Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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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.
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Population:
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22,942 (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 30.2% (male 3,528/female 3,401)
15-64 years: 65.6% (male 7,875/female 7,164)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 475/female 499) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 27.9 years
male: 28.7 years
female: 27.2 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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2.563% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate:
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20.79 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate:
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4.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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9.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 92% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 13.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 75.42 years
male: 73.12 years
female: 77.83 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.95 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: none
adjective: none
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Ethnic groups:
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black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10%
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Religions:
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Baptist 40%, Anglican 18%, Methodist 16%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)
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Languages:
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English (official)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 98% (1970 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2005)
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Education expenditures:
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NA
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People - note:
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destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and the US
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands
abbreviation: TCI
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Dependency status:
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overseas territory of the UK
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Government type:
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NA
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Capital:
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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
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Administrative divisions:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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Independence:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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National holiday:
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Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
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Constitution:
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Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 effective 9 August 2006
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Legal system:
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based on laws of England and Wales with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Gordon WETHERELL (since 5 August 2008)
head of government: Premier Galmore WILLIAMS (since 24 March 2009)
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: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor
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Legislative branch:
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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
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
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Political parties and leaders:
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People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Floyd SEYMOUR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$216 million (2002 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$NA
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.9% (2000 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$11,500 (2002 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
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Labor force:
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4,848 (1990 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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note: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services
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Unemployment rate:
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10% (1997 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Budget:
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revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million (1997-98 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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NA
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Agriculture - products:
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corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish
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Industries:
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tourism, offshore financial services
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
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Electricity - production:
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10 million kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - consumption:
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9.3 million kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2007 est.)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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80 bbl/day (2006 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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0 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - imports:
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83.78 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Exports:
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$169.2 million (2000)
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Exports - commodities:
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lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
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Imports:
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$175.6 million (2000)
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Imports - commodities:
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food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials
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Debt - external:
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$NA
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Exchange rates:
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the US dollar is used
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This page was last updated on 14 May 2009
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