Turks and Caicos discovery

[Michaeltci]

Who actually discovered the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean? Was it Columbus or Ponce de Leon?

[jennymac]

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS History and Government History: None of the Arawak Indians, who occupied the islands when Columbus first discovered them, survived the 16th century. Until the 19th century, the islands were a source of salt for the American mainland, with slaves being used as labour. During the 19th century, control of the islands changed hands several times. In 1962, having been a Jamaican dependency for some 75 years, the Turks & Caicos Islands became a separate British Colony � a status that it retains to this day.