Geography | |
---|---|
Location | Atlantic Ocean |
Coordinates | 21°18′05.27″N71°37′53.65″W / 21.3014639°N 71.6315694°W |
Archipelago | Lucayan Archipelago |
Administration | |
British Overseas Territory | Turks and Caicos Islands |
Additional information | |
Time zone | |
• Summer (DST) | |
ISO code | TC |
Big Ambergris Cay is a private residential island and home to Ambergris Cay Private Island Resort, located within the Turks and Caicos Islands. [1] Not to be confused with Ambergris Caye in Belize, Big Ambergris Cay is situated to the southeast of the main chain of the Caicos islands. Adjacent to Big Ambergris Cay is Little Ambergris Cay, which is an uninhabited natural reserve. Little Ambergris Cay is a unique and significant habitat for a wide range of birds and marine life. [1] Big Ambergris Cay island is approximately four miles (6.4 kilometres) long, one mile (1.6 kilometres) wide, and 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) in total.
The island was named for ambergris, a waxy substance that migrating sperm whales regurgitate and is prized as a fixative for perfume and cosmetic products. Ambergris used to wash up along the 8 miles (13 km) of island's shoreline but is rarely found on the island today.
Big Ambergris Cay is known for its shallow, turquoise waters. It is surrounded by sandbanks and coral reefs. To the east of the island, the water deepens as part of the Turks Island Passage. [2] Big Ambergris Cay has been a private island since 1811 and is today home to Ambergris Cay, a private island offering an all-inclusive resort experience. [3]
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Loyalists settled on Big Ambergris Cay, raised cows, made pottery, and built houses, stables, and cisterns. The ruins of these early colonial settlements can be seen today on the island. As the island is privately owned and managed, prior permission to visit is required.
John Lightbourne was the island's first owner, having purchased it from the Bahamas administration in 1811. [4] [5] Then, Horatio Stubbs of South Caicos purchased the island, the dwelling house, and a female slave in 1826 for the cost of 6,000 bushels of salt. [4] Sisal was raised on the island toward the end of the 1800s. [4]
In 1978 an investment group from the state of Arizona tried to purchase Ambergris Cay, with the goal of building a university on the island. This effort was rejected by the government. [4]
Canadian businessman Henry Mensen bought Big Ambergris Cay in 1995. [6] Mensen started the development of the island to establish a luxury and exclusive residential community. Through this project, the island today has the Calico Restaurant and Bar (a reference to the famous 17th century pirate), a clubhouse, and robust infrastructure for island's self-sustenance. [6]
Since late 2017, Big and Little Ambergris Cay is managed by Turks and Caicos Collection. [7] The island boasts 20 private villas, 10 beachfront pool suites, a spa center water sports center, the longest private runway in Caribbean capable of accommodating most private airplanes, reverse osmosis water purification, independent electrical generation systems, and a cell tower that provides phone and high-speed internet access. [7]
Ambergris Cay International Airport is located on the island. At 5,700 ft (1,700 m), it is the longest privately held airstrip in the Caribbean. [5] The flight time from the main airport in Turks and Caicos Islands, Providenciales International Airport (PLS), to Big Ambergris Cay is approximately 18 minutes. [8] The size of the airport allows the residents and guests to fly into the island with private airplanes.
The reefs are home to dolphins, tarpons, bonefish, turtles, conch, and Caribbean lobster. Reports from local fishermen indicate that green and hawksbill sea turtles nest on the island. [4]
The island is home to the native Turks and Caicos rock iguana (Cyclura carinata), which is critically endangered. The San Diego Zoo has an ongoing research study on the island's fauna. [9] The island also provides habitat for the Silver Key anole ( Anolis scriptus ), the Caicos least gecko ( Sphaerodactylus caicosensis ), and the Turks and Caicos curly-tailed lizard ( Leiocephalus psammodromus ) [10] The Caicos gecko ( Aristelliger hechti ) occurs on Little Ambergris Cay. [10]
Endemic to the Turks and Caicos Islands, silverbush ( Argythamnia argentea ), island heather ( Limonium bahamense ) and orchid ( Encyclia caicensis ) are plant species found on Ambergris. [11] Most importantly, the island is a significant habitat for Turk's Head Cacti (Melocactus), the cactus species from which the name of Turks and Caicos Islands derives. [12] The cactus is known for its similarity to the Turkish hat, Fez, and is therefore, called the 'Turk's Head or Cap'.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies. They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident population in July 2021 was put at 57,196, making it the third-largest of the British overseas territories by population. However, according to a Department of Statistics estimate in 2022, the population was 47,720.
