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The
Turks and Caicos Islands lie 575 miles southeast of
Miami, Florida, directly east of Inagua at the south tip
of the Bahamas and north of Hispaniola. They comprise
about 40 low-lying islands and cays covering 193 square
miles, surrounded by one of the longest coral reefs in the
world. The Turks and the Caicos groups are separated by
the Columbus Passage, a 22 mile channel over 7,000 feet
deep which connects the Atlantic and the Caribbean,
contributing to the area’s profusion of marine life.
Generally, the windward sides of the islands are made up
of limestone cliffs and sand dunes, while the leeward
sides have more lush vegetation. The south islands of
Grand Turk, Salt Cay and South Caicos are very dry, having
had their trees felled by salt rakers long ago to
discourage rain. The other islands have slightly more rain
but very little soil and most of the vegetation is scrub
and cactus.
Only
eight islands are inhabited. The main islands of the Turks
group, Grand Turk and Salt Cay, shelter 20 percent of the
colony’s 7,901 ‘belongers’, as the islanders call
themselves, but only 15 percent of the total resident
population of 19,000, which includes many Haitians,
Dominicans and ex-pat North Americans. The rest of the
population is scattered among the larger Caicos group to
the west: South Caicos, Middle (or Grand) Caicos, North
Caicos, and Providenciales, the most populous, known
locally as ‘Provo’; Pine Cay and Parrot Cay are
privately owned resort islands; East and West Caicos,
inhabited from 1797 to the mid-19th century, are now the
private domain of wild animals. East Caicos is home to
swarms of mosquitoes and wild cattle, while West Caicos
harbors land crabs, nesting pairs of ospreys and
flamingos. Most of the smaller cays are uninhabited. The
people of the Turks and Caicos are welcoming and friendly.
The development of tourism on Provo has changed attitudes
there, however, and friendliness is not universal |
