Location
Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti
National currency
US dollar
Conditional reduction of currency
USD
Climate, average max and min t°
Tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry; avg. maximum temperature (August) +35°; avg. minimum temperature (January) +25°
Time difference from Moscow
- 7 hours
Ethnic groups
Black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10%
History
The first documented European to sight the islands was Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León, who did so in 1512. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the islands passed from Spanish, to French, to British control, but none of the three powers ever established any settlements. Bermudian salt collectors settled the Turks Islands around 1680. For several decades around the turn of the 18th century, the islands became popular pirate hideouts. In 1765–1783 the islands were under French occupation, and again after the French captured the archipelago in 1783. In 1799, both the Turks and the Caicos island groups were annexed by Britain as part of the Bahamas. In 1873 the islands were made part of Jamaica colony. When Jamaica was granted independence from Britain in August 1962, the Turks & Caicos Islands became a Crown colony. From 1965, the governor of the Bahamas also was governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands and oversaw affairs for the islands. When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the Turks and Caicos received their own governor. At present, the islands enjoy the status of a British overseas territory.
Government type
British overseas territory
Executive branch
Executive Council headed by the Governor
Legislative branch
Assembly (21 seats)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, the United Kingdom's Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, Court of Appeal and Magistrates' Courts
GDP per capita rank
78 (2023, World Bank)
Corruption perceptions index rank
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