t Caribbean flamingos flying over the North Caicos Islands
t Caribbean flamingos flying over the North Caicos Islands
Experience Turks and Caicos
The 40 low-lying islands and cays that make up the Turks and Caicos are part of the Bahama Archipelago and lie in the Atlantic Ocean, not the Caribbean Sea. Only eight islands are inhabited. The capital and center of government is Cockburn Town on Grand Turk, the easternmost isle, though the most populated and developed island is the westernmost, Providenciales. “Provo” is also the most visited, in no small part due to the allure of Grace Bay, often rated as one of the world’s best beaches. Flat as pancakes, the islands sit atop an underwater plateau with walls that plunge to the bottom of deep ocean trenches.
The islands’ history is closely associated with salt, the “white gold” extracted from salinas – natural saltwater ponds and lagoons. Commercial salt raking was begun by visiting Bermudans in the late 1600s and continued for nearly 300 years. It was big business on Salt Cay and Grand Turk, where salinas and canals can still be seen. Most of today’s “Belonger” population are descended from Africans brought to work at the salt pans, and later on the cotton plantations set up by defeated Loyalists after the American War of Independence. Nowadays, traditional livelihoods continue such as boatbuilding and fishing for conch – an integral element in local cuisine and culture. However, the islands are dependent for their prosperity on tourism and, as a zero-tax jurisdiction, offshore finance. Although Turks and Caicos is a British Overseas Territory, the islands’ communities are a blend of African, Caribbean, and American cultures.