Caicos Republic

Caicos is part of Commonwealth Lucaya

Caicos Republic
Constituent Republic of Vekllei
Part of the Lucayan Commonwealth
Capital	Grand Turk
Population	280,448
Area	948 km²
Languages	English, Arawakan, Lucayan
Vekllei Accession	1930, as part of the Alford Agreement

The Caicos Republic is a constituent republic of Vekllei at the southern end of the Lucayan archipelago. It comprises 8 major cays, and many smaller islets and reefs. All its islands are formed by coral and are low-lying with a tropical savannah climate. It is also the driest republic in the Commonwealth Lucaya. Together, the Caicos islands form a fringe of reefs and islets on the periphery of the Lucayan archipelago, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Several of the islands are uninhabited, and only two are home to major settlements, including the capital of Grand Turk in the east.

Caicos is home to native Caribs known as Oriental Tainos, who occupied the islands periodically prior to European discovery. They form about two-fifths of the population today. The rest of Caicos Islanders are mostly of English and African ancestry, descended from British royalists and their slaves who fled there during the American Revolution. Like much of the Commonwealth Lucaya, colonisation of Caicos by Spain and then the UK involved the enslavement of natives and transported Africans, who in Caicos mostly worked in the salt and cotton industries. Historically there was considerable animosity between whites and blacks on the island, though desegregation and reconciliation programmes have helped mix communities and reduce disparities in health and education.

The Taino people have a reputation for being loyal and skilled warriors, and were used by the British Empire as soldiers throughout the 19th Century and in both world wars. This military tradition persists today, and Tainos are overrepresented in both the Territorial Services and Marine Services. Four components of the 12th and 16th Rifles divisions are stationed at Fort Orient on Salt Cay, just south of the capital. They are well regarded by federal staff and many form part of the Commonwealth commando units.

There is little arable land and a severe shortage of fresh water in Caicos, and so much of its local agriculture takes place in hydroponic greenhouses. It has desalination plants in both Grand Turk and Provo to provide fresh water, but the peripheral islands rely mostly on water tanks and rain catchment. Fishing is a common pastime, and the conch salad is the local delicacy.

In the postwar period as part of Vekllei, Caicos has become an important outpost for the Territorial Services, which maintains a number of secure facilities and training grounds across its islands. Federalisation has also brought with it a new professional class involved in education and the civil service, living mostly in Grand Turk and Provo. As such, the differences in lifestyle between the Caicos cities and its small island communities is quite dramatic, and many young people relocate there or elsewhere in Vekllei seeking excitement and opportunity. Many end up in the army.

Both cities have airports capable of receiving jets, and Provo is connected to its neighbouring cays by a rail line that passes over iconic trestle bridges. The cities are connected by hydrofoil, but transport to the peripheral cays is irregular and performed by local ferries and private charter. Grand Turk is a highly developed city and has comprehensive tram network. It is also home to a campus of the Commonwealth University of the West Indies.