Turks and Caicos Islands

Overview

The Turks and Caicos archipelago includes eight inhabited islands and a number of uninhabited ones and cays. Curious names such as Salt Cay, Parrot Cay and Pine Cay are not designed to fool the visitor. The range of possibilities is as varied as these descriptors. Salt Cay's former salt industry means the area has been designated a UNESCO World heritage Site. In addition, the Turks and Caicos National Museum on Grand Turk and the loyalist ruins and Lucayan artefacts from vegitigous North Caicos demonstrate this to some extent.

However, this is a set of islands. The reader may be worried lest they have nowhere to relax. They should fear not. White beaches abound as do paradigm like clear blue waters. All that has to be decided is how large a resort should be stayed in, whether it is the impressive structures on Providenciales or the smaller, fishing capital of South Caicos. Along with the diverse landscapes above ground, the sub-marine offers extensive vistas of its own. The 1000 square mile reef that surrounds the archipelago, the coral walls and wildlife such as stingray, turtles and whales are all in additions to the surface iguanas, pelicans and frigate birds. Water sports and offshore banking are also major features of these frequently idyllic islands.

History

The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory.