The Turks and Caicos are two groups of low-lying, mostly undeveloped islands and cays surrounded by immaculate reefs. This chain of islands, with a land mass of 193 square miles, has some 230 miles of white powdery beaches. Divided by the 22-mile long Christopher Columbus Passage, the dry, scrubby Turks Islands are to the east, and the larger, more populated, and greener Caicos Islands are to the west.
Visitors come here for the water to swim, snorkel, fish, sail and windsurf, but especially to dive.
The Turks Islands include Grand Turk and Salt Cay . Grand Turk is the financial and business center. In the quaint capital of Cockburn Town, the homes and buildings lining the narrow streets offer many fine examples of Bermudian colonial architecture. Amond the major inhabited Caicos Islands are Providenciales, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos, and Pine Cay. Providenciales, or Provo for short, is the principal tourist island in the chain.