According to abbreviationfinder, Turks and Caicos Islands are an overseas archipelago dependent on the United Kingdom located north of the island of Hispaniola, in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Antilles. They have the island of Hispaniola to the south, and the Bahamas to the northwest, from which only the Caicos Channel separates them. Its surface area is 430 km², and its coasts measure 389 km.
Geography
The two groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Bahamas, north of Española Island, and about 1,000 kilometers from Miami in the United States, at coordinates 21 ° 45′N 71 ° 35′W / 21.75, -71.583. The territory is geographically contiguous to the Bahamas, which comprises both the Lucayan Archipelago, but is politically a separate entity. The Caicos Islands are separated by the closest Caicos Islands Pass to the Bahamas, Mayaguana, and Great Inagua. See Turks and Caicos Islands facts.
The eight main islands and more than 20 smaller islands have a total area of 616.3 square kilometers, mainly low, flat limestone with extensive swamps and mangroves and 332 square kilometers of beachfront.
About 25 kilometers from the Turks is the Mouchoir Bank, a reef that has an average depth of less than two meters. It is a flat territory of coral origin that is built on a submerged volcano. They are found on the edge of the Caribbean and North American plates. The highest point is Blue Hills (49 m).
Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands consist of eight main islands and more than 30 small islands, islets, and cays. They are divided into two groups Caicos and the Turks Islands which are separated by the Turks Channel.
Caicos
The main islands of Caicos are:
- West Caicos (West Caicos).
- North Caicos (North Caicos).
- Middle Caicos.
- East Caicos (East Caicos).
- South Caicos (South Caicos).
- Ambergris Cays.
Caicos accounts for most of the territory. To them we must join two islands that are two important tourist centers:
- Pine Cay.
- Parrot Cay.
Turks
The main islands of the Turks Islands are:
- Great Turk.
- Cayo Sal.
Climate
The climate of the islands is tropical, usually dry and sunny. It is about the monsoon climate and the trade winds on the coast, which in this case, and thanks to its low altitude, the monsoon effect is hardly noticeable, so the rainfall is much lower than average, to the point of that they are forced to collect rainwater in cisterns. They are frequently affected by hurricanes that are generated in the Atlantic.
Flora and fauna
The flora and fauna are those of the biogeographic empire and the neotropical ecozone, with some endemisms, typical of the islands. Mangroves are the dominant vegetation.
Economy
The Turks and Caicos Islands are relatively developed, with a per capita income of about US $ 11,500. The main sectors of its economy are tourism and finance. Far away are other sectors that, until not long ago, were the basis of its economy, such as shellfish, fishing and the production of salt that is sold to the United States. On the contrary, they must import all consumer products, including a good part of the food, but the balance of payments is balanced thanks to income from tourism and finance.
Currency
The currency is, despite its status as British territory, the US dollar
Idiom
The official language is English.
Social development
Demography
The Turks and Caicos Islands have a population of about 30,600 residents, which gives a population density of about 45 residents / km². 90% of the population are of African descent, with minorities of other races. The age structure is very young. More than 31% of the population is under 15 years old, 65% between 15 and 65 and only 4% are over 65 years old. The population growth is very high, almost 3% per year. The birth rate is around 21 ‰, which gives a fertility rate of more than 3 children per woman. The mortality rate is very low, about 4 ‰, but infant mortality shoots up to 15 ‰. To this must be added a positive migratory balance of 10 ‰, which explains the very high growth rate. Life expectancy at birth is around 75 years The main populations of the Turks and Caicos Islands are:
- Five Cays, 3,707 p.m., Providenciales and West Caicos
- Honda Road, 3,324 h, Providenciales and West Caicos
- The Bight, 3,203 p.m., Providenciales and West Caicos District.
- Wheeland, 2,468 hrs, Providenciales and West Caicos
- Discovery Bay, 1966 h, Providenciales and West Caicos
- Kew Town, 1934 h, Providenciales and West Caicos District.
- Back Salina, 1,716 a.m., Grand Turk
- Blue Hills, 1,692 h, Providenciales and West Caicos District.
- Leeward, 1,658 p.m., Providenciales and West Caicos District.
Transport
Providenciales International Airport is the main gateway to the Turks and Caicos Islands. In addition, there are seven more airports, located on each of the other islands. For them, they have five asphalt tracks (three of which are approximately 2,000 meters long and one of them approximately 1,000 meters), although there are two more that are unpaved (one of which is approximately 1,000 meters long and the another is significantly shorter). The main ports and piers in the country are in Grand Turk and Providenciales.
