106
WORLD ATLAS OF CORAL REEFS
Turks and Caicos Islands
MAP Ad
The
Turks and Caicos Islands consist of two
archipelagos of limestone islands distributed
across the relatively small Turks Bank and the
much larger Caicos Bank, with an area of some 8 000
square kilometers. The margins of these are defined by
sharp "drop-offs" to deep oceanic water Geologically the
Turks and Caicos Islands are similar to the Bahamas,
consisting of oolitic limestone sediments, eolianite hills
and karst limestone cliffs on the windward shores. There
are three submerged banks to the southeast - the
Mouchoir, Silver (La Plata) and Navidad Banks, the last
two of which are claimed by the Dominican Republic.
The edges of the main banks are dominated by coral,
algae and gorgonian communities. Hard coral cover
averaged 18 percent in 1999, with 30 percent of the substrate being covered by the alga Microdictyon marinum,
and a low density (five per square meter) of soft corals.
There is true fringing reef along the southern tip of Long
Cay, the southern coast of South Caicos and the northern
coasts of Middle and North Caicos, and in many locations
this protects a lagoon with dense beds of seagrasses,
mainly Thalassia testudiniim and Syringodium fdiforme.
Diversity is high, with some 37 coral species and more
than 400 fish species recorded. Large patch reefs, some20 km
times several hundred meters in diameter, occur across the
Caicos Bank, which is mainly covered by sparse seagrass
and calcareous green algae. A number of coral diseases
Turks and Caicos Islands ^^
General Data
Population (thousands!
18
GDP (million US$1
na
Land area (km^l
491
Marine area (thousand km^j
153
Per capita fish consumption (kg/yearl
na
Status and Threats
Reefs at risk (%l
47
Recorded coral diseases
1
Biodiversity
Reef area (km^l
730
Coral diversity
29/57
Mangrove area (km^l
111
No. of mangrove species
5
No. of seagrass species
na
The Caicos Bank. Much of the central bank is dominated by sand, but there are also important seagrass and
mangrove communities ISTS050-82-98, 1992!.
WORLD ATLAS OF CORAL REEFS
Turks and Caicos Islands
MAP Ad
The
Turks and Caicos Islands consist of two
archipelagos of limestone islands distributed
across the relatively small Turks Bank and the
much larger Caicos Bank, with an area of some 8 000
square kilometers. The margins of these are defined by
sharp "drop-offs" to deep oceanic water Geologically the
Turks and Caicos Islands are similar to the Bahamas,
consisting of oolitic limestone sediments, eolianite hills
and karst limestone cliffs on the windward shores. There
are three submerged banks to the southeast - the
Mouchoir, Silver (La Plata) and Navidad Banks, the last
two of which are claimed by the Dominican Republic.
The edges of the main banks are dominated by coral,
algae and gorgonian communities. Hard coral cover
averaged 18 percent in 1999, with 30 percent of the substrate being covered by the alga Microdictyon marinum,
and a low density (five per square meter) of soft corals.
There is true fringing reef along the southern tip of Long
Cay, the southern coast of South Caicos and the northern
coasts of Middle and North Caicos, and in many locations
this protects a lagoon with dense beds of seagrasses,
mainly Thalassia testudiniim and Syringodium fdiforme.
Diversity is high, with some 37 coral species and more
than 400 fish species recorded. Large patch reefs, some20 km
times several hundred meters in diameter, occur across the
Caicos Bank, which is mainly covered by sparse seagrass
and calcareous green algae. A number of coral diseases
Turks and Caicos Islands ^^
General Data
Population (thousands!
18
GDP (million US$1
na
Land area (km^l
491
Marine area (thousand km^j
153
Per capita fish consumption (kg/yearl
na
Status and Threats
Reefs at risk (%l
47
Recorded coral diseases
1
Biodiversity
Reef area (km^l
730
Coral diversity
29/57
Mangrove area (km^l
111
No. of mangrove species
5
No. of seagrass species
na
The Caicos Bank. Much of the central bank is dominated by sand, but there are also important seagrass and
mangrove communities ISTS050-82-98, 1992!.