The Turks and Caicos Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the Caribbean. The two island groups are in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Bahamas, north of Haiti, and 575 miles from Miami. The territory is geographically part of the Bahamas, but not politically. The thirty islands total 166 sq mi (430 sq km), primarily of low, flat limestone with extensive marshes and mangrove swamps. The weather is usually sunny and relatively dry, but suffers frequent hurricanes. The islands have limited natural fresh water resources; private cisterns collect rainwater for drinking.
