Where is Turks and Caicos?
The Turks and Caicos Islands are located in the Atlantic Ocean, 575 miles (925 km) southeast of Miami, Florida, 28 miles (45 km) southwest of the Bahamas, and 87 miles (140 km) north of the island of Hispaniola and the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Turks and Caicos is a country and archipelago that consists of eight main islands and many small cays.
The country is best known for its white sandy beaches, world-famous Grace Bay Beach on Providenciales, and pristine marine environment.
The Turks and Caicos is a great tropical vacation destination, as it is home to some of the finest beaches in the world and only a short direct flight from many east coast cities in the United States.
Major cities including New York, Charlotte, Boston, and Philadelphia are less than four hours away, and Chicago, Toronto, and Montreal are under five hours by plane. The only transatlantic flights to the Turks and Caicos from Europe are through London.
What Country Is Turks and Caicos?
The Turks and Caicos Islands is a British Overseas Territory and is part of the British West Indies. English is the official language. Internal affairs are handled by a locally elected government (headed by a Premier), and security and external affairs (such as defense) are the responsibility of the United Kingdom (represented by a Governor). Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, and the British Virgin Islands have the same status.
While the Turks and Caicos Islands is a British territory, it has largely become Americanized due to its proximity to the United States. For example, the islands use the US dollar as the official currency.
The primary economy of the islands is tourism. Financial services and fishing, although commonly associated with the country, are minor industries.
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Climate and Geography
The Turks and Caicos has great sunny weather year-round, which can be a welcome change from the dreary days of winter up north. There’s a great selection of hotels, all-inclusive resorts, and luxury rental villas to relax at.
A common misconception is that the Turks and Caicos is part of the Caribbean. This is technically not true, as the country is considered to be part of the Lucayan Archipelago—along with the Bahamian island chain—adjacent to the north of the Caribbean. In addition, the island group is not located in the Caribbean Sea, but rather in the Atlantic.
People and Discovery
The Turks and Caicos Islands first-known inhabitants were the indigenous Lucayan (Taíno) people, who likely arrived around 700 AD. The name Turks and Caicos is thought to be a combination of the term Turks (a synonym for pirates, who were known to use the islands) and the Lucayan cayo hico (meaning chain of islands).
Given the location of the Turks and Caicos Islands along the North Equatorial Current, the islands acted as a gateway to the New World and were encountered by several early European explorers. Some historians believe Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the New World on the island of Grand Turk.
European discovery led to the rapid disappearance of the Lucayans, who were either enslaved by Europeans or perished from introduced diseases. Turks and Caicos Islanders are the modern-day inhabitants, many of whom are the descendents of slaves brought from West Africa to work on the island's cotton plantations and sea salt salinas.
The Islands and Cays
The Turks and Caicos Islands consist of two groups: the Turks Islands, which includes Grand Turk, Salt Cay, and a few small cays, and the Caicos Islands, which consists of the main tourism island of Providenciales (also commonly referred to as Provo), North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos, East Caicos, and West Caicos, in addition to many smaller islands and cays.
There are around 100 named islands and cays in the Turks and Caicos.
The total land mass or area of the country excluding intertidal wetlands, salinas, and flat ponds is about 166 square miles (430 km²), though a significant amount of this land is uninhabited. Including the aforementioned habitats, the area of Turks and Caicos is approximately 238 square miles (616 km²). About 70% of the nation’s population is found on Providenciales, which is where most of the islands' resorts and infrastructure exists. Grand Turk supports the second greatest population at 17%, and is home to the capital city of Cockburn Town. In total, the islands have a population of 47,720 people, according to a 2022 estimate. Smaller boutique islands such as Pine Cay, Parrot Cay, and Ambergris Cay host luxury resorts and villas.
Both island groups are situated on extensive underwater plateaus divided by the Columbus Passage, a rift whose deepest point is over 8,000 feet (2,438 m) deep. The ocean water depth on the surface of the plateaus is quite shallow, often less than 30 feet (9 m) deep. The Caicos Banks refers to the extensive and shallow marine banks that support the Caicos Islands. The coral reefs in the country are considered some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling sites in the region and are home to a wide array of marine life.
Getting To and Around Turks and Caicos
| Flight Times | |||
| City | Miles | Kilometers | Time |
| Miami | 575 | 925 | 1:30 |
| Charlotte | 1,066 | 1,715 | 3:15 |
| New York | 1,305 | 2,100 | 4:00 |
| Toronto | 1,600 | 2,570 | 4:30 |
| London | 4,275 | 6,880 | 9:00 |
The Turks and Caicos welcomes flights from over 20 major cities, and nearly all scheduled flights land at the Providenciales International Airport (PLS) (except for an American Airlines flight from Miami to South Caicos). Many of the populated islands have airports or airstrips.
There are no international passenger ferry services to the country.
Transport between the islands largely takes place on small domestic flights and passenger ferries. There are no car ferry vessels. North Caicos and Middle Caicos are the only islands connected by a road causeway.
For more information on travel, see Flights to Providenciales and Passports and Visas.
