Turks & Caicos

click for full size map (8.9KB, 588 x 440).gif

	Backgound Notes	Geography	History
	Government	Business Law	Commercial Guide
	Treaties	Labor Law	Environmental Law
	Banking & Finance	Visas & Immigration	Foreign Investment
	Intellectual Property	Taxes	General Economic Info
	Tourism	Legal System	General Information
	Importing & Exporting	Marketing

Background Notes For Turks & Caicos GEOGRAPHY Located 920 kilometers southeast of Miami and about 50 kilometers southeast of the Bahamian island of Mayaguana, the Turks and Caicos are a group of 8 major islands and more than 40 small islets and cays. The islands are made up of two groups separated by the thirty-five-kilometer-wide Turks Island Passage: the westernmost Caicos Islands, including six of the major islands, and the easternmost Turks Islands with the remaining two major islands. The islands have a total land area of 430 square kilometers, about the size of San José, California. Geologically, the islands are a part of the Bahamas archipelago, which rises above a shallow submarine platform. All are low lying, with the highest point barely fifteen meters above sea level. Soils are poor, shallow, and infertile. Low scrub covers most of the islands, although several of the larger Caicos Islands have stands of pine. Mangrove swamps fringe coastal areas. No streams are found on the islands, but a few have brackish ponds. The climate is tropical with distinct wet and dry seasons. Annual precipitation varies from 100 to 150 centimeters. Rain falls in heavy brief showers, almost entirely in the period from May to October. Temperatures average 27°C in summer and 21°C in winter. Maximums and minimums seldom exceed 32°C or 16°C. In summer, trade winds blow from the southeast, whereas in winter the northeast trades predominate. Hurricanes occasionally affect the islands in late summer or fall. Turks & Caicos History No information in file. Turks & Caicos Government In the late 1990s, Turks and Caicos were still a British crown colony. It has a British governor and a ministerial form of government consisting of an Executive Council (cabinet) and a Legislative Council. The governmental system in the Turks and Caicos was similar. Under the August 1976 Constitution, the governor retains responsibility for external affairs, internal security, defense, and certain other matters. The Executive Council consists of three ex officio members appointed by the governor--the financial secretary, the chief secretary, and the attorney general--as well as a chief minister elected by the Legislative Council and three other ministers appointed by the governor from the elected members of the Legislative Council. The governor presides over the Executive Council. The bicameral Legislative Council consists of a speaker, the three ex officio members of the Executive Council, and eleven members elected by residents age eighteen and over. Turks & Caicos Business Law No information in file. Commercial Guide of Turks & Caicos No information in file. Treaties to which Turks & Caicos is a Member Not Applicable. Turks & Caicos Labor Law No information in file. Turks & Caicos Environmental Law No information in file. Turks & Caicos's Banking and Finance System No information in file. Turks & Caicos Visas and Immigration No information in file. Turks & Caicos's Foreign Investment Law No information in file. Intellectual Property Rights In Turks & Caicos No information in file. Turks & Caicos Taxes No information in file. General Economic Information of Turks & Caicos Turks & Caicos Socio-Economic Data from the Inter-American Development Bank. This is the source for all the hard economic data you need. The particular country page is slow loading, but well worth the wait for you economic gurus. Turks & Caicos Tourism No information in file. Turks & Caicos's Legal System No information in file. General Information Turks & Caicos - Consular Info Sheet Living languages of Turks & Caicos So, you think that Spanish is the only language spoken in Turks & Caicos? Well, check this out! Importing and Exporting TradePort's online tutorial on importing and exporting. Reducing the Risk of Trade Disputes for Exporters U.S. Harmonized Tarrif Schedule Marketing International Trade Association (U.S. Dept. of Commerce dedicated to helping U.S. businesses compete in the global marketplace.

Backgound Notes Geography History Government Business Law Commercial Guide Treaties Labor Law Environmental Law Banking & Finance Visas & Immigration Foreign Investment Intellectual Property Taxes General Economic Info Tourism Legal System General Information Importing & Exporting Marketing Home The Classroom The Library The Caribbean Mexico & Central America South America International Treaties