Caicos is a constituent republic of Lucaya Region.
| Caicos Republic | |
|---|---|
| Archipelago of the Turks & Caicos Islands | |
| Constituent Republic of Vekllei | |
 |
|
| Part of the Lucaya Region | |
| Accession | 1930, as part of the Alford Agreement |
| Area | 948 km² |
| Capital | Grand Turk |
| Languages | English, Arawakan, Lucayan |
| Population | 280,448 |
The Caicos Republic is a constituent republic of Vekllei at the southern end of the Lucayan archipelago. It comprises 8 major cays, and many smaller islets and reefs. All its islands are formed by coral and are low-lying with a tropical savannah climate. It is also the driest republic in the Lucaya Region. Together, the Caicos islands form a fringe of reefs and islets on the periphery of the Lucayan archipelago, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Several of the islands are uninhabited, and only two are home to major settlements, including the capital of Grand Turk in the east.
Caicos is home to native Caribs known as Oriental Tainos, who occupied the islands periodically prior to European discovery. They form about two-fifths of the population today. The rest of Caicos Islanders are mostly of English and African ancestry, descended from British royalists and their slaves who fled there during the American Revolution. Like much of the Lucaya Region, colonisation of Caicos by Spain and then the UK involved the enslavement of natives and transported Africans, who in Caicos mostly worked in the salt and cotton industries. Historically there was considerable animosity between whites and blacks on the island, though desegregation and reconciliation programmes have helped mix communities and reduce disparities in health and education.
The Taino people have a reputation for being loyal and skilled warriors, and were used by the British Empire as soldiers throughout the 19th Century and in both world wars. This military tradition persists today, and Tainos are overrepresented in both the Territorial Services and Marine Services. Four components of the 12th and 16th Rifles divisions are stationed at Fort Orient on Salt Cay, just south of the capital. They are well regarded by federal staff and many form part of the Commonwealth commando units.
There is little arable land and a severe shortage of fresh water in Caicos, and so much of its local agriculture takes place in hydroponic greenhouses. It has desalination plants in both Grand Turk and Provo to provide fresh water, but the peripheral islands rely mostly on water tanks and rain catchment. Fishing is a common pastime, and the conch salad is the local delicacy.
In the postwar period as part of Vekllei, Caicos has become an important outpost for the Territorial Services, which maintains a number of secure facilities and training grounds across its islands. Federalisation has also brought with it a new professional class involved in education and the civil service, living mostly in Grand Turk and Provo. As such, the differences in lifestyle between the Caicos cities and its small island communities is quite dramatic, and many young people relocate there or elsewhere in Vekllei seeking excitement and opportunity. Many end up in the army.
Both cities have airports capable of receiving jets, and Provo is connected to its neighbouring cays by a rail line that passes over iconic trestle bridges. The cities are connected by hydrofoil, but transport to the peripheral cays is irregular and performed by local ferries and private charter. Grand Turk is a highly developed city and has comprehensive tram network.
- Barley
- Fruit
- Molasses
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vegetables
- Vinegar
- Water
- Wheat
Climate
Tropical and arid, with low annual rainfall across its coral cays. The trade winds and surrounding sea provide some relief from the heat. Occasional hurricanes track through the archipelago between June and November.
Public Holidays
- New Year’s Day 1 Jan
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Commonwealth Day 1 May
- Emancipation Day 1 Aug
- Republic Day 10 Sep
- Christmas Day 25 Dec
- Boxing Day 26 Dec
- Innumerable Beaches, Reefs, Cays: Caicos is famous for its beaches, clear water, and coral reefs. Few foreign tourists make it there, so visitors can often have a whole beach to themselves.
- Arawak Orient Brewery: Famous brewery known for its cold beers. The factory is open to visitors.
- Caicos Signals Station: Military and [[DSRE]] signal monitoring and intelligence station located on Cotton Cay.
- Occident Citadel Antillean Division 3,390
- Antillean Ordnance Magazine Antillean Division 560
- Atlantic Caicos Store Atlantic Department Company 150
- Grace Bay Manor Atlantic Hotel 50
- Jet Works Atlantic Works 1,600
- Office of Telegraph Services Bureau of Post and Telecommunications 700
- Kalina & Lucayan Section Bureau of Post and Telecommunications 8,900
- Office of International Telegraph Bureau of Records and Correspondence 220
- Airlink Caicos Station Commonwealth Airways 70
- Ferry Lucaya Caicos Terminal Commonwealth Lines 480
- Turk Railway Company CommRail 233
- Conch Caves Tramway CommRail 168
- Grace Railway Company CommRail 245
- Caicos University CUWI
- Caicos Nuclear Generation Establishment General Reactor 140
- Fortress Occident
- Fortress Occident
- 1935
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1836
The British Overseas Territories comprising Oslola, Kala and Demon are reincorporated as the British Atlantic Territories, including Anguilla, Lucaya, Habacoa, Summers, the Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands ( Caimanas), the Falklands, Montserrat ( Allia), Saint Helena ( Helena), Ascension ( Ascension), the Tristan da Cunha Islands ( Santes), the South Georgia and Sandwich Islands ( Sude), and the Turks and Caicos ( Caicos) Islands