Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 468 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS , a See also:group in the See also:British See also:West Indies. They belong geographically to the See also:Bahamas and See also:lie between 210 and 22° N. and 710 and 72° 37' W. They are of See also:coral and See also:sand formation, their combined See also:area being 169 sq. m. The Turks Islands, taking their name from a See also:species of See also:cactus having the See also:appearance of a turbaned See also:head, are nine in number, but See also:Grand Turk (10 sq. m.) and See also:Salt Cay (5z sq. m.) are the only two of any See also:size. The See also:town of Grand Turk, on the west of the See also:island of that name, is the seat of See also:government and a See also:port of registry. Salt Cay has a See also:good See also:harbour. The Caicos Islands lie to the See also:north-west of Turks Islands and are seven in number. See also:Cockburn Harbour on See also:South Caicos, 22 M. from Grand Turk, is the See also:principal See also:settlement and a port of entry. The See also:climate, though somewhat relaxing, is healthy, but there is a scarcity of drinking See also:water, the See also:average See also:annual rainfall being only 27i in. The mean temperature is 82° F., but owing to the See also:sea breezes the climate is never oppressive. Salt raking is the See also:staple See also:industry. Sisal See also:hemp is grown, See also:sponges are found in some quantities off the See also:coast and there are four sponge-curing factories on the Caicos Islands.

See also:

Pink pearls are occasionally found. The exports, chiefly to the See also:United States, include salt, sponges and sisal hemp. Grand Turk is in See also:cable communication with Bermuda and with See also:Kingston, See also:Jamaica, some 420 M. to the S.W. The islands were uninhabited when, about 1678, the Bermudians began to visit them to See also:rake the salt found in the ponds. These visits became annual and permanent settlements were made. In ' For results of a comparison of the skulls of See also:wild and domesticated turkeys, see Dr Shufeldt, in Journ. of Comp. See also:Medicine and See also:Surgery (See also:July 1887).1710 the British were expelled by the Spaniards, but they returned and the salt See also:trade (largely with the See also:American colonies) continued to be carried on by the Bermudians despite attacks by Spaniards and See also:French, and See also:counter-claims to the islands by the British authorities at the Bahamas, who about 1765 made good their claim. In 1799 the islands were given See also:representation in the Bahamas See also:Assembly, and they remained See also:part of that See also:colony until 1848, when on the See also:petition of the inhabitants they were made a See also:separate colony under the supervision of the See also:governor of Jamaica. This arrangement proving financially burdensome the islands were in 1873 definitely annexed to Jamaica. They are governed by a See also:commissioner assisted by a nominated legislative See also:board. The See also:census of 1901 showed a See also:total See also:population of 5287, of whom 342 were whites, the See also:rest being negroes or mulattoes; 1751 of the inhabitants lived in Grand Turk Island. See J.

N. Bellin, Description geographique See also:

des debouquements au See also:nord de St Dominique (1768); the Jamaica Handbook (See also:London, yearly) and See also:Sir C. P. See also:Lucas, See also:Historical See also:Geography of the British Colonies, vol. ii. (2nd ed., See also:Oxford, 1905).

End of Article: TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
TURKS 		[next]
TURLE, JAMES (1802–1882)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries