British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) | Turks and Caicos Islands (2008) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | - | 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) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish |
Airports | 1 (2001) | 8 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
Area | total: 60 sq km
land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago |
total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. | The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory. |
Birth rate | - | 21.48 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million (1997-98 est.) |
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 first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds | tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry |
Coastline | 698 km | 389 km |
Constitution | - | Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9 August 2006) |
Country name | conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands abbreviation: TCI |
Death rate | - | 4.23 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $NA |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain | have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $4.1 million (1997) |
Economy - overview | All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. | The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, offshore financial services, and fishing. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than three-quarters of the 175,000 visitors that arrived in 2004. Major sources of government revenue also include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 10.76 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military | 11.57 million kWh (2005) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Hills 49 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater |
Ethnic groups | - | black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10% |
Exchange rates | - | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch |
chief of state: 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 cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the House of Assembly, and the attorney general elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor |
Exports | - | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | - | lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells |
Exports - partners | - | US, UK (2006) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the 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 |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 4.9% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 6 00 S, 71 30 E | 21 45 N, 71 35 W |
Geography - note | archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility | about 40 islands (eight inhabited) |
Highways | total: NA km
paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | - | 83.55 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | - | food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials |
Imports - partners | - | US, UK (2006) |
Independence | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | - | tourism, offshore financial services |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 14.7 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 4% (1995) |
International organization participation | - | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
Labor force | - | 4,848 (1990 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | note: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: NEGL
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 2.33%
permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2005) |
Languages | - | English (official) |
Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply | based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats of which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 February 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 60%, PDM 40%; seats by party - PNP 13, PDM 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 74.95 years
male: 72.69 years female: 77.32 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
Location | Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia | Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti |
Map references | Political Map of the World | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | - | registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2007) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
National holiday | - | Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) |
Nationality | - | noun: none
adjective: none |
Natural hazards | NA | frequent hurricanes |
Natural resources | coconuts, fish, sugarcane | spiny lobster, conch |
Net migration rate | - | 9.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
People - note | - | destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and the US |
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 | - | NA |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.) |
21,746 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 2.722% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Diego Garcia | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003) |
Radios | NA | - |
Religions | - | Baptist 40%, Anglican 18%, Methodist 16%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.036 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.106 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.073 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000) |
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 US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | NA | 5,700 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 1,700 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 0 (broadcasts received from The Bahamas; 2 cable television networks) (2003) |
Terrain | flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) | low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps |
Total fertility rate | - | 3.02 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 10% (1997 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |