Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI;[7] /ˈtɜːrks/ and /ˈkeɪkəs, -koʊs, -kɒs/) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies.[8] They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident population in 2023 was estimated by The World Factbook at 59,367, making it the third-largest of the British overseas territories by population.[7] However, according to a Department of Statistics estimate in 2022, the population was 47,720.[9]
"Caicos" and "Turks & Caicos" redirect here. For the ship, see HMS Caicos (K505). For the film, see Turks & Caicos (film). For the song, see "Turks & Caicos" (song).
Turks and Caicos Islands
3 September 1783
3 January 1958
31 May 1962
88% Afro-Caribbean
8% Euro-Caribbean
4% Mixed or Indo-Caribbeans
Turks and Caicos Islander, Turks Islander, Caicos Islander
948 km2 (366 sq mi)
negligible
48 m (157 ft)
31,458[4]
121.7[5]/sq mi (47.0/km2)
2020 estimate
US$924,583,000[6]
United States dollar (US$) (USD)
dd/mm/yyyy
left
The islands are southeast of Mayaguana in the Bahamas island chain and north of the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Grand Turk (Cockburn Town), the capital since 1766, is situated on Grand Turk[2] about 1,042 kilometres (647 mi) east-southeast of Miami. They have a total land area of 430 square kilometres (170 sq mi).[a]
The islands were inhabited for centuries by Taíno people. The first recorded European sighting of them was in 1512.[12] In subsequent centuries, they were claimed by several European powers, with the British Empire eventually gaining control. For many years they were governed indirectly through Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the islands received their own governor, and have remained an autonomous territory since.[7]
Etymology[edit]
The name Caico[s] is from the Lucayan caya hico, meaning 'string of islands'.[13][7] The Turks Islands are named after the Turk's cap cactus, Melocactus intortus, whose red cephalium resembles the fez hat worn by Turks in the late Ottoman Empire.[13][7]
The Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services oversees education in Turks and Caicos. Public education is supported by taxation and is mandatory for children aged five to sixteen. Primary education lasts for six years and secondary education lasts for five years. In the 1990s the Primary In-Service Teacher Education Project (PINSTEP) was launched in an effort to increase the skills of its primary school teachers, nearly one-quarter of whom were unqualified. Turks and Caicos also worked to refurbish its primary schools, reduce textbook costs, and increase equipment and supplies given to schools. For example, in September 1993, each primary school was given enough books to allow teachers to establish in-class libraries. In 2001, the student-teacher ratio at the primary level was roughly 15:1.
Public secondary schools include:[64]
International School of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a private school which serves preschool through grade six, is in Leeward, Providenciales. In 2014 it had 106 students. It was known as The Ashcroft School until 2014.[65]
The Turks and Caicos Islands Community College offers free higher education to students who have successfully completed their secondary education. The community college also oversees an adult literacy program. Once a student completes their education at Turks and Caicos Islands Community College, they are allowed to further their education at a university in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom for free. They have to commit to working in the Turks and Caicos Islands for four years to receive this additional education.
Charisma University is a non-profit private university recognised by the Turks and Caicos Islands Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services[66][67] that offers accredited undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degree programmes, along with certificate programs in various disciplines taught by over a 100 faculty members.
The public University of the West Indies Open Campus has one site in the territory.[68]
Healthcare[edit]
The Turks and Caicos established a National Health Insurance Plan in 2010.[69]: 231 Residents contribute to a National Health Insurance Plan through salary deduction and nominal user fees. The majority of care is provided by private-public-partnership hospitals managed by Interhealth Canada, one hospital in Providenciales and one hospital on Grand Turk. In addition, there are a number of government clinics and private clinics. The hospitals opened in 2010 and have been accredited by Accreditation Canada since 2012.[70]
Postal system[edit]
There is no postal delivery in the Turks and Caicos; mail is picked up at one of four post offices on each of the major islands.[95] Mail is transported three or seven times a week, depending on the destination.[96] The Post Office is part of the territory's government and reports to the Minister of Government British support services[97]
Media[edit]
Mobile phone service is provided by Cable & Wireless Communications, through its Flow brand, using GSM 850 and TDMA, and Digicel, using GSM 900 and 1900 and Islandcom Wireless, using 3G 850. Cable & Wireless provides CDMA mobile phone service in Providenciales and Grand Turk. 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. The most popular station is Power 92.5 FM which plays Top 100 hits. Over 8000 radio receivers are owned across the territory.
West Indies Video (WIV) has been the sole cable television provider for the Turks and Caicos Islands for over two decades and WIV4 (a subsidiary of WIV) has been the only broadcast station in the islands for over 15 years; broadcasts from the Bahamas can also be received. The territory has two internet service providers and its country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is ".tc". Amateur radio callsigns begin with "VP5" and visiting operators frequently work from the islands.
Turks and Caicos is served by the ARCOS-1[98] submarine cable, connecting the territory to the Dominican Republic to the south, to the Bahamas to the north and onto the USA and countries in Central America.
WIV introduced Channel 4 News in 2002 broadcasting local news and infotainment programs across the country. Channel 4 was re-launched as WIV4 in November 2007.
In 2013 4NEWS became the islands' first high-definition cable news service with television studios in Grace Bay, Providenciales. DigicelPlay is the local cable provider.
Turks and Caicos's newspapers include the Turks and Caicos Weekly News, the Turks and Caicos Sun[99] and the Turks and Caicos Free Press.[100] All three publications are weekly. The Weekly News and the Sun both have supplement magazines. Other local magazines Times of the Islands,[101] s3 Magazine,[102] Real Life Magazine, Baller Magazine, and Unleashed Magazine.
Sports[edit]
Cricket is the islands' national sport.[103] The national team takes part in regional tournaments in the ICC Americas Championship,[104] as well as having played one Twenty20 match as part of the 2008 Standford 20/20.[105] Two domestic leagues exist, one on Grand Turk with three teams and another on Providenciales.[103]
As of December 2020, the Turks and Caicos Islands' football team is ranked 203rd out of 210 teams in the FIFA World Rankings. Its highest ever ranking was 158th, achieved in 2008.[106]
Because the territory is not recognised by the International Olympic Committee, Turks and Caicos Islanders compete for Great Britain at the Olympic Games.[107]