Turks & Caicos Island…Beautiful by Nature

With water so turquoise that it glows, you may find it difficult to stray far from the beach in the Turks and Caicos. You may find no need for museums, and no desire to see ruins or even to read books. You may find yourself hypnotized by the water's many neon hues. And since the beaches are among the most incredible you will ever see, don't be surprised if you wake up on your last morning and realize that you didn't find a lot of time for anything else.

Providenciales, or more commonly known as "Provo", covers an area of 38 miles and is the most developed island in Turks and Caicos, it is still a destination for those who want to escape their busy schedules and relax. It is here where most international flights arrive at the Providenciales International Airport (PLS). Surrounded by beautiful white sand beaches, Provo has been ranked "Best Beach" by Conde' Nast magazine and by the World Travel Awards for several years running. Found on the western end of the island chain, Provo offers all modern conveniences, including  luxurious hotels, villas and condos, numerous restaurants, spas and shopping facilities, a championship caliber golf course, and full service grocery store.

On the north shore of the island, near Grace Bay, you will find the most beautiful beaches, as well as a long coral reef, which is rich in aquatic life. This main stretch is home to the majority of the island’s major resorts and tourism services.

Towards the south of the island you will find Chalk Sound, a large lake with striking turquoise water and an array of small cays. Islands Magazine described Chalk Sound as "Beneath the radar: Untouched and off the beaten path, the pristine islets in Provo's Chalk Sound provide an ideal backdrop for expansive thoughts."

History

Long before Christopher Columbus first set foot on the capital island of Grand Turk during his discovery voyage of the new world in 1492, the islands of the Turks & Caicos were inhabited by Taino and Lucayan Indians.  These original settlers left a rich heritage of seafaring, salt raking and farming, which still lingers on today.  Words such as “canoe”, “Caribbean” and “caicos” are derived from the Arawak language.  Even the name of the country comes from these earliest inhabitants. Turks is a reference to the indigenous Turk’s head cactus and Caicos is from the Lucayan term “caya hico” meaning string of islands.
Another peculiarity that has been passed down through the generations is a love of shellfish, particularly conch – which is actually available in abundance to this day, thanks to the work of the Caicos Conch farm, the only commercial conch farm in the world.

For almost 700 years, the Taino and Lucayan Indians were the sole residents of the islands, settling mainly in Middle Caicos and Grand Turk.  They lived peacefully and were skilled in farming, fishing and gardening.  They cultivated almost 50 types of plants, some of which can still be found on undeveloped sections of the islands.

Shortly after Columbus arrived in 1492, the Lucayan civilization disappeared and the islands remained sparsely populated for about 30 years.  During this time, the salt making industry was born. Bermudians came to Turks & Caicos to rake the salt and take it back to Bermuda. Salt was a precious commodity back then as it was used not only for flavoring food but for preserving it as well.  The shallow waters surrounding the islands were ideal for salt raking but treacherous for nautical navigation and more than 1000 ships were wrecked during the journey to and from.

In 1706, the French and the Spanish briefly captured the Turks & Caicos Islands from the Bermudians. Four years later the British reclaimed the islands for Bermuda but in subsequent years the place became primarily a haven for pirates and British Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. Ultimately, Britain retained the island country by the end of the century as part of the Treaty of Versailles. In 1766, after being controlled by the Spanish, French and British, Turks & Caicos became part of the Bahamas colony and was placed under the Bahamian government. Attempts to integrate the two distinct communities failed and in 1874 after “the Great Bahamas Hurricane” devastated much of the chain of islands, the Turks & Caicos Islands became dependencies to the British Crown Colony of Jamaica.
Jamaica won independence from Britain in 1962 and so Turks & Caicos then became a British Crown colony on its own and still is one today.  It was not until the early 1980’s when Club Med Turkoise Resort opened that Providenciales – and Turks & Caicos in general - started to become a viable tourist destination.  Since then, increasingly more development has taken shape, and the small, salt raking island country of Turks & Caicos has grown into what is quickly becoming recognized as one of the world’s premier beach destinations. 

Though the days when the Lucayans fished and sailed the turquoise waters of Turks & Caicos have given way to live-aboard dive boat operators, commercial fishing and off-shore financial services, their gentle temperament and love of nature can still be felt today, after almost 1200 years.  Turks & Caicos is quickly becoming a leading international investment center for the offshore investor. The islands are a “zero tax” jurisdiction and therefore have no taxes on income, capital gains, corporate profits, inheritance or estates.

Today, Turks & Caicos stands on the threshold of an exciting future boasting the fastest growing economy in the Caribbean coupled with strictly controlled development to protect the island’s heritage as a pristine sanctuary for both local residents and tourists to enjoy for the next thousand years.