolonisation includes the Turks and Caicos Islands on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
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| National motto: Each Endeavouring, All Achieving | |||||
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| Official language | English | ||||
| Political status
| Non-sovereign, Overseas territory of the U.K. | ||||
| Capital | Cockburn Town | ||||
| Governor | Richard Tauwhare | ||||
| Chief Minister | Michael Misick | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 200th 430 km² Negligible | ||||
| Population - Total (2005) - Density | Ranked 214th 26,288 45/km² | ||||
| Currency | U.S. dollar | ||||
| Time zone | UTC -5 | ||||
| National anthem | None (God save the Queen) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .tc | ||||
| Calling Code | +1-649 | ||||
Politics
- More information on politics and government of the Turks and Caicos Islands can be found at the Politics and government of the Turks and Caicos Islands series.
As a British territory, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is the sovereign, represented by a governor. The head of government is the chief minister. The Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council. No elections are held; the monarch is hereditary, the governor appointed by the monarch, and the chief minister appointed by the governor.
The unicameral Legislative Council consists of 19 seats, 13 popularly elected; members serve four-year terms. Elections were held March 4, 1999, and again in 2003. The Progressive National Party, led by Hon. Dr. Michael Misick holds eight seats, and the People's Democratic Movement, led by Derek H. Taylor, holds five seats. The United Democratic Party, led by Wendal Swann, received a small fraction of the popular vote, but not enough to earn a seat.
The judicial branch of government is headed by a Supreme Court.
Turks and Caicos participates in the Caribbean Development Bank, is an associate in Caricom, and maintains an Interpol sub-bureau. Defence is the responsibility of the United Kingdom. In December of 2004 the Turks and Caicos Islands sought to become a new associate member to the Association of Caribbean States [article].
Demographics
Eight of the thirty islands in the territory are inhabited, with a total population in mid-2006 of about 32,000. One-third of the population is under 15 years old, and only 4% are 65 or older. In 2000 the population was growing at a rate of 3.55% per year, with 14.46 migrants per 1,000 population and 25.65 births per 1,000 population, offset by 4.57 deaths per 1,000 population. The infant mortality rate was 18.66 deaths per 1,000 live births and the life expectancy at birth was 73.28 years (71.15 years for males, 75.51 years for females). The total fertility rate was 3.25 children born per woman. Ethnically, the vast majority of inhabitants are black. Two-fifths of them are Baptist, one-fifth Methodist, one-fifth Anglican, and less than 2% Seventh-day Adventist.
History
The islands of the Turks and Caicos were first populated by Carib amerindians but, shortly after the islands' discovery by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1512, Spanish explorers began raiding the archipelago for slaves. Though many nations controlled the islands, official settlement didn't occur right away. For several decades around the turn of the 18th century they became popular pirate hideouts. Bermudian salt collectors were the first to settle the islands in 1681.
After the American Revolution took place many loyalists fled to British Caribbean colonies, including the Turks and Caicos, where cotton became an important crop briefly. There was a great deal of political turmoil surrounding the ownership of the Turks and Caicos even within the British empire: The Bahamas and Bermuda were fighting for control of the archipelago. The British government eventually assigned political control to The Bahamas, which the Turks and Caicos remained a part of until the 1840s.
The islands petitioned for their independence from The Bahamas, but were eventually re-assigned to become a dependency of Jamaica. By 1973 they had gained independence and their own governor. Their political troubles in recent years have resulted in a rewritten constitution.
Economy
The economy of the Turks and Caicos is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The United States was the leading source of tourists in 1996, accounting for more than half of the 87,000 visitors; another major source of tourists is Canada. Tourist arrivals had risen to 93,000 by 1998. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. The territory's gross domestic product was about $216 million (per capita $11 500) in 2002, with a real growth rate of about 4,9% (2000) and an inflation rate of about 4%. The labour force totalled 4848 workers in 1990, one-third of whom work in government and one-fifth of whom work in agriculture and fishing; the rest are employed in tourism, financial, and other services. The unemployment rate is about 10%. The territory takes in revenues of $47 million against expenditures of $33.6 million and receives economic aid, $5.7 million in 1995. The territory's currency is the United States dollar.
