| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands
abbreviation: TCI |
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| Government type | NA |
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| Capital | name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October |
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| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
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| National holiday | Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) |
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| Constitution | Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9 August 2006) |
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| Legal system | based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas |
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| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
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| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Richard TAUWHARE (since 11 July 2005)
head of government: Premier Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003); note - the office of premier was created in the 2006 constitution
cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the House of Assembly, and the attorney general
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor |
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| Legislative branch | unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats of which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 9 February 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 60%, PDM 40%; seats by party - PNP 13, PDM 2 |
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| Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
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Political parties
and leaders | People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Floyd SEYMOUR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK] |
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Political pressure
groups and leaders | NA |
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International organization
participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU |
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| Flag description | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus |
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