Location: Grand Turk is one of the islands that form the Turks and Caicos archipelago, located 575 miles southeast of Miami, Florida, and 30 miles south of the Bahamas.

Size: The Island is 7 miles long and 1.5 miles wide.

Climate: The average temperature ranges between 85-90 degrees (29-32 degrees Celsius) from June to Oct., sometimes reaching the mid 90's (35 degrees Celsius), especially in the late summer months. From Nov. to May the average temperature is 80-84 degrees (27-29 degrees Celsius). A constant trade wind keeps the climate at a very comfortable level. In an average year, Grand Turk has 350 days of sunshine.

Population: Approximately 3,700 inhabitants make Grand Turk their home.

Language: The island's primary language is English. There are certain phrases that vary from the English language and certain terms that give a Turks & Caicos flavor to the spoken word.

Currency: The U.S. dollar is the official currency of the Island. Most hotels, restaurants and shops accept cash and traveler's checks.  All stores at the cruise center accept credit cards. ATM's are available and the closest one to the cruise center is less than 1 mile.

Time: Grand Turk is on EST. Daylight Savings Time is observed from March to November.

Hurricane Ike Update(July 2009):

On September 7, 2008 Category 4 Hurricane Ike made landfall on Grand Turk. The 145+ mph winds and the eye  wall wreaked havoc throughout the island severely damaging over 80 % of the homes and businesses as well as destroying the electrical grid. To add insult to injury, several days prior to Ike, the island was battered by both Tropical Storm & Hurricane Hanna.

The recovery for Grand Turk has been very slow. There is still a lot of noticeable damage especially in the less traveled areas. Most of the recovery done to-date has been accomplished by individuals with little or no help from any local or outside sources.

Unfortunately, one can still see ragged tents scattered around the island and many structures still under repair. The main roads are all clear and safe to travel, however one will still see many damaged structures and piles of debris.

The Grand Turk Cruise Center has been fully operational since October 8, 2008.