Grand Turk Island
Grand Turk 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 (the smaller of the two archipelagos that make up the island territory) 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.
Grand Turk as seen from the air, from midway on the island and looking south. The large reddish area is a remnant salina, a local name for the artificial ponds used to extract salt from sea water through evaporation. | |
The location of Grand Turk within the Turks and Caicos Islands | |
Grand Turk Grand Turk | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 21°28′20″N 71°08′20″W |
| Archipelago | Lucayan Archipelago |
| Area | 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
United Kingdom | |
| British Overseas Territory | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| Largest settlement | Cockburn Town |
| Monarch | Charles III |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 4,831 (2012) |
| Pop. density | 206.67/km2 (535.27/sq mi) |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone |
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| • Summer (DST) |
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| ISO code | TC |
The name comes from a species of cactus on the island, the Turk's cap cactus (Melocactus intortus), which has a distinctive cap, reminiscent of an Ottoman fez.