The Turks and Caicos Islands

Abstract

The Turks and Caicos Islands are geographically part of the Bahamian Banks, lying off the southeast coast of Florida and to the north of Hispaniola. They are surrounded by tropical deep waters. The coral reefs are mostly pristine, particularly away from centres of human habitation. The islands are sparsely populated overall, although numbers of people are seasonally inflated by tourists. Tourism is a major environmental concern, as housing, food, water, and extra energy, need to be provided. Measures are being developed by the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to manage tourism sustainably. Other industries are very localised and thus show relatively small effects on the environment overall.