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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands
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Dependency status:
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overseas territory of the UK
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Government type:
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NA
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Capital:
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Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
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Administrative divisions:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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Independence:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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National holiday:
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Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
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Constitution:
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introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988
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Legal system:
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based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor
head of government: Chief Minister Derek H. TAYLOR (since 31 January 1995)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats, of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%; seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August 2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now has 5
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court
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Political parties and leaders:
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People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Washington MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau)
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (overseas territory of the UK)
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Flag description:
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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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