Cockburn Town is the capital and seat of the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. This small coastal settlement is located on the western side of Grand Turk, the second most populated island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Providenciales is the third largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands chain and the center of tourist activity. Better known as Provo, the 38-square-mile island is home to Grace Bay Beach, which received the Best Beach in the World award year after year from several travel and tourism publications.
Your vacation experience will begin with your arrival at Providenciales International Airport and you can choose to stay in one of the many ultra-luxurious villas, resorts and hotels across the island. The Turks and Caicos Islands experienced rapid economic growth in the two decades between the mid-1980s and the beginning of the 21st century, which was reflected in an average annual increase of 8 percent in its gross domestic product (GDP) during that period.
Although the center was formerly the undisputed hub of activity in Providenciales, Grace Bay has now seen more development and the central Grace Bay area is likely to become the closest thing to a “city center” on the island. Alternatively, some historians argue that the islands had been uninhabited until the time when the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León arrived in 1512; in any case, Ponce de León found the islands almost uninhabited by natives. Due to the low elevation, the center is susceptible to flooding, both due to heavy rains and hurricane tides. For a time in the 1960s and 1970s, the islands were under the control of the Bahamas, but with the independence of the Bahamas (197), the Turks and Caicos Islands were placed under a British governor in Grand Turk.
