:Turks and Caicos Islands Geography

Total area:
    430 km2
Land area:
    430 km2
Comparative area:
    slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
    none
Coastline:
    389 km
Maritime claims:
  Exclusive fishing zone:
    200 nm
  Territorial sea:
    12 nm
Disputes:
    none
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
Land use:
    arable land 2%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures; 0%; forest and
    woodland 0%; other 98%
Environment:
    30 islands (eight inhabited); subject to frequent hurricanes
Note:
    located 190 km north of the Dominican Republic in the North Atlantic Ocean

:Turks and Caicos Islands People

Population:
    12,697 (July 1992), growth rate 3.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
    16 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
    5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
    22 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
    13 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
    73 years male, 77 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
    2.3 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
    no noun or adjectival forms
Ethnic divisions:
    majority of African descent
Religions:
    Baptist 41.2%, Methodist 18.9%, Anglican 18.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.7%,
    other 19.9% (1980)
Languages:
    English (official)
Literacy:
    98% (male 99%, female 98%) age 15 and over having ever attended school
    (1970)
Labor force:
    NA; majority engaged in fishing and tourist industries; some subsistence
    agriculture
Organized labor:
    Saint George's Industrial Trade Union

:Turks and Caicos Islands Government

Long-form name:
    none
Type:
    dependent territory of the UK
Capital:
    Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
Administrative divisions:
    none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence:
    none (dependent territory of the UK)
Constitution:
    introduced 30 August 1976, suspended in 1986, and a Constitutional
    Commission is currently reviewing its contents
Legal system:
    based on laws of England and Wales with a small number adopted from Jamaica
    and The Bahamas
National holiday:
    Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
Executive branch:
    British monarch, governor, Executive Council, chief minister
Legislative branch:
    unicameral Legislative Council
Judicial branch:
    Supreme Court
Leaders:
  Chief of State:
    Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Michael
    J. BRADLEY (since 1987)
  Head of Government:
    Chief Minister Washington MISSIC (since NA 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
    People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Oswald SKIPPINGS; Progressive National
    Party (PNP), Washington MISSIC; National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Ariel
    MISSICK
Suffrage:
    universal at age 18
Elections:
  Legislative Council:
    last held on 3 April 1991 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by
    party NA; seats - (20 total, 13 elected) PNP 8, PDM 5
Member of:
    CDB
Diplomatic representation:
    as a dependent territory of the UK, the interests of the Turks and Caicos
    Islands are represented in the US by the UK
  US:
    none
Flag:
    blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the
    colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow
    and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus

:Turks and Caicos Islands Economy

Overview:
    The economy is based on fishing, tourism, and offshore banking. Only
    subsistence farming - corn and beans - exists on the Caicos Islands, so that
    most foods, as well as nonfood products, must be imported.
GDP:
    purchasing power equivalent - $44.9 million, per capita $5,000; real growth
    rate NA% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
    NA%
Unemployment rate:
    12% (1989)
Budget:
    revenues $12.4 million; expenditures $15.8 million, including capital
    expenditures of $2.6 million (FY87)
Exports:
    $2.9 million (f.o.b., FY84)
  commodities:
    lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
  partners:
    US, UK
Imports:
    $26.3 million (c.i.f., FY84)
  commodities:
    foodstuffs, drink, tobacco, clothing
  partners:
    US, UK
External debt:
    $NA
Industrial production:
    growth rate NA%
Electricity:
    9,050 kW capacity; 11.1 million kWh produced, 1,140 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
    fishing, tourism, offshore financial services
Agriculture:
    subsistence farming prevails, based on corn and beans; fishing more
    important than farming; not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
    Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
    $110 million
Currency:
    US currency is used
Exchange rates:
    US currency is used
Fiscal year:
    calendar year

:Turks and Caicos Islands Communications

Highways:
    121 km, including 24 km tarmac
Ports:
    Grand Turk, Salt Cay, Providenciales, Cockburn Harbour
Civil air:
    Air Turks and Caicos (passenger service) and Turks Air Ltd. (cargo service)
Airports:
    7 total, 7 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over
    2,439 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
    fair cable and radio services; 1,446 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 AM,
    no FM, several TV; 2 submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
    station

:Turks and Caicos Islands Defense Forces

Note:
    defense is the responsibility of the UK