2015 Edition

Background

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.

Area

land

948 sq km

total

948 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry

Coastline

389 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Flamingo Hill 48 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

limited natural freshwater resources, private cisterns collect rainwater

Geographic coordinates

21 45 N, 71 35 W

Geography - note

about 40 islands (eight inhabited)

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land 1.1%; permanent crops 0%; permanent pasture 0%

agricultural land

1.1%

forest

36.2%

other

62.7% (2011 est.)

Location

two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

frequent hurricanes

Natural resources

spiny lobster, conch

Terrain

low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps

Age structure

0-14 years

22.01% (male 5,637/female 5,429)

15-24 years

14.64% (male 3,614/female 3,748)

25-54 years

53.37% (male 13,598/female 13,238)

55-64 years

5.7% (male 1,558/female 1,309)

65 years and over

4.27% (male 958/female 1,191) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

16.13 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Death rate

3.1 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 87% of population

rural: 87% of population

total: 87.1% of population

urban: 13% of population

rural: 13% of population

total: 12.9% of population (2007 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

Ethnic groups

black 87.6%, white 7.9%, mixed 2.5%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.7% (2006)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

7.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

13.29 deaths/1,000 live births

total

10.65 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official)

Life expectancy at birth

female

82.57 years (2015 est.)

male

76.94 years

total population

79.69 years

Major urban areas - population

GRAND TURK (capital) 5,000 (2014)

Median age

female

32 years (2015 est.)

male

32.7 years

total

32.4 years

Nationality

adjective

none

noun

none

Net migration rate

9.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

People - note

destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and the US

Population

50,280 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

2.3% (2015 est.)

Religions

Protestant 72.8% (Baptist 35.8%, Church of God 11.7%, Anglican 10%, Methodist 9.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.8%, other 14%

Sanitation facility access

urban: 81.4% of population

rural: 81.4% of population

total: 81.4% of population

urban: 18.6% of population

rural: 18.6% of population

total: 18.6% of population (2007 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years

0.96 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1.03 male(s)/female

55-64 years

1.19 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.8 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.02 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.7 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.48% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

92.2% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

geographic coordinates

21 28 N, 71 08 W

name

Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)

time difference

UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see United Kingdom

Constitution

several previous; latest signed 7 August 2012, effective 15 October 2012 (Turks and Caicos Constitution Order 2011) (2015)

Country name

abbreviation

TCI

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Turks and Caicos Islands

Dependency status

overseas territory of the UK

Diplomatic representation from the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the governor from among members of the House of Assembly

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Peter BECKINGHAM (since 9 October 2013)

elections/appointments

the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor

head of government

Premier Rufus EWING (since 13 November 2012)

Flag description

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and displays a conch shell, a spiny lobster, and Turks Head cactus - three common elements of the islands' biota

Government type

NA

Independence

none (overseas territory of the UK)

International organization participation

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU

Judicial branch

highest resident court(s)

Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and such number of other judges as determined by the governor); Court of Appeal (consists of the court president and 2 justices); note - appeals beyond the Supreme Court are heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court and Appeals Court judges appointed by the governor in accordance with the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body of high level judicial officials; Supreme Court judges appointed until mandatory retirement at age 65, but can be extended to age 70; Appeals Court judge tenure determined by individual terms of appointment

subordinate courts

magistrates' courts

Legal system

mixed legal system of English common law and civil law

Legislative branch

description

unicameral House of Assembly (19 seats; 15 members in multi-seat constituencies and a single all-islands constituency directly elected by simple majority vote and 4 appointed by the governor on the advice of the premier and opposition party; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote - NA; seats by party - PNP 8, PDM 7

elections

last held on 9 November 2012 (next to be held in 2016)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Conrad HOWELL

name

"This Land of Ours"

note

serves as a local anthem; as a territory of the United Kingdom, "God Save the Queen" is the official anthem (see United Kingdom)

National holiday

Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)

National symbol(s)

conch shell, Turks Head cactus

Political parties and leaders

People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Oswald SKIPPINGS]

People's Progressive Party

Progressive National Party or PNP [Rufus EWING]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

corn, beans, cassava (manioc, tapioca), citrus fruits; fish

Budget

expenditures

$181.5 million (2014 est.)

revenues

$212.2 million

Debt - external

$NA

Economy - overview

The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, offshore financial services, and fishing. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than three-quarters of the more than 1 million visitors that arrived in 2013. Three-quarters of the visitors came by ship. Major sources of government revenue also include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts.

Exchange rates

the US dollar is used

Exports

$24.77 million (2008 est.)

Exports - commodities

lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

78%

government consumption

19.9%

household consumption

23.4%

imports of goods and services

-83.9%

investment in fixed capital

63.1%

investment in inventories

0%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

0.5%

industry

10.1%

services

89.4% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$29,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

11.2% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$NA

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$632 million (2007 est.)

$568.3 million (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$591.3 million (2008 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate

3% (2014 est.)

Industries

tourism, offshore financial services

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3% (2014 est.)

3% (2013 est.)

Labor force

4,848 (1990 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

note

about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

10% (1997 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

159,400 Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.)

Electricity - consumption

167.4 million kWh (2012 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

48,000 kW (2012 est.)

Electricity - production

180 million kWh (2012 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

1,300 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

1,261 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)

Broadcast media

no local terrestrial TV stations, broadcasts from the Bahamas can be received and multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; government-run radio network operates alongside private broadcasters with a total of about 15 stations (2007)

Internet country code

.tc

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)

Telephone system

domestic

full range of services available; GSM wireless service available

general assessment

fully digital system with international direct dialing

international

country code - 1-649; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic telecommunications submarine cable provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

Television broadcast stations

0 (broadcasts received from The Bahamas; 2 cable television networks) (2003)

Airports

8 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

3

2,438 to 3,047 m

1

914 to 1,523 m

1

total

6

under 914 m

1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

2 (2013)

total

2

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Cockburn Harbour, Grand Turk, Providenciales

Roadways

paved

24 km

total

121 km

unpaved

97 km (2003)

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

11,755 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

11,842

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

342 (2010 est.)

male

338

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Disputes - international

have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe