The Bahamas, known officially as the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is a country within the Lucayan Archipelago. The archipelagic state consists of more than 700 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, and is located north of Cuba and Hispaniola, northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, southeast of the U.S. state of Florida, and east of the Florida Keys. The capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence. The designation of "the Bahamas" can refer either to the country or to the larger island chain that it shares with the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force describes the Bahamas territory as encompassing 470,000 km2 (180,000 sq mi) of ocean space.
Michael Eugene Misick is the former chief minister of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 15 August 2003 to 9 August 2006 and was the first Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands from 9 August 2006 to 23 March 2009. Misick is a member of the liberal Progressive National Party (PNP), and became chief minister when his party, after eight years as the opposition party, gained two parliamentary seats in by-elections. In addition to being premier, he was also the minister for Civil Aviation, Commerce and Development, Planning, District Administration, Broadcasting Commission, Tourist Board, Turks and Caicos Investment Agency, and Tourism. Several other members of Misick's family have been politicians in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and important leaders in the PNP. Washington Misick, his brother, is a former Chief Minister and currently Minister of Finance, following elections in November 2012, in which the PNP returned to power.
Before European colonization, the Turks and Caicos Islands were inhabited by Taino and Lucayan peoples. The first recorded European sighting of the islands now known as the Turks and Caicos occurred in 1512. In the subsequent centuries, the islands were claimed by several European powers with the British Empire eventually gaining control. For many years the islands were governed indirectly through Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the islands received their own governor, and have remained a separate autonomous British Overseas Territory since. In August 2009, the United Kingdom suspended the Turks and Caicos Islands' self-government following allegations of ministerial corruption. Home rule was restored in the islands after the November 2012 elections.
The music of Turks and Caicos Islands is best known for its ripsaw music. It is accompanied by an array of instruments, including maracas, triangles, box guitar, conga drums, goat and cowskin drums, accordion, concertina and, most prominently and uniquely, the carpenter saw.
The Turks and Caicos Islands national football team is the national team of the Turks and Caicos Islands and is controlled by the Turks and Caicos Islands Football Association.
Politics of the Turks and Caicos Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency, whereby as of August 9, 2006 the Premier is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. The islands are an internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom. The United Nations Committee on Decolonization includes the Turks and Caicos Islands on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Legislative Council.
The Turks and Caicos rock iguana is a species of lizard endemic to the Turks and Caicos islands. This small iguana can reach 30 cm (12 in) 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.
The Newport Daily News is an six-day daily newspaper serving Newport County, Rhode Island. It publishes in the mornings on weekdays and in the morning on Saturdays. The Daily News was the state's largest family-owned newspaper until it was purchased by Gatehouse Media in 2017.
Bahamian Creole is an English-based creole language spoken mainly in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.
The potcake dog is a mixed-breed dog type found on several Caribbean islands. Its name comes from the congealed peas and rice mixture that local residents traditionally eat, as the rice that cakes to the bottom of the pot would go to the dogs. Although appearance varies, potcakes generally have smooth coats, cocked ears, and long faces. A group of potcakes is known as a parliament.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Turks and Caicos Islands:
Salt Cay Airport is the public airport serving Salt Cay, the second largest of the Turks Islands in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It closed on 26 June 2017 because of safety concerns with the runway and other infrastructure.
General elections were held in Turks and Caicos Islands on 9 November 2012. The PNP won the election, winning eight seats with the PDM winning seven. The PNP won most of its seats by narrow margins over the PDM, while the PDM won its seats by wide margins over the PNP, with the result that despite winning fewer seats and thereby losing the election, the PDM garnered more overall votes nationwide.
The Constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands, in its present form, was passed in 2011.
Sharlene Linette Cartwright-Robinson JP is a Turks and Caicos Islands politician and lawyer who is the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands. She is the territory's first female premier. She was also the first woman to become first, deputy head, and then, head of the People's Democratic Movement (PDM).
The Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands was originally established in 1861 as the Diocese of Nassau. Retitled the Diocese of Nassau and The Bahamas in 1942 it is now known as the Diocese of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is a Church in the Province of the West Indies.
Josephine Olivia Connolly is a businesswoman and an elected member of the Turks and Caicos islands parliament. In December 2016 she won her all island seat for the second time and was appointed Minister Of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services.
Paula-Mae Weekes is the 6th and current President of Trinidad and Tobago. She took office on 19 March 2018 and became the first woman to hold the office of President.
