South Caicos is the seventh largest island in the Turks and Caicos islands archipelago, with a land area of 21.2 km² (8 sq mi). The population was estimated at 1579 in 2006. Together with uninhabited East Caicos

East Caicos

East Caicos is the fourth largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To the west, it is separated from Middle Caicos by Lorimer Creek, a narrow passage that can accommodate only small boats. To the south is South Caicos....

 and a number of smaller islands, it forms the South Caicos and East Caicos District, with a total area of 136.8 km² (53 sq mi). All islands in the east and south of Caicos Bank belong to this district, except French Cay, which belongs to Providenciales

Providenciales

Providenciales is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The island has an area of and an approximate population of 15,542, making it the largest island in population and the third largest in area. It is served by the Providenciales International Airport...

 and West Caicos

West Caicos

West Caicos is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. West Caicos has an area of , and has been uninhabited for over a century. The island is home to the 500 acre Lake Catherine, a protected wildlife reserve, filled with pink roseate flamingoes, manta rays, sea turtles and other indigenous...

. The larger ones of these islands are McCartney Cay (11.4 km²), Little Ambergris Cay (6.6 km²), Big Ambergris Cay (4.3 km²), and Long Cay (immediately south of South Caicos, 1.0 km²). Between South Cacios and the Amgergris Cays are the Six Hill Cays (0.0914 km²)n and the Fish Cays (0.1044 km²). South of the Ambergris Cays are Bush Cay (0.0814 km²), Seal Cays, Pear Cay (0.0138 km²), Shot Cay (0.0004 km²), White Cay (0.0343 km²), South Rock, Whale Breaker, and Swimmer Rock (submerged), and southwest, West Sand Spit (submerged).

There are four communities:

• Cockburn Harbour
  Cockburn Harbour
  Cockburn Harbour is a settlement in the Turks and Caicos. It is the largest community on the island of South Caicos, with some 811 people. It has the best natural harbour of the Caicos Islands, and was once an important centre for regional trade and a major exporter of salt. Today its main...
  
   (the district capital), pop. 811
• Out North, pop. 706
• The Flat, pop. contained in Out North
• Highlands, pop. 62

South Caicos is known for excellent fishing, both deep sea and bone fishing, and scuba diving

Scuba diving

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

. Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

's School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies is located in Cockburn Harbour and focuses on marine ecology and natural resource management

Resource management

In organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or information technology...

. The Annual South Caicos Regatta is a large celebration that features island-wide parties, boat races, and other games. Currently, tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

is virtually nonexistent on South Caicos.