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The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI;[7] /ˈtɜːrks/ and /ˈkeɪkəs, -koʊs, -kɒs/) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies.[8] They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident population in 2023 was estimated by The World Factbook at 59,367, making it the third-largest of the British overseas territories by population.[7] However, according to a Department of Statistics estimate in 2022, the population was 47,720.[9]
The islands are southeast of Mayaguana in the Bahamas island chain and north of the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Cockburn Town, the capital since 1766, is situated on Grand Turk[2] about 1,042 kilometres (647 mi) east-southeast of Miami. They have a total land area of 430 square kilometres (170 sq mi).[a]
The islands were inhabited for centuries by Taíno people. The first recorded European sighting of them was in 1512.[12] In subsequent centuries, they were claimed by several European powers, with the British Empire eventually gaining control. For many years they were governed indirectly through Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the islands received their own governor, and have remained an autonomous territory since.[7]
- ^ "Turks and Caicos Islands". nationalanthems.info. May 2013. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ a b "United Kingdom Overseas Territories - Toponymic Information" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ "Statistics Department | Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands". www.gov.tc. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Year Book of Statistics 2001–2017". Department of Statistics. www.gov.tc. Turks & Caicos Islands Government. 2018. p. 140. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Vital Statistics Report 2020". Department of Statistics. www.gov.tc. Turks & Caicos Islands Government. 2021. p. 20. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Turks and Caicos Islands | Data". World Bank Open Data. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Turks and Caicos Islands". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ a b Ferguson, James A.; Bounds, John H. "Turks and Caicos Islands". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ "Population of the Turks and Caicos". Visit Turks and Caicos Islands. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "EU Relations with Turks and Caicos Islands". Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
depstc.orgwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Turks and Caicos Islands". World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples. Minority Rights Group International. 2007. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018 – via Refworld.
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