Geography. A British
Overseas Territory, the Turks and Caicos Islands ("TCI") comprise an archipelago
of eight main islands in two groups, the Turks to the east and the Caicos to the west, and
a number of smaller cays (pronounced "keys"). Physically forming the south end
of the Bahamas chain, they are located between latitudes 21° and 22° north and
longitudes 71° and 72° west, just
under 600 miles south-east of Miami, Florida, and about 100 miles north of the Dominican
Republic and Haiti.
The total land area is approximately 166 square
miles. TCI's main natural assets are its 230 miles of white sand beaches, and its
coral reefs and ocean walls which are often hailed as offering some of the best diving in
the world.
The capital is Cockburn Town in Grand Turk, and it is here
among the main Government offices that the Companies Registry and the Financial Services
Commission are based. Grand Turk and Salt Cay are the two inhabited islands of the
Turks group.
One of the larger and the most thriving of the
islands is Providenciales in the Caicos group, where steady development is taking place in
the form of hotels, condominiums and other tourist-related projects as well as office and
commercial complexes. The other inhabited islands in the Caicos group are North
Caicos, Middle Caicos and South Caicos, whilst East Caicos and West Caicos remain
uninhabited. In addition there is a chain of cays running between Providenciales and
North Caicos, some of which are privately owned. These include Pine Cay, which has
an exclusive hotel, airstrip and a number of large holiday homes, and Parrot Cay, where a
first class hotel and resort has recently opened.
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Climate.TCI
enjoys year-round sunshine as well as a prevailing easterly breeze provided by the
Atlantic tradewinds which keeps temperatures from becoming excessively hot. The most
popular time to visit TCI is over the winter months when the sun continues to shine but
the nights are cooler. Temperatures in summer (April to September) average 87°F (31°C) and in winter (October to March) 77° F (25°C). Rainfall averages 26 inches per annum in the Turks
and 40 inches in the Caicos Islands. The average humidity is a low 60%.
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History. There is strong evidence that Grand Turk was the place of Christopher
Columbus's first landfall after crossing the
Atlantic in search of the New World. This honour has been traditionally bestowed on
Watling's Island in the Bahamas, now San Salvador, the name given by Columbus to the
island where he landed and called Guanahani by its indian inhabitants. Study of
Columbus's journals and various other sources show that his descriptions of Guanahani much
more closely fit Grand Turk than they do San Salvador.
It is known that the Spanish explorer Ponce de León came to the Islands in 1512, when they
were inhabited by Arawak indians. The Spanish took away the Arawaks to use for slave
labour and left the islands uninhabited. Bermudians came to the islands in the 17th
century and established what was to become TCI's principal industry for the next 300 years
- the production of salt from brine. The islands came under British rule in 1766.
The salt industry was based in Grand Turk, Salt Cay and
South Caicos, where large inland ponds, called salinas, were converted into a system of
salt pans where salt water was evaporated and the remaining crystals raked up. Now
defunct, TCI's salt industry once supplied much of the demand of the western world.
A legacy of the Bermudian settlement is the architecture of the old buildings still
remaining in the "salt islands", the Front Street of Grand Turk being
particularly attractive.
Large tracts of land in the lower Bahamas and the Caicos
Islands were granted by Britain to American Loyalists after the War of Independence by way
of recognition of their services to the Crown. These tracts were farmed as cotton
and sisal plantations, but after emancipation many of the planters left the land to their
erstwhile African slaves. Thus today the prominent families of the islands are those
who through the generations have inherited large parcels of land from their predecessors.
The origin of the name "Turks" has two possible
explanations. Usually the name is said to come from the Turk's Head Cactus which
grows in the island group, a squat cactus with a red fez-shaped flower-head. Another
theory is that the name originates from the French and Spanish use of the word to describe
the buccaneers who in the 16th and 17th centuries used the islands to hide out. The
word "Caicos" comes from the French "caiques" perhaps influenced by
the Spanish "cayos"; both mean "cays", and both appear on various
ancient charts. On a 1794 English chart, the names "The Corcos" and
"Les Caquis" are given
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Population. The total population
of TCI is approximately 25,000, of which Grand Turk has about 6,000
and Providenciales 15,000. The indigenous population is of African
origin. The expatriate population consists mainly of British, Irish
and Commonwealth nationals, North Americans, French, Swiss, Dominicans
and Haitians. The official language is English
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Time zone. TCI are
five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time, and exactly follow the United States in both
Eastern Standard Time and Eastern Daylight-Saving Time.
