| Turks and Caicos |  |  |
| Basic facts |
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| The country | |
| Map |  |
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| Capital: Cockburn Town (on Grand Turk) |
| Area: 430 sq km |
| Population: 18,122 (July 2001 est.) |
| Urbanisation: arable land: 2 per cent, other: 98 per cent (1993 est.) |
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Economy
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Exports: lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
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Industry: tourism, fishing, offshore financial services
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Agriculture: corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits, fish
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Currency: 1 United States dollar, consisting of 100 cents
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Natural resources: spiny lobster, conch
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The people
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Ethnic: Black
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Language: English (official)
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Religion: Baptist 41.2 per cent, Methodist 18.9 per cent, Anglican 18.3 per cent, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.7 per cent, other 19.9 per cent
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The history
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Independence: The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands are presently a British overseas territory.
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Government: None (overseas territory of the UK (federation of United Kingdom colonies)
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