GRAND TURK ISLAND

A view of the southwestern beach at Grand Turk. This is currently the cruise ship dock, all of the other beaches are serene and very unpopulated

'Grand Turk Island' is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is the largest island in the Turks Islands (not the Caicos) with 18 square kilometres. It contains the territory's capital, Cockburn Town. The island is the administrative, historic, cultural and financial center of the country, and has the second largest population of the islands at approximately 3,720 people.
Grand Turk gained international attention in 1962 when John Glenn's ''Friendship 7'' Mercury spacecraft landed in the vicinity of Grand Turk Island off the southeast shoreline. The ''Friendship 7'' is still on display in Grand Turk at the entrance to the airport.
The name comes from a species of cactus on the island, which have a distintive cap, reminiscient of a Turkish fez.
It is said to be the landfall island of Christopher Columbus during his discovery of the New World in 1492.

Contents
External links

External links


Grandturk.tc
Grand Turk Chamber of Commerce

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