The primary agricultural products include maize, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits, and fish. In 2000 the territory exported some $169,2 million of lobster, dried and fresh conch, and conch shells, primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom. The territory is an important trans-shipment point for South American narcotics destined for the United States.
The islands import food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, and construction materials, primarily from the United States and the United Kingdom. Imports totalled $175,6 million in 2000.
The islands produce and consume about 5 GWh of electricity, all from fossil fuel.
Communications
The territory had about 3000 telephone lines in use in 1994, with mobile GSM 850 and TDMA service. The system is connected to the mainland by two submarine cables and an Intelsat earth station. There were three AM radio stations (one inactive) and six FM stations (no shortwave) in 1998. Over 8000 radios are owned across the territory. There is one television broadcast station, namely WIV TV; broadcasts from the Bahamas can also be received and cable television is available. The territory has two Internet service providers and its country code top level domain (ccTLD) is ".TC".Transportation
The islands have no significant railways, and 121 kilometres of highway, 24 km paved and 97 km unpaved. The territory's ports and harbours are on Grand Turk and Providenciales. The islands have seven airports. Four have paved runways, three of which are around 2000 meters long and one around 1000 meters long. Three have unpaved runways, two of which are around 1000 meters long and one significantly shorter.Proposed union with Canada
A great many of the tourists who visit the islands are Canadian. Owing to this, the islands' status as a British colony, and historic trade links, some politicians in Canada and the Turks and Caicos have suggested some form of union between Canada and the British territory.
In 1973, Canadian New Democratic Party Member of Parliament Max Saltsman introduced the first failed attempt at consolidating the islands.
The idea was brought up again in 1986 by Progressive Conservative MP Dan McKenzie, but it was rejected by his party's caucus committee on external affairs in 1987. The committee, chaired by MP David Daubney, looked at immigration, banking, health care, and tourism issues in making its decision.
In 2004, Conservative MP Peter Goldring visited the Turks and Caicos to explore the possibility once more.
For the islands to join Canada as a full province would require amending the Canadian constitution, which is considered highly unlikely. The last new province, Newfoundland and Labrador, was brought into the country in 1949 by an act of British Parliament. Joining as a territory would be easier, as territories can be created by an act of federal law. In addition, its population of less than 20,000 people is considered insufficient for provincial status. However, this attitude may change should the territories of Yukon or Nunavut - both with about 30,000 people each - ever become provinces.
In 2004, the province of Nova Scotia voted to invite Turks and Caicos to join the province, should the islands ever become part of Canada. This would bypass the problems with admitting Turks and Caicos as a separate province. [(CBC)]
In popular culture
In The Island by Peter Benchley, a band of latter-day pirates based on an isolated island in the Turks and Caicos prey on passing shipping.See also
- Islands of the Turks and Caicos
- Music of Turks and Caicos Islands
- Religion in the Turks and Caicos Islands
- Snorkeling locations
External links
- [Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands official website]
- [Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada - Turks and Caicos profile]
- [Turks and Caicos - CIA World Factbook]
- [Turks & Caicos Beat] - News and information blog about the Turks and Caicos Islands, especially Providenciales and Grace Bay
History
Relationship with Canada
- [CBC News Backgrounder - Canada and the Turks and Caicos]
- [A Place in the Sun?] - An article about a formal association of the Turks and Caicos Islands with Canada.
Commercial tourism guides
- [The official Turks and Caicos Tourism website]
- [Turks and Caicos at Caribbean Travel]
- ["Where When How" travel guide]
- [Turks and Caicos Guide for Travel and Tourism]
- [Information on Villas in Turks and Caicos]
- [Turks and Caicos Real Estate]
| Countries in the Caribbean |
|---|
| Independent nations: Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Dependencies: -British: Anguilla | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Montserrat | Turks and Caicos Islands | -Dutch: Aruba & Netherlands Antilles | -French: Guadeloupe & Martinique | -U.S.: Navassa Island | Puerto Rico | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| |
|
|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas¹ | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti¹ | Jamaica | Montserrat² | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Associate members: Anguilla | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands | |
| Observer status: Aruba | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela | |
| ¹ member of the community but not the CARICOM (Caribbean) Single Market and Economy. ² territory of the United Kingdom just awaiting British instruments of entrustment to join the (CSME) | |
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