Mouchoir Bank
16 miles (26 km) east of the Turks Islands and separated from them by Mouchoir Passage, is Mouchoir Bank. Although it is submerged with a least depth of 6 feet (1.8 m), and has no emergent cays or islets, it is part of the Turks and Caicos Islands and falls within its Exclusive Economic Zone. Mouchoir Bank measures 370 square miles (960 km2) in area. Two banks further east, Silver Bank and Navidad Bank, are geographically a continuation, but belong politically to the Dominican Republic
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Cockburn Town
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Population
3 comments October 10, 2008 turksandcaicostrip
West Caicos
West Caicos is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. West Caicos has an area of 11 square miles (28 km²), and has been uninhabited for over a century. The island is home to the 500 acre (2 km²) Lake Catherine, a protected wildlife reserve, filled with pink roseate flamingoes, humpback whales, manta rays, sea turtles and other indigenous wildlife.
Currently, development is underway to construct West Caicos Reserve, an exclusive resort community, complete with a yacht harbour and small airfield.
In the 1890s, West Caicos was cleared for sisal plantations, which was a major crop of the Turks and Caicos Islands. On the island are the ruins of Yankee Town, which was the of centre of industry on the island. Remains of a railroad still exist.
At least two attempts have been made to purchase the entire island. The first was made by Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, his intent was to use it as a hideaway. However, he was assassinated before the purchase was made. In 1972, an oil company tried to purchase the island to build a refinery, and built an airstrip. The deal was not made, and the airstrip remains to this day.
A new effort appears to be well underway to develop the island into a private high-end resort reserve, billing itself as ‘West Caicos Reserve’. This effort is apparently targeted toward high net worth individuals, as it is integrated with an exclusive 125 room Ritz-Carlton Resort/Spa and Marina. The anticipated opening of this community is mid-2008.
The West Caicos seawall drops off to over 7,000 feet. Several different sea creatures live in these depths, from eagle rays to humpback whales.
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Caicos Islands
The Caicos Islands are the larger group, with almost 96 percent of the land area (589.5 km²) and 82 percent of the population (26,584 out of a total of 33,302 in 2006). The spatial arrangement of the islands around the large Caicos Bank (with an area of 7,680 km² [1]) resembles an Atoll, with the six large islands in the west, north and east, and a few tiny reefs and cays in the south. The unofficial capital of the Caicos Islands is the village of Kew on North Caicos. There is no official capital because the island group is not an administrative unit. The Caicos Islands encompass four of the six administrative districts of the territory. Four of the six main islands are inhabited, plus two of the smaller islands:
Main islands, from West to East, with population estimates of 2006:
- West Caicos (uninhabited since the early 1900s)
- Providenciales (main urban center, with most of the population: 22 542)
- North Caicos (population 1 895)
- Middle Caicos (population 468)
- East Caicos (uninhabited since the early 1900s)
- South Caicos (population 1 579)
- Ambergris Cay (uninhabited up until 1997)
Inhabited smaller islands, in the Caicos Cays between Providenciales and North Caicos:
- Pine Cay (tourist resort, population 30)
- Parrot Cay (tourist resort, population 100)
The Caicos Islands make up four of the six districts of the territory.
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When to Go
Turks and Caicos enjoy around 320 sunny days a year. The only time to consider not going is the sweltering four months of August to November. During the Northern Hemisphere’s winter, spring and summer (December to July), the weather is milder. Winter is the best time to visit as the weather is balmy and there are fewer mosquitoes. Humidity in the northern islands is relatively high year-round, but lower in the southern islands. The rainy season extends from late May to November, with the hurricane season occurring toward the end of this period – from September through November.
The peak tourist season is between winter and spring (mid-December to mid-April). Some hotels are booked solid around Christmas and Easter; it’s especially advisable to plan ahead if you want to visit during these periods. Hotels are slightly cheaper between mid-April and July.
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Turks & Caicos
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the West Indies at .
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Cockburn Town
Cockburn Town is the capital city of the Turks and Caicos Islands, located on the largest island in the Turks Islands (not the Caicos) archipelago, Grand Turk Island. Historic 18th and 19th century Bermudian architecture line Duke and Front Streets in Cockburn Town. The town is known for its long, narrow streets and old street lamps.
The seat of government ever since 1766, Cockburn Town was the first permanent settlement on any of the islands, founded in 1681 by salt collectors who arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The city supposedly lies on the place where Juan Ponce de León first landed on the island.
The oldest known shipwreck in the Western Hemisphere, the Molasses Reef Wreck, dated 1505, is exhibited in the Turks & Caicos National Museum, Grand Turk.
The closest anchorage to Cockburn Town is Hawk’s Nest Anchorage, which, though sheltered, should only be entered in good light because of reefs near the entrance.
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