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Appendices

Central America and Caribbean :: Turks and Caicos Islands

(overseas territory of the UK)

page last updated on November 10, 2011

(CONTAINS DESCRIPTION)

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Introduction ::Turks and Caicos Islands

Geography ::Turks and Caicos Islands

People and Society ::Turks and Caicos Islands

Nationality:

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.

noun: none

adjective: none

Ethnic groups:

black 87.6%, white 7.9%, mixed 2.5%, East Indian 1.3%, other 0.7% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official)

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% (2001)

Population:

44,819 (July 2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 210

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.7% (male 5,188/female 5,008)

15-64 years: 73.2% (male 16,653/female 16,156)

65 years and over: 4% (male 813/female 1,001) (2011 est.)

Median age:

total: 30.4 years

male: 30.8 years

female: 30.1 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.485% (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 4

Birth rate:

17.76 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 109

Death rate:

2.99 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 218

Net migration rate:

20.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 2

Urbanization:

urban population: 93% of total population (2010)

rate of urbanization: 1.6% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities - population:

GRAND TURK (capital) 6,000 (2009)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.052 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female

total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.97 deaths/1,000 live births

country comparison to the world: 134

male: 15.02 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.11 years

country comparison to the world: 40

male: 76.39 years

female: 81.97 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.7 children born/woman (2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 167

Drinking water source:

improved:

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:

improved:

urban: 98% of population

rural: 94% of population

total: 96% of population

unimproved:

urban: 2% of population

rural: 6% of population

total: 4% of population (2000)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

Education expenditures:

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 98%

male: 99%

female: 98% (1970 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2005)

People - note:

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

Government ::Turks and Caicos Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands

abbreviation: TCI

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

Capital:

name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)

geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W

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

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)

Constitution:

Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution (Interim Amendment) Order 2009, S.I. 2009/701 - effective 14 August 2009 - suspended Ministerial government, the House of Assembly, and the constitutional right to trial by jury, and imposed direct British rule

Legal system:

mixed legal system of English common law and civil law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Damian (Ric) TODD (since 12 September 2011)

head of government: Governor Damian (Ric) TODD (since 12 September 2011); note - the office of premier is suspended by the Order in Council, effective 14 August 2009

cabinet: under provisions of the Order in Council, the cabinet is suspended effective 14 August 2009 and replaced by an Advisory Council appointed by the governor

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elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch

note: following an investigation into allegations of widespread corruption and misconduct within the Turks and Caicos Government, the UK foreign minister directed the governor to bring into effect on 14 August 2009 an Order in Council suspending Ministerial government and the House of Assembly, and imposing direct rule pending completion of reform milestones

Legislative branch:

under provisions of the Order in Council, the unicameral House of Assembly is dissolved and all seats vacated for a period of up to two years; in the interim, a Consultative Forum, appointed by the governor, will be established

elections: last held on 9 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: under provisions of the Order in Council, all seats in the House of Assembly are vacated

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:

People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Floyd SEYMOUR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

International organization participation:

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

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

National anthem:

name: "This Land of Ours"

lyrics/music: Conrad HOWELL

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

Economy ::Turks and Caicos Islands

Communications ::Turks and Caicos Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

3,700 (2010)

country comparison to the world: 217

Telephones - mobile cellular:

25,100 (2004)

country comparison to the world: 205

Telephone system:

general assessment: fully digital system with international direct dialing

domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service available

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)

Broadcast media:

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

Internet country code:

.tc

Internet hosts:

8,969 (2010)

country comparison to the world: 127