Providenciales

Providenciales (known locally as Provo) is an island in the northwest Caicos Islands, part of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British Overseas Territory. The island has an area of 98 km² (38 sq mi) and had a population of 23,769 as of 2012, the latest date for which an island-by-island census was published by the government. Providenciales is the third largest island in the Turks and Caicos in area, and is home to a majority of the population of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The island is served by the Providenciales International Airport.

There is no public transportation on the island.

As recently as 1964, Providenciales did not have a single wheeled vehicle. Roads, water, telephones, and electricity were also absent. The original developer, Provident, Ltd, had shuttle flights from Florida (for a real estate buying program) two times a week in a World War II DC-3 plane and the only hotel was the Third Turtle Inn built by them in 1967.

Providenciales is the most tourist-oriented and developed of the Turks and Caicos Islands, boasting many resort hotels and an 18-hole golf course. The island has recently become popular with retirees from around the world, kindling a boom of residential development. Grace Bay has seen many luxury condos built on its shores.^{[citation needed]}

The island is close to a common migration route for the humpback whale. Providenciales is surrounded by uninhabited cays that are easily reached by chartered boat or excursion.

The resorts on Providenciales are primarily centred on 5 mi (8 km) long Grace Bay. Apart from the beaches, the island's charm lies in its rugged hills and ridges, which are carpeted with prickly pear cactus and scrub.

Long Bay Beach, on the southern, windward side of the island is still largely undeveloped save for a large luxury resort on the northern tip of the beach. Due to its steady wind and relatively isolated location, Long Bay Beach is rapidly becoming a kiteboarding destination in the Caribbean.