History
The Turks and Caicos Islands were first inhabited by Taino Indians who crossed from South America.

The Taino Indians suffered a similar fate to their relatives on other Caribbean islands: they were enslaved or died from illness caught from Europeans. Slaves from Africa were brought to the islands.

The Spanish, French and British were all interested in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

In the 1660s people from Bermuda arrived. The Bermudans started the salt industry on Grand Turk which lasted until 1970.

Britain claimed ownership of the Turks and Caicos Islands in 1764. Over a century later the Islands became a dependency of the British Colony of Jamaica.

Jamaica became independent in 1962 and the Turks and Caicos Islands remained a British Colony. The Governor of the [British] Bahamas oversaw Turks and Caicos' affairs from 1965 until 1973 when the Bahamas achieved independence.

The Turks and Caicos Islands is an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom.

Economy
Tourism is the main industry in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Territory is also an offshore financial centre.

Around a third of the workforce is employed by the government and a significant percentage works in agriculture and fishing. (2011)

Arts
Carnival is an opportunity to celebrate music in the Turks and Caicos Islands. A variety of music is popular ranging from Caribbean reggae to Latin American salsa.

Art and crafts include paintings by local artists, batik and ceramics.

Sport
Cricket, football, rugby, baseball, basketball and hockey are popular team sports in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The islands are a well known dive destination. Other water sports include snorkelling and kayaking.

Holidays
Christmas, Easter and New Year are celebrated. Other holidays are Commonwealth Day (13 March), National Heroes Day (29 May), Emancipation Day (7 August), National Youth Day (29 September), Columbus Day (9 October) and International Human Rights Day (24 October).

News
News from the Turks and Caicos Islands is available from Newslink.

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