Turks and Caicos Fun Facts
TURQUOISE!
Our Waters are SOOO Turquoise! Did you know why? Water molecules absorb wavelengths from the sun and reflect blue while the other colors like red and yellow are absorbed. Deeper water has a deeper blue color, closer to navy, because light can’t reflect off the sea floor; in shallower waters especially with very light colored sand, this light is reflected, giving the blue a lighter turquoise color. It is the inspiration for our Turks in Turqs Collection!
Chalk Sound National Park on Turks and Caicos has even more turquoise hues due to this refraction of sunlight AND the fine white sand in the shallow waters, not to mention a fave place of JSquared!
Fun Fact: The color of water surrounding Turks and Caicos can be seen from the Space Station!
Even More Fun Fact: The first crewed orbital mission of the United States was launched with John Glenn piloting the Friendship 7 spacecraft in 1962. He orbited the Earth three times and finally splashed down in the vicinity of Grand Turk Island. Glenn was taken to Grand Turk, our capital, for several days for medical checkups.
TURKS AND CAICOS REEFS
Our reef system is said to be the third largest reef in the world and as a result a favorite place for divers and snorkelers from all around the planet.
Fun Fact: There are over 250 species of fish in our waters, and you’ll find even more facts visiting The Reef Fund. Feel free to Adopt a Coral while you’re there, they’ll even track the progress of your own piece of coral as it grows.
LOBSTER
Lobster is in season from mid August to April. Our lobsters are spiny lobsters meaning they don’t have claws like Maine lobster. They produce a screeching sound to keep predators away. If you go snorkeling you’ll often find them in the crevices of the reef.
CONCH
Conch (pronounced KONK) is by far the biggest export of Turks and Caicos and most of the exported conch comes from South Caicos. A conch takes about 4 years before they can be consumed. Conchs mate 9 times a year, between March and October. Female conchs lay an egg mass of 500,000 eggs however only one egg will grow to adulthood. Conch season is mid October to mid July.
Fun Fact: The Queen Conch is the inspiration for our beloved Conch-sciousness Collection!
JOJO THE DOLPHIN
Turks and Caicos has a national hero - JoJo the Dolphin! He’s big, 880 pounds and is approximately 10 feet long! JoJo has propeller scars on his back from getting too close to the boat while swimming in the boat wake. He’s been swimming the waters of Turks and Caicos since the early 1980s and has been a pillar for marine conservation.
Fun Fact: JoJo likes to scratch his back on an anchor’s rope, we've had first hand experience watching him live!
FLAMINGOS
Flamingos mostly hang on North Caicos at a place called Flamingo Pond. You won't be able to get up close to them so bring binocs. They have also been spotted on the Golf Course in Providenciales.
Fun fact: a flock of flamingos is called a “flamboyance”. These special birds are the inspiration for our Frank the Flamingo necklace!
POTCAKES
If you hear the term “Potcake” it refers to our local breed of dog also found in the Bahamas and on other Caribbean islands. The name potcake comes from the burnt peas and rice mixture that congeals to the bottom of the pan, this mixture was fed to the dogs. Potcakes are owned by many people and in a lot of cases people have many potcakes! They are also stray dogs that have no home. They are lovely dogs, protective, have smooth coats, cocked long ears, and long faces. Super cute!
Fun Fact: You can walk a potcake puppy on the beach! You simply visit Potcake Place at 8:30 am (call ahead to make sure they have puppies!) get your puppy and take them for a walk. You can also visit the TCSPCA in advance of your trip here to see if they need couriers to take puppies off island to their new furever homes. JSquared does it every time we leave the island and it’s wonderful!
Even More Fun Fact: Potcakes are the inspiration for our Potcake Love Collection coming soon!
WRECKAGE
There is a huge stuck ship named La Famille Express off of Long Bay Beach where you’ll find world class kite boarding on Providenciales. During Hurricane Frances in 2004 high winds dragged the ship and anchor from South Dock where all of the ships drop off cargo to where it is now, 12 miles away!
There is also a twin prop airplane that crashed into Chalk Sound in the early 1970’s. Over time it has formed a coral reef. It’s now it’s home to many marine life species!
In the 1800’s an illegal Spanish slave ship named Trouvadore sunk off the coast of East Caicos. All 192 slaves and 20 crew survived. 168 of the “Trouvadore Africans” were sent to Grand Turk who increased the population by 7%.
Fun Fact: If you go to Grand Turk make sure you check out the Turks and Caicos Museum for more of our amazing history!
WILDLIFE
Turks and Caicos is home to lots of wildlife! You'll find herds of goats wandering the Lower Bight, they walk single file on the sidewalks. You'll find chickens just walking around settlements. There are large pigs walking along the streets in some areas. There are tons of ferrel cats around all of the resorts and restaurants. Large white egrets and Blue Heron love to snack on lizards. You'll see large ospreys with a 60" wingspan and pelicans diving into the water to catch their prey.
Fun Fact: Iguana Island (AKA Little Water Cay) is a small beautiful island gotten to by boat and it is home to the endangered rock Iguanas which are currently tagged and monitored.
MORE ABOUT THE ISLANDS
A Cay (pronounced key) also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are named after the Turk's head cactus (Melocactus), and the Lucayan term caya hico, meaning 'string of islands'.
The flag of the Turks and Caicos Islands features a blue ensign with the Union flag, and the coat of arms of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The coat of arms, is a yellow shield which has a conch shell, spiny lobster and a Turks Head cactus.
The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands. There are 40 islands that make up Turks and Caicos, but only 8 are inhabited. They include Providenciales being the largest population, Grand Turk, North & Middle Caicos, South Caicos, Salt Cay, Pine Cay, Parrot Cay and Ambergis Cay.
Fun fact: You’ll find donkeys walking the streets of Grand Turk!
Cruise ships are not allowed in Providenciales, only Grand Turk. 1.5 million tourists visit Turks and Caicos each year, 1 million of them go to Grand Turk on a cruise.
The government sponsors farms on North & Middle Caicos that grows vegetables like cucumbers, peppers, bananas, beans, lettuce and tomatoes.
The government of Turks and Caicos uses the term “Belonger” or "Islander" which simply means that one is free from immigration restrictions in relation to the amount of time you can stay in the islands. It also means you can work freely. Some locals don’t like this term because they feel they do not “belong” to anyone. Many people like the term Turks Islander or Islander.
BEER HERE!
There are few things that Turks and Caicos produces and one of them is our yummy beer with nifty fun names. What do those crazy names of the Turks Head Beer mean?
- Gon Ta Nort - It ain’t just amazing amber ale from Turks Head Brewery it also means you’re “going to North Caicos” to do something cool.
- I Soon Reach - Anyone on island is notorious for being late… you’ll often hear locals saying “I soon reach” which means I “might” be getting in my car now to meet you!
- Ain Ga Lie - Does this need an explanation? “Ain Ga Lie, this beer is tasty!”
- Down Da Road - When someone is “Down Da Road” they’re at least 20 minutes away from “reaching”.