Turks & Caicos Islands, located in the West Indies at the eastern end of Bahamas, is a British colony. The islands were discovered by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1512, but not settled until 1678 by the British. They were annexed by Jamaica in 1873 and remained a dependency until 1959 when they became a unit territory of the Federation of West Indies. When the Federation was dissolved in 1962, the Turks and Caicos Islands became a separate crown colony with its economy based on the U. S. dollars which is currently in circulation. For a more detailed country profile, see CIA World Factbook on Turks & Caicos Islands.
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