:Turks and Caicos Islands People
Population:
12,697 (July 1992), growth rate 3.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
16 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
22 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
13 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
73 years male, 77 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.3 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
no noun or adjectival forms
Ethnic divisions:
majority of African descent
Religions:
Baptist 41.2%, Methodist 18.9%, Anglican 18.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.7%,
other 19.9% (1980)
Languages:
English (official)
Literacy:
98% (male 99%, female 98%) age 15 and over having ever attended school
(1970)
Labor force:
NA; majority engaged in fishing and tourist industries; some subsistence
agriculture
Organized labor:
Saint George's Industrial Trade Union
:Turks and Caicos Islands Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
dependent territory of the UK
Capital:
Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
Administrative divisions:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Constitution:
introduced 30 August 1976, suspended in 1986, and a Constitutional
Commission is currently reviewing its contents
Legal system:
based on laws of England and Wales with a small number adopted from Jamaica
and The Bahamas
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
Executive branch:
British monarch, governor, Executive Council, chief minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Michael
J. BRADLEY (since 1987)
Head of Government:
Chief Minister Washington MISSIC (since NA 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Oswald SKIPPINGS; Progressive National
Party (PNP), Washington MISSIC; National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Ariel
MISSICK
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Legislative Council:
last held on 3 April 1991 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by
party NA; seats - (20 total, 13 elected) PNP 8, PDM 5
Member of:
CDB
Diplomatic representation:
as a dependent territory of the UK, the interests of the Turks and Caicos
Islands are represented in the US by the UK
US:
none
Flag:
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 contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus
:Turks and Caicos Islands Economy
Overview:
The economy is based on fishing, tourism, and offshore banking. Only
subsistence farming - corn and beans - exists on the Caicos Islands, so that
most foods, as well as nonfood products, must be imported.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $44.9 million, per capita $5,000; real growth
rate NA% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Unemployment rate:
12% (1989)
Budget:
revenues $12.4 million; expenditures $15.8 million, including capital
expenditures of $2.6 million (FY87)
Exports:
$2.9 million (f.o.b., FY84)
commodities:
lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
partners:
US, UK
Imports:
$26.3 million (c.i.f., FY84)
commodities:
foodstuffs, drink, tobacco, clothing
partners:
US, UK
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
9,050 kW capacity; 11.1 million kWh produced, 1,140 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
fishing, tourism, offshore financial services
Agriculture:
subsistence farming prevails, based on corn and beans; fishing more
important than farming; not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
$110 million
Currency:
US currency is used
Exchange rates:
US currency is used
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Turks and Caicos Islands Communications
Highways:
121 km, including 24 km tarmac
Ports:
Grand Turk, Salt Cay, Providenciales, Cockburn Harbour
Civil air:
Air Turks and Caicos (passenger service) and Turks Air Ltd. (cargo service)
Airports:
7 total, 7 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over
2,439 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
fair cable and radio services; 1,446 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 AM,
no FM, several TV; 2 submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
station
:Turks and Caicos Islands Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK