map of the Turks and Caicos [ United Kingdom ]

The Turks and Caicos Islands , abbreviated TCI; 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. They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident population was 31,458 in 2012, of whom 23,769 lived on Providenciales in the Caicos Islands; July 2020 estimates put the population at 55,926. It is the third largest of the British overseas territories by population.

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

The islands were inhabited for centuries by indigenous peoples. The first recorded European sighting of them was in 1512. 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 The Turks Islands are separated from the Caicos Islands by Turks Island Passage, which is more than 2,200 m (7,200 ft) deep. The islands form a chain that stretches north–south. The 2012 census population was 4,939 on the two main islands, the only inhabited islands of the group:

Grand Turk (with the capital of the territory, area 17.39 km2 (6.71 sq mi), population 4,831)
Salt Cay (area 6.74 km2 (2.60 sq mi), population 108)
Together with nearby islands, all on Turks Bank, those two main islands form the two administrative districts of the territory (out of six in total) that fall within the Turks Islands. Turks Bank, which is smaller than Caicos Bank, has a total area of about 324 km2 (125 sq mi).

The main uninhabited islands are:

Big Sand Cay
Cotton Cay
East Cay
Endymion Rock
Gibbs Cay
Pear Cay
Mouchoir Bank
25 kilometres (16 mi) east of the Turks Islands and separated from them by Mouchoir Passage is the Mouchoir Bank. Although it has no emergent cays or islets, some parts are very shallow and the water breaks on them. Mouchoir Bank is part of the Turks and Caicos Islands and falls within its Exclusive Economic Zone. It measures 960 square kilometres (370 sq mi) in area. Two banks further east, Silver Bank and Navidad Bank, are geographically a continuation, but belong politically to the Dominican Republic.

Caicos Islands
The largest island in the Caicos archipelago is the sparsely-inhabited Middle Caicos, which measures 144 square kilometres (56 sq mi) in area, but has a population of only 168 at the 2012 Census. The most populated island is Providenciales, with 23,769 inhabitants in 2012, and an area of 122 square kilometres (47 sq mi). North Caicos (116 square kilometres (45 sq mi) in area) had 1,312 inhabitants. South Caicos (21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi) in area) had 1,139 inhabitants, and Parrot Cay (6 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi) in area) had 131 inhabitants. East Caicos (which is administered as part of South Caicos District) is uninhabited, while the only permanent inhabitants of West Caicos (administered as part of Providenciales District) are resort staff.

The Caicos Islands comprise the following main islands:

Ambergris Cays
Big Ambergris Cay
Little Ambergris Cay
Bay Cay
Bush Cay
Dellis Cay
Donna Cay
Dove Cay
East Bay Cay
East Caicos
Fish Cays
Five Cays
Five Little Cays
Fort George Cay
French Cay
Little Water Cay
Long Cay
Mangrove Cay
Middle Caicos
Middleton Cay
North Caicos
Parrot Cay
Pine Cay
Plandon Cay
Providenciales
Seal Cays
Six Hill Cays
South Caicos
Stubbs Cay
Water Cay
West Caicos
West Sand Spit mapa de las Islas Turcas y Caicos