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Currency. The unit of
currency is the United States dollar (US$). TCI currency is also minted, the
quarter-crown (= US25¢) and to a
much lesser extent the crown (= US$1) being used in addition to United States
currency. Other coins are minted for commemorative and numismatic purposes.
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Economy.
The mainstays of TCI's economy are tourism, the offshore industry
and the fishing industry. There is no form of income taxation in
TCI, and the chief sources of Government revenue are customs duty
and stamp duty, the bulk of the latter coming from real estate transactions.
Virtually everything is imported and on most items import duty is
collected at 33% ad valorem. Stamp duty on land purchases is at
the rate of 6.25% on transactions up to US$75,000 and 7% on transactions
over US$75,000. Revenues also derive from other indirect taxes such
as accommodation tax payable on hotel rooms, work permit fees, and
of course the fees generated by the offshore industry.
A National
Insurance Scheme is in place, which involves contributions from
employers and employees of 4.6% and 3.4% respectively (calculated
on a maximum of US$2,600 per month).
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Political environment.
TCI enjoys a stable political environment and has the one of the lowest crime rates in the
Caribbean. Whilst the British Government is represented through a Governor, Chief
Secretary, Attorney-General and a number of other expatriate officers, TCI is to a large
degree self-governing through a form of ministerial government elected at general
elections held every four years. The two main political parties are the ruling Progressive National Party
(PNP)
and the opposition People's Democratic Movement (PDM). The legislature of TCI consists of Her Majesty the Queen and a Legislative
Council comprising thirteen elected members, three members appointed by the Governor, and
the Chief Secretary and the Attorney-General. A Chief Minister and five other
Ministers are appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Council. The
executive arm of Government is Executive Council, which has nine members, being the
Governor, the six Ministers, and the two ex officio members (the Chief Secretary
and the Attorney-General).
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Legal system. The
TCI legal system is based on the English model, but unlike England has a written
Constitution which includes provisions for the protection of fundamental rights and
freedoms. Most of the law derives from Ordinances passed in Legislative Council and to a
much lesser extent from legislation specially extended to TCI by Britain. To the
extent statutory law does not apply or requires interpretation, the common law of England
applies.
The Torrens system of land registration developed in
Australia and New Zealand has been in place since 1971. The system provides for an
efficient method of ascertaining both title and boundaries, and any person incurring
damage as the result of an error in the register is indemnified by Government.
The court system comprises the Magistrate's Court, Supreme
Court, Court of Appeal (all of which sit in TCI), and the Privy Council in England as the
final appellate body. The Supreme Court is vested with the same jurisdiction and
powers as the High Court of England.
The legal profession is
represented by a statutorily constituted Bar Association.
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Communications and
broadcasting. Telecommunications are provided under a franchise agreement
by the UK-based Cable & Wireless group. All modern telecommunications services
are provided on the fully digital national network, including telefax and modem lines,
dedicated lines, state-of-the-art telephone systems, worldwide direct-dialing, call
recording, call waiting, and call forwarding. Television is provided via a satellite
and cable system offering 30 channels from the USA, including all of the networks, the
four main movie channels, two sports channels, a music channel and a comedy channel. There are six channels of FM radio, including two local stations and three re-broadcast
via satellite from the USA.
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Weights and measures. TCI uses the same measures as in the USA: avoirdupois weights, feet and inches, US
gallons.
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Electrical system. TCI uses the same electrical system as the USA: 110 volts, 60 cycles. Sockets and plugs
are as in the USA.
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Water. Most
residences use rainwater catchment as their source of water, although mains supply (at 5¢ per gallon) of desalinated water is available along the main
routes. Desalinated water can also be purchased at a cost of approximately US$145
per load of 2,000 US gallons.
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Driving. The traffic system is as in the UK, with driving on the left side of the
road. However virtually all vehicles are imported from the USA, and therefore have
the steering wheel on the left side. There are no traffic lights. The top
allowable speed is 40 m.p.h. Foreign driving licences are legitimate for a period of
30 days, and are accepted as the basis of issue of a TCI licence.
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Transport.
Public transport is provided by a number of taxis and small buses. Cars are usually
imported from Miami or purchased locally. For a car in good condition 5 to 6 years
old, the cost in TCI is approximately US$5,000.
Customs duty on cars varies according to engine capacity:
25% up to 2,000 c.c., 35% up to 4,000 c.c., and 45% over 4,000 c.c. On motorcycles,
duty is charged at 25 % up to 100 c.c., 35% up to 250 c.c., and 45% over 250
c.c. Duty is levied on the assessed value of the vehicle and the shipping
cost. Road surfaces are variable, and the use of motorcycles is generally not
recommended.
