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ABOUT TURKS AND CAICOS

Whether you believe it is Christopher Columbus or Juan Ponce de Leon, Turks and Caicos was discovered between 1492 and 1512. For many years school students were taught that it was Juan Ponce de Leon; it was only recently that we settled on Christopher Columbus discovering the islands, in 1492.

The group of islands known as Turks and Caicos is made up of 40 islands and cays. Eight of the islands are inhabited, they include Grand Turk, Salt Cay, South Caicos, Middle Caicos, North Caicos, Parrot Cay, Pine Cay, and Providenciales. The Turks islands got their names from the Turkish Fez represented by the many Turks Head Cacti that grows in the islands. The Caicos islands got its names from the many islands in the group known as Cays (Keys), meaning many small islands. The first known settlers were the Taino Indians, who left behind a few of their crafts in the Caves in Middle Caicos. The islands were owned briefly by the French, however became British owned in the mid-1700s.

Grand Turk, Salt Cay and South Caicos still have remnants of the salt industry that was one of the first industries in the islands. Bermudians settled the islands after the Taino Indians went extinct and produced salt through the still existing ponds. Loyalists from the US slave trade settled the Caicos islands, during the late 1700s. When they departed, the emancipated slaves stayed and established themselves in the Caicos Islands including Providenciales, supporting themselves through the sisal and fishing industries.

There is much natural beauty on Turks and Caicos. The islands are flat, but have been consistently voted world’s best beach on the island of Providenciales, known as the Grace Bay beach. With a landmass of 192 square miles, 33 protected parks, many species of birds and wildlife, and a Ramsar nature reserve, it is easy to see why the islands are so attractive as a tourist destination. Thanks to Club Med, who opened the first property in Turks and Caicos in 1984 bringing American Airlines, the tourism industry was started. Grace Bay Club, was the first luxury property in Turks and Caicos, and in addition to the natural beauty, the property was the catalyst for the islands being branded as a luxury high-end group of islands, in the early 1990s.