- West Caicos
West Caicos is an island in the
Turks and Caicos Islands . West Caicos has an area of convert|11|sqmi|km2|0, and has been uninhabited for over a century. The island is home to the 500 acre (2 km²) Lake Catherine, a protected wildlife reserve, filled with pink roseate flamingoes, humpback whales, manta rays, sea turtles and other indigenous wildlife.In the 1890s, West Caicos was cleared for
sisal plantations, which was a major crop of theTurks and Caicos Islands . On the island are the ruins of Yankee Town, which was the of centre of industry on the island. Remains of a railroad still exist.At least two attempts have been made to purchase the entire island. The first was made by Dominican dictator
Rafael Leónidas Trujillo , his intent was to use it as a hideaway. However, he was assassinated before the purchase was made. In 1972, an oil company tried to purchase the island to build a refinery, and built an airstrip. The deal was not made, and the airstrip remains to this day.A new effort appears to be well underway to develop the island into a private high-end resort reserve, billing itself as 'West Caicos Reserve'. This effort is apparently targeted toward high net worth individuals, as it is integrated with an exclusive 125 room
Ritz-Carlton Resort/Spa and Marina. The anticipated opening of this community is mid-2008.The West Caicos
seawall drops off to over 7,000 feet. Several different sea creatures live in these depths, from eagle rays to humpback whales.External links
* [http://www.turksandcaicos.tc/westcaicos/] - West Caicos at TCI Mall
* [http://www.westcaicosreserve.com/V2/] - 'West Caicos Reserve', a Ritz Carlton development scheme
* [http://www.molassesreef.com] - Molasses Reef, a Ritz Carlton Reserve
* [http://www.molassesreef.blogspot.com] - Real-Estate on West Caiocs
* [http://www-westcaicos.blogspot.com] - Property on West Caicos
* [http://www.ritz-carlton-reserve.blogspot.com] - Luxury Residences on West Caicos
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.