Information About Turks and Caicos Islands

People of Turks and Caicos Islands : the dominant population in the island belongs to people of African origin, whose ancestors were brought to slave in the islands' many cotton plantations and salt ponds. This group is called the 'Belongers'. Apart from them, there are several expatriates from the neighboring archipelagos of Haiti, Bahamas and Dominica. There are also people of America, Britain, Canada and other parts of Europe living in harmony with the Belongers.

Arts, Culture and Music of Turks and Caicos Islands :

Art : the art and crafts in the Turks and Caicos Islands comprise of conch-shell art, paintings on silk, sea sponge and sea stars crafts by local artisans.

Culture : the culture is a combination of Polynesian, African and global.

Music : a unique feature of the Turks and Caicos Islands music is the specialty of the instrument that accompanies it. One traditional form is the 'ripsaw'.

It is so called because of the unique use of a carpenter saw as a musical instrument. However, the ripsaw is performed to the music of several other instruments like the accordion, box guitar, maracas, goat and cowskin drums, triangles, concertina and conga drums.

Flag of Turks and Caicos Islands : the flag of Turks and Caicos Islands is rectangular in shape and have all the things that are markers of its identity. To begin with, the backdrop is a dark shade of blue. On this is base, on the top left corner is to be found the Union Jack. Towards the center of the right is superimposed the yellow colonial shield. In the shield, forming a triangular pattern is a lobster, a cactus and a conch shell (clockwise from top).

Economy of Turks and Caicos Islands : the economy of the Turks and Caicos Islands is sustained primarily by money earned from offshore financing and revenues from customs. These two singly handedly support the economy of the islands. Aside of these, tourism and fishing for lobsters and conch shells are thriving industries and export commodities.