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Cost
of living. Because of the necessity to import practically all
goods, the cost of living in TCI is comparatively high. A single
person might expect to pay approximately US$100 per week for groceries
and other supplies. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment starts at about
$550 and for a self-contained house at about $1,300. Most landlords
require the equivalent of three months' rent in advance, though
this can sometimes be negotiated to two. Gasoline is approximately
$2.80 per US gallon. Electricity is charged at 28¢ per kilowatt-hour
(approximately $75 per month for a single person), with an initial
connection charge of US$350. For telecommunications, the rates to
the USA are $1.32 per minute, $1.10 off-peak, and 83¢ at weekends;
to the UK, $1.65, $1.38 and 99¢; and to New Zealand, $2.20, $1.93
and $1.09. The cost of connection to the television system is US$45
per month.
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Banking. Retail banking services are provided by Barclays
Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Private banking and asset management services are provided by several investment banks and
trust companies.
The opening of a new account at one of the retail banks requires evidence of the
identity of each signatory, which will usually be in the form of a copy of the relevant
pages of his or her passport, as well as a suitable reference from another bank.
There is no restriction on the movement of funds into or
out of TCI, and the fact that TCI's currency is the US dollar further facilitates money
transfers. Foreign cheques and bank drafts may be deposited at banks in TCI,
although clearance takes from three to six weeks.
As a matter of policy instituted in 1979 and aimed at
minimising the risk of money laundering, the major banks will not accept large cash
deposits and will not pay cash on large withdrawals.
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Recreation. All
forms of water-sports are available (but note that spearguns and Hawaiian slings are
prohibited). There are several tennis courts and an 18-hole championship golf course
on Providenciales. Membership of the Provo Golf Club costs US$1,500 per annum, plus
cart fees of US$15 per round. Soccer, touch rugby, softball and cricket are
played. There are several restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
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Travel. Travel to
and from TCI is principally by air. There are three international airports (Grand
Turk, Providenciales and South Caicos) and domestic airports on each of the inhabited
islands. The principal gateway to TCI is Miami, with regular 90-minute jet service
to Providenciales. (American Airlines flies to Providenciales twice daily, at 1:15
pm and 5:15 pm, and TWA weekly from New York.) In addition, charter flights
from New York and Canada cater to the Club Mediterranée and other hotels on Providenciales. A national airline
offers scheduled services to the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico.
Several air charter companies also provide both international and domestic services. Regular air and sea freight services operate out of south Florida.
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Nationality
and immigration. Nationality derives from the UK British Nationality
Act, and passports are issued under that Act in TCI. Broadly speaking,
persons who are not subject to immigration control in TCI may apply
for a passport as a British Dependent Territories Citizen. Immigration
is governed by the Immigration Ordinance, amended in 1993, which
recognises "Belonger" status and "Permanent Resident"
status, both of which involve freedom from restriction on period
of residence and the requirement for a work permit. Persons having
"belonger" status include those who are born in TCI having
a parent who is a belonger, or born outside TCI having a parent
and a grandparent who are belongers, and those who receive such
status by grant from the Governor or through marriage to a belonger.
The status of Permanent Resident may be granted to persons of substance
who have lived in TCI for several years or who make a significant
investment in a project approved by Government as being of benefit
to the islands.
All other persons wishing to reside in TCI must
hold some form of work permit or residence permit. Upon entering
TCI, visitors receive a 30-day permit, which can be extended for
up to 60 days. Application for a work or residence permit is made
to an Immigration Board. Work permits may be issued for any period
up to five years. A work permit will not be granted if it is considered
that a belonger is available to do the work. Residence permits for
up to five years, not carrying the right to work, may be obtained.
As a matter of general policy, a person who has worked under a work
permit for one employer will not be permitted to work for a different
employer. This means that when his employment ends, the employee
must to be ready to leave TCI within a week or so.
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Customs duty
exemption. Persons first entering TCI for the purpose of taking up
residence are entitled to an exemption from duty on their unaccompanied goods (except
vehicles and boats) provided they have been owned for at least twelve months. Accompanied goods (baggage brought on the same flight as the passenger) are exempted from
the requirement for previous ownership. It is therefore advisable that
persons moving to TCI purchase items of value (particularly electrical appliances) in
Miami and bring them as accompanied baggage (paying excess if necessary). Residents
are entitled to a $400 exemption.
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