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Turks & Caicos Info

Beach & Cruise Liner
Cruise liner arrived to Grand Turk island

Motor Ship & Cruise Liner 
HMS Argyl with MV Carnival Liberty

Grand Turk Church
Church on Grand Turk

Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret taking-off on Grand Turk island

Diver and Fish
Diver and Fish

Light House
Grand Turk historic Light House build in 1852
Impression
These flat, coral islands have miles of sandy beaches and are a water playground. Diving and snorkelling are superb among coral gardens, wrecks and walls which drop dramatically to the floor of the ocean. Most hotels are on the island of Providenciales, spread along Grace Bay on the north shore. Grand Turk is the seat of government but is a quiet, unhurried place with a few small hotels and a new cruise ship dock. Other inhabited islands, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos and Salt Cay have tiny populations - good places to escape the crowds.


Overview
The Turks and Caicos Islands, or TCI for short, are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago, part of the larger Antilles island grouping. They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident population is about 31,500, of whom 23,769 live on Providenciales in the Caicos Islands. The total population on the islands including foreigners is 49,000.

The Turks and Caicos Islands lie southeast of Mayaguana in the Bahamas island chain and north of the island of Hispaniola. Cockburn Town, the capital since 1766, is situated on Grand Turk Island about 1,042 kilometres (647 mi) east-southeast of Miami, United States. The islands have a total land area of 430 square kilometres (170 sq mi).

The first recorded European sighting of the islands now known as the Turks and Caicos occurred in 1512. In the subsequent centuries, the islands were claimed by several European powers with the British Empire eventually gaining control. For many years the islands 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 a separate autonomous British Overseas Territory since. In August 2009, the United Kingdom suspended the Turks and Caicos Islands' self-government after allegations of ministerial corruption. Home rule was restored in the islands after the November 2012 elections.


Get in by ship
Many of the visitors who visit the island arrive by boat. This is because many cruise lines are now adding the islands to their list of destinations. All cruise lines arrive at the Grand Turk Cruise Center in Grand Turk.

If you choose to take a personal or smaller vessel, a number of facilities are available in Providenciales. However, you must call ahead before docking. Their are also marinas in Provo, where you can dock. On the South Side, Sappodilla Bay, is the anchorage location for sail boats.It is easy to sail to the Turks and Caicos from the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas or Cuba; so long as you have an ocean-going vessel. A small boat will do well simply cruising around the island chain, but to cross the open ocean, something about 36 feet or larger is best.

If you are using a private vessel or sailboat, customs and immigrations must be cleared. When using a sailboat, customs have to be arranged in advanced, while South Caicos and Grand Turk have government buildings on location.

Turks & Caicos has a number of calm bays and beaches perfect for snorkeling. Blue Tangs and parrot fish dart among the sea fans, and sea turtles glide between rock formations. Crocus Bay, Shoal Bay East, Junk’s Hole, Sandy Island, Prickly Pear and Little Bay are some of the most popular spots for this activity.  Turks & Caicos is an excellent spot for novice skin divers and snorkeling equipment is usually available at your hotel or with operators at prime locations.
The most interesting pelagic experiences in Turks & Caicos are for the scuba diver.  The island is home to seven marine parks including Dog Island, Prickly Pear, Seal Island Reef System, Little Bay, Sandy Island, Shoal Bay Harbour Reef System, and Stoney Bay Marine Park.  Offerings include wall dives, ledge dives, nine wreck dives, both new and historical.
Turks & Caicos has a number of calm bays and beaches perfect for snorkeling. Blue Tangs and parrot fish dart among the sea fans, and sea turtles glide between rock formations. Crocus Bay, Shoal Bay East, Junk’s Hole, Sandy Island, Prickly Pear and Little Bay are some of the most popular spots for this activity.  Turks & Caicos is an excellent spot for novice skin divers and snorkeling equipment is usually available at your hotel or with operators at prime locations.
The most interesting pelagic experiences in Turks & Caicos are for the scuba diver.  The island is home to seven marine parks including Dog Island, Prickly Pear, Seal Island Reef System, Little Bay, Sandy Island, Shoal Bay Harbour Reef System, and Stoney Bay Marine Park.  Offerings include wall dives, ledge dives, nine wreck dives, both new and historical.

History
The Turks and Caicos Islands are named after the Turk's-cap cactus (Melocactus communis), and the Lucayan term caya hico, meaning string of islands. The first inhabitants of the islands were Arawakan-speaking Taíno people, who crossed over from Hispaniola sometime from AD 500 to 800. Together with Taino who migrated from Cuba to the southern Bahamas around the same time, these people developed as the Lucayan. Around 1200 the Turks and Caicos Islands were resettled by Classical Taínos from Hispaniola.

Soon after the Spanish arrived in the islands in 1512, they began capturing the Taíno of the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Lucayan as slaves (technically, as workers in the encomienda system) to replace the largely depleted native population of Hispaniola. The southern Bahama Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands were completely depopulated by about 1513, and remained so until the 17th century.

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.


Source: Wikipedia



...to be continued soon...

Grand Turk Beach
Grand Turk beach

Cargo Wreck
Cargo wreck

National Museum
National Museum

North Caicos Flamingos
North Caicos Flamingos

Scuba Diving
Scuba Diving in South Caicos

Miss Universe
Shanice Williams, Miss Universe