Little Cayman is one of three Islands that make up the Cayman Islands. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 60 miles (96 km) northeast of East End, Grand Cayman and five miles (8 km) west of West End, Cayman Brac. Little Cayman is the least populous island of the three, with a permanent population of about 160 (2021) including seasonal residents/homeowners. The majority of the population are expatriate workers from Jamaica, the Philippines, and Honduras and from other Latin American countries as well as Canada, the USA, India, Australia, Scotland, England, and South Africa. There are a handful of local Caymanians estimated as fewer than 20. It is about 10 miles (16 km) long with an average width of 1 mile (1600 m) and most of the island is undeveloped. Almost the entire island is at sea level. The highest elevation is about 40 feet. The rainy season, which consists of mostly light showers, occurs in Mid-April until June and again in mid-September to mid-October. There will be occasional quick rain showers in the early morning hours. The coolest months are from End of November until Mid March as the cold fronts coming in from the North which the temperature can drop into the low'70s. The Hottest and dryest months are in Summer starting mid-June to mid-September with temperatures between the mid-80s and high 90s. There are no large or predatory or venomous animals that pose a threat to humans.
Grand Turk Island is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory, tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies. It is the largest island in the Turks Islands with 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). Grand Turk contains the territory's capital, Cockburn Town, and the JAGS McCartney International Airport. The island is the administrative, historic, cultural and financial centre of the territory and has the second-largest population of the islands at approximately 4,831 people in 2012.
Mayaguana is the easternmost island and district of The Bahamas. Its population was 277 in the 2010 census. It has an area of about 280 km2 (110 sq mi).
The Turks and Caicos rock iguana is a species of lizard endemic to the Turks and Caicos islands. This small iguana can reach 30 in (76 cm) and becomes mature at seven years and may live for twenty. A single clutch of up to nine eggs is laid each year, and these take three months to hatch. This iguana is mostly herbivorous, but supplements this by adding some animal matter to its diet.
Providenciales is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of 98 km2 (38 sq mi) and a 2012 Census population of 23,769. Providenciales is the third largest island in the Turks and Caicos in area, and is home to a large majority of the population of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
South Caicos is the seventh-largest island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago, with a land area of 21.2 square kilometres. South Caicos is known for excellent fishing, both deep-sea and bone fishing, and scuba diving. South Caicos was formerly a salt exporter, the island still hosts a network of salt pans as a reminder of the industry. Today, the island's main income is derived from small-scale commercial fishing.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are divided into five administrative districts, and the Island of Grand Turk; four of these are headed by District Commissioners, and Providenciales District is run by the Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Premier in Providenciales. The Island of Grand Turk is directly administered by the TCI Government.
West Caicos is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands southwest of Providenciales. West Caicos has an area of 11 square miles (28 km2), and has been uninhabited for over a century.
Tropidophis greenwayi is a nonvenomous dwarf boa species endemic to the Caicos Islands. Two subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Guana Island is an island of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in the Caribbean. One of the few remaining privately owned islands in its part of the world, Guana has seven white powder-sand beaches and 850 acres (3.4 km2) of tropical forest, mountains, hills, and valleys. The island is mostly natural preserve and has a small resort.
The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
Christopher James Gannon is a globally recognized figure in the fire service and emergency management industry and a former international footballer.
The fauna of the United States Virgin Islands consists of 144 species of birds, 22 species of mammals, 302 species of fish and 7 species of amphibians. The wildlife of the U.S.V.I. includes numerous endemic species of tropical birds, fish, and land reptiles as well as sea mammals. The only endemic land mammals are six species of native bats: the greater bulldog bat, Antillean fruit-eating bat, red fruit bat, Brazilian free-tailed bat, velvety free-tailed bat and the Jamaican fruit bat. Some of the nonnative land mammals roaming the islands are the white-tailed deer, small Asian mongoose, goats, feral donkeys, rats, mice, sheep, hogs, dogs and cats.
Caicos Express Airways is a passenger airline based in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The airline began charter flights in 2007 followed by scheduled services in 2011 from its hub at Providenciales, Turks & Caicos, to multiple domestic destinations. In December 2014, Caicos Express Airways began offering international flights to Haiti.
Aristelliger hechti, known commonly as Hecht's Caribbean gecko or the Caicos gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Caicos Islands.
Mona and Monito Islands Nature Reserve consists of two islands, Mona and Monito, in the Mona Passage off western Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. Mona and Monito Islands Nature Reserve encompasses both land and marine area, and with an area of 38,893 acres it is the largest protected natural area in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Much like the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, the Mona and Monito Islands reserve represents a living laboratory for archaeological, biological, geological, oceanographical and wildlife management research.