Country's Full Name: Turks and Caicos Islands

Brief History: It is believed Taino Indians were the natives of this 40 island archipelago. The islands remained under French, Spanish and British control. British overthrew all Europeans annexing it in Jamaican territory in 1872. The governor of Bahamas ruled these islands from 1965-1972 after Jamaica became independent. Since 1973, the Turks and Caicos Islands remain the British overseas territory ruled by a British governor. The islands are administratively divided into Western Caicos, Eastern Caicos, Northern Caicos, Southern Caicos, Middle Caicos, Grand Turk Island, Salt Cay, and Providenciales.

What is the country known for: One of the most extensive coral reefs surrounds the islands with top destination for scuba diving.
Get delicious seafood in this group of islands.
The islands were once famous for salt-panning.

Main Industries: tourism, offshore financial services, fishing

Agriculture - products: corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish

Main Trading Partners:
Exports' partners (2006): US, UK; Exports: $169.2 million; Exports - commodities: lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells

Imports' partners (2006): US, UK; Imports: $175.6 million; Imports - commodities: food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials

Major Cities: Cockburn town (capital in Grand Turk island), Whitby, Five Cays.

Location: The islands are located in the North Atlantic Ocean in the Caribbean. The island groups are in southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti.

Geographic coordinates: 21 45 N, 71 35 W

Size:
It is an archipelago of 40 islands (8 inhabited).
Total area: 430 sq km (land: 430 sq km/water: 0 sq km)
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Time Zone:
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT -5 hours
Daylight saving time: 1 hour
Current time zone offset: UTC/GMT -4 hours

Daylight saving time: begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October.

Type of Government:
It is the British crown colony with British monarch as head of state.

The assembly has unicameral House (21 seats of which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year term)

Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Richard Tauwhare (since 11 July 2005)
Head of government: Premier Michael Eugene Misick (since 15 August 2003); note - the office of premier was created in the 2006 constitution

National Holidays:

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
10 Mar Commonwealth Day.
2 Apr Good Friday.
5 Apr Easter Monday.
25 May National Heroes' Day.
2 Aug Emancipation Day.
24 Sep National Youth Day.
11 Oct Columbus Day.
24 Oct International Human Rights Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2011
1 Jan New Year's Day.
14 Mar Commonwealth Day.
22 Apr Good Friday.
25 Apr Easter Monday.
25 May National Heroes' Day.
1 Aug Emancipation Day.
25 Sep National Youth Day.
10 Oct Columbus Day.
10 Dec International Human Rights Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

Population:
July 2007 estimate: 21,746

0-14 years: 31.3% (male 3,466/female 3,345)
15-64 years: 64.8% (male 7,398/female 6,690)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 394/female 453)
Median age: 27.7 years (male: 28.4 years/female: 26.9 years)
Life expectancy: 74.95 years (male: 72.69 years/female: 77.32 years)

Religion:
Baptist 40%, Anglican 18%, Methodist 16%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)

Language: English (official)

Local Customs:
Handshaking is the customary part of greeting.
Social courtesies should be followed when invited to somebody's home.
Don't wear beachwear in downtown.
Descendants of African slaves, ex-patriots from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, Scandinavia, and the island of Hispaniola are the mix of local residents bringing their culture and traditions.

Best Time to go:
The climate is tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry. With an average 350 sunny days, visitors can enjoy best of the time round the year. Islands are less polluted, have excellent visibility in the blue waters with rich flora and fauna.

Currency: (September 2007)
The official currency of these islands is US Dollar.

1 US Dollar = 0.70774 Euro
1 Euro (EUR) = 1.41295 US Dollar (USD)

1 US Dollar = 0.49053 British Pound
1 British Pound (GBP) = 2.03861 US Dollar (USD)

Customs Regulations:

Duty free entry - 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 125g tobacco; 1l of spirits or 2l of wine or perfume for personal use.

Tipping:

It is customary to add approximately 15 percent of the bill to any food server, bartender, hotel maid, porter, or taxi driver. Some restaurants add 10% service charge.