Grand Turk is the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Turks and Caicos Islands are in the Atlantic Ocean. These islands are approximately 575 miles southeast of Miami, Florida. Grand Turk is 6 miles long and 1 mile wide.

The map above shows the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Caicos Islands are larger and more numerous than the Turks Islands. The Caicos Islands are to the west, and the Turks Islands are to the east. These two island groups are separated by a deep ocean trench. This trench is the Turks Islands Passage. The trench is 30 miles wide and over 7000 feet deep! This trench is a great place to see many oceanic creatures. In the springtime, whales migrate through the Turks Islands Passage.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a colony of Great Britain. The capital city of Grand Turk is Cockburn Town.

During the 1998-1999 school year, ReefNews took a long journey to Grand Turk and saw many marine creatures, dove into the great Turks Island Passage barely 1/4 mile west of the west coast, and saw a beach which may have been Columbus's first landing place in the New World. We also visited the Turks and Caicos National Museum to see the remains of a mysterious shipwreck that is nearly 500 years old. Was this one of Columbus's ships?

Tropical Sunsets	Imperial Lighthouse
Sandy Beaches	Island Wildlife

ReefNews Facts about Grand Turk:
   Columbus Landfall National Park
   A Parade on National Heroes Day

ReefNews Grand Turk marine life:

A friendly Nassau Grouper named Alexander	Orange Barrel Sponge at Tunnels	A Black Jack cruises over McDonald's Reef
A Trumpetfish stalks its prey in front of a wall of animals	Christmas Tree Worms are common at Black Forest Reef	Flamingo Tongue Snails are predators of coral polyps
Adolescent Blue Tang at Tunnels	Adult Blue Tang at Conch Bar Reef	Adult Blue Tang at Night at The Library