Middle Caicos, is the largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To the west, it is separated from North Caicos by Juniper Hole, and to the east, from East Caicos by Lorimer Creek, both narrow passages that can accommodate only small boats.
Middle Caicos has an area of 144.2 km² within the high water mark, and of 294.1 km² within the shoreline. The difference between the two values is not accounted for as land area. The population was estimated at 468 in 2006.
It is a very lush island suitable for agriculture. From medicinal herbs to majestic fruit trees, Cassava, okra and Guava, Tamarinds, Sapidillas and Sugar Apples are all grown.
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Middle Caicos houses the largest above ground caves in all of the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos. The caves of Conch Bar were formed by an erosion of limestone.
Evidence of Lucayan sites on Middle Caicos, date back to the early 1400’s. A very important Lucayan settlement was excavated in 1978 on Middle Caicos. The site contains a Taino ball court which is unknown elsewhere in the Lucayan islands. Several archeological expeditions have unearthed fossils and facts that lead to the belief that this island was once an epicenter for these ancient Indian tribes.
The most renowned site, can be accessed by a 2 hour hike to an interior lake region.
A great deal of evidence has been unearthed to prove that the Lucayans inhabited many of the caves with which the Caicos abound. It is now generally accepted that these caves were used primarily as places of worship and secondarily as shelters during hurricanes. It was not until the persecution by the Spaniards commenced, after the arrival of Columbus, that the Lucayans began to employ them as permanent abodes. Frequently the mouths of these caves are very hard to find, owing to the dense undergrowth, consequently they would have made ideal places of refuge. A considerable number of implements were found in the Caicos Islands, which are typical of the Lucayan Stone Age. |
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