Island Facts

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 and public registries 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 main inhabited islands in the Caicos group are North Caicos, Middle Caicos and South Caicos, West Caicos is being developed into an upscale resort managed by Ritz-Carlton, while East Caicos remains 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. Ambergris Cay, near South Caicos, has also been developed as a private residential community and has its own airstrip.