TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI;) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies. They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident population was 31,458 as of 2012 of whom 23,769 live on Providenciales in the Caicos Islands; July 2020 estimates put the population at 55,926. It is the third largest of the British overseas territories by population. The Turks and Caicos Islands lie southeast of Mayaguana in The Bahamas island chain, northeast of Cuba, and north of the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). Cockburn Town, the capital since 1766, is situated on Grand Turk Island about 1,042 kilometres (647 mi) east-southeast of Miami, United States. The islands have a total land area of 430 square kilometres.

The Turks and Caicos Islands were inhabited for centuries by native Amerindian peoples. The first recorded European sighting of the islands occurred in 1512. In the subsequent centuries, the islands were claimed by several European powers, with the British Empire eventually gaining control. For many years the islands were governed indirectly through Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the islands received their own governor, and have remained a separate autonomous British Overseas Territory since. The Turks and Caicos Islands are named after the Turk's cap cactus (Melocactus intortus), and the Lucayan term caya hico, meaning 'string of islands'.

There is no postal delivery in the Turks and Caicos; mail is picked up at one of four post offices on each of the major islands. Mail is transported three or seven times a week, depending on the destination. The Post Office is part of the territory's government and reports to the Minister of Government Support Services. The first stamp of the Turks Islands was issued on 4 April 1867 and was the one penny red. The stamp was reissued numerous times, surcharged to create new values between 1/2 penny and 4 pence. The first stamp of the Turks and Caicos Islands were issued on 10 November 1900. The islands became a Crown Colony in 1962 and the first stamps issued under the new status were the Freedom from Hunger omnibus issue of 4 June 1963. From 1981 to 1985 overprinted stamps marked Caicos Islands were issued but they are of doubtful validity.

These covers sent by Denise, posted on August 31, 2016 and I received  on September 20, 2016.