The two island groups are in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Bahamas, north of Hispaniola, and 914 km from Miami, at 21°45′N, 71°35′W. The territory is geographically part of the Bahamas, but is politically a separate entity. The Caicos Islands are separated by the Caicos Passage from the closest Bahaman islands, Mayaguana and Great Inagua.

The eight main islands and more than 20 smaller islands have a total land area of 616.3 km², primarily of low, flat limestone with extensive marshes and mangrove swamps and 230 miles of beach front. The weather is usually sunny and relatively dry, but suffers frequent hurricanes. The islands have limited natural fresh water resources; private cisterns collect rainwater for drinking. The primary natural resources are spiny lobster, conch and other shellfish. The United Nations Committee on Decolonisation includes the Turks and Caicos Islands on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.

The two distinct island groups are separated by the Turks Passage.

Caicos Islands

The Caicos Islands, separated from the closest Bahaman islands, Mayaguana and Great Inagua, by the Caicos Passage, are the larger group, with almost 96 percent of the land area (589.5 km²) and 82 percent of the population (26,584 out of a total of 33,302 in 2006). The spatial arrangement of the islands around the large Caicos Bank (roughly 3700 km²) resembles an Atoll, with the six large islands in the west, north and east, and a few tiny reefs and cays in the south. The unofficial capital of the Caicos Islands is the village of Kew on North Caicos. There is no official capital because the island group is not an administrative unit. The Caicos Islands encompass four of the six administrative districts of the territory. Four of the six main islands are inhabited, plus two of the smaller islands:

Main islands, from West to East, with population estimates of 2006:

  • West Caicos (uninhabited since the early 1900s)
  • Providenciales (main urban center, with most of the population: 22 542)
  • North Caicos (population 1 895)
  • Middle Caicos (population 468)
  • East Caicos (uninhabited since the early 1900s)
  • South Caicos (population 1 579)
  • Ambergris Cay (uninhabited up until 1997)

Inhabited smaller islands, in the Caicos Cays between Providenciales and North Caicos:

  • Pine Cay (tourist resort, population 30)
  • Parrot Cay (tourist resort, population 100)

The Caicos Islands make up four of the six districts of the territory.

Turks Islands

The Turks Islands, separated from the Caicos Islands by Turks Island Passage, are a chain that stretches north-south. The total area is 26.7 km², with an estimated population of 5 753. There are two main islands, which are the only inhabited ones of the group:

  • Grand Turk (with the capital of the territory, population 5 567)
  • Salt Cay (population 186)

Together with nearby islands, those two main islands form the two of the six administrative districts of the territory that fall within the Turks Islands.

 Mouchoir Bank

25 km east of the Turks Islands and separated from them by Mouchoir Passage, is Mouchoir Bank. Although it is submerged with a least depth of 1.8 m, and has no emergent cays or islets, it is part of the Turks and Caicos Islands and falls within its EEZ. Two banks further east, Silver Bank and Navidad Bank, are geographically a continuation, but belong politically to the Dominican Republic.