• The Turks and Caicos is a tropical Atlantic archipelago that’s located southeast of Miami, Florida and north of the Dominican Republic. There are about 100 named islands and cays in the Turks and Caicos. The largest islands (from west to east) are West Caicos, Providenciales (generally known as Provo), North, Middle and South Caicos, and Grand Turk. The Columbus Passage separates the Turks from Caicos.
• The country is a British Overseas Territory with a population of 44,543 (2020 estimate) spread over nine inhabited islands. The majority of the population of Turks and Caicos resides on the island of Providenciales, which is the most developed and has the best shopping and spectacular beaches. Grand Turk supports the second greatest population, as well as the nation’s capital city of Cockburn Town, a popular port of call with cruise liners. English is the official language.
• The US Dollar is the common currency.
• Turks and Caicos follows UTC (-5) Eastern Standard time.
• The Islands generally experience pleasant and consistent weather throughout the year. Temperatures range from 75° F to 95° (24° C to 35° C), with an average of 75° F. There is generally little rainfall although April to July tends to have the greatest number of showers and heavy downpours common during the June to November hurricane season. See Weather for more details.
• Situated halfway between Florida and the Virgins, the Turks and Caicos Islands provide a convenient resting place en route to or from the Eastern Caribbean, and can now be considered as a cruising destination in their own right with several cruiser friendly marinas and good anchorages. The islands are home to a number of extremely upscale resort operations, some of which have their own marinas.
• Navigation is difficult among the reefs, sandbanks and coral heads, with
  few navigation aids and those that are in place unreliable. (In 1989
  the government began changing the buoyage system to red right returning (IALA B), replacing the red left returning system.) The best charts for the Turks and Caicos are the Wavy Line charts available from Blue Water Books and others.
• The clear unpolluted waters surrounding the islands have made Turks and Caicos a favorite diving destination, with fully qualified dive companies operating from several bases, mostly on Providenciales. The reef surrounding the islands is reputed to be one of the best in the world, bettered only by the Great Barrier Reef and the Belize Reef.
• Should you sail north in late January, February or March, consider yourself unlucky if you miss seeing pods of humpback whales on their way south to breeding grounds on the Mouchoir Bank and Silver Bank between Grand Turk and the Dominican Republic.
• Water has to be conserved on all the islands, each of which has a “Water Lady” who (literally) holds the key to the supply. For information on other supplies, see the Yachting Essentials section.

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