Everything about Trinidad And Tobago totally explained
The
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an
archipelagic state in the southern
Caribbean, lying northeast of the
South American nation of
Venezuela and south of
Grenada in the
Lesser Antilles. It also shares maritime boundaries with
Barbados to the northeast and
Guyana to the southeast. The country covers an area of 5,128 square kilometers (1,979
sq mi) and consists of two main islands,
Trinidad and
Tobago, and
21 smaller islands. Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the main islands; Tobago is much smaller, comprising about 6% of the total area and 4% of the population. The nation lies outside the
hurricane belt.
Officially Trinidadians or Tobagonians, the people from Trinidad and Tobago are often informally referred to as
Trinbagonians or
Trinis (for Trinidadians). Unlike most of the English-speaking Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago is a primarily industrialised country whose economy is based on
petroleum and
petrochemicals. Trinidad and Tobago is famous for its pre-
Lenten
Carnival and as the birthplace of
steelpan,
calypso,
soca, and
limbo.
The capital city,
Port of Spain, is currently a leading candidate (along with
Miami) to serve as the headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat of the
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA-ALCA). Trinidad and Tobago is also a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations.
History
Tobago’s cigar-like shape gave it its Spanish name (cabaco, tavaco, tobacco) and possibly its Amerindian names of Aloubaéra (black conch) and Urupaina (big snail) (Boomert, 2000). Historian E.L. Joseph claimed that Trinidad’s Amerindian name was Iere derived from the Amerindian name for hummingbird ierèttê or yerettê. However, Boomert claims that Cairi or Caeri doesn't mean hummingbird and tukusi or tucuchi does. Others have reported that
Kairi or
Iere simply meant island.
Both Trinidad and Tobago were originally settled by
Amerindians of South American origin. Trinidad was first settled by pre-agricultural Archaic people at least 7,000 years ago, A history of
slavery and
indentureship has left the country with a mixture of
African,
Indian,
European,
Middle Eastern and
Chinese people. All these groups have left an imprint on the national culture, and there's an increasingly high percentage of
mixed-race people. Trinidad and Tobago became an independent nation (from the
United Kingdom) in 1962 and a republic in 1976.
Meanwhile, Tobago changed hands between
British,
French,
Dutch and
Courlanders from modern-day
Latvia. Britain consolidated its hold on both islands during the
Napoleonic Wars, and they were combined into the
colony of Trinidad and Tobago in 1889. As a result of these colonial struggles, Amerindian, Spanish, French and English
place names are all common in the country.
African slaves and
Chinese,
Indian, and free African
indentured labourers, as well as
Portuguese from Madeira, arrived to supply labour in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Emigration from
Barbados and the other Lesser Antilles,
Venezuela,
Syria, and
Lebanon also impacted on the ethnic make-up of the country.
The presence of
American military bases in
Chaguaramas and
Cumuto in Trinidad during
World War II profoundly changed the character of society. In the post-war period, the wave of
decolonisation that swept the
British Empire led to the formation of the
West Indies Federation in 1958 as a vehicle for independence. Chaguaramas was the proposed site for the federal capital. The Federation dissolved after the withdrawal of
Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago elected for independence in 1962.
In 1976, the country severed its links with the
British monarchy and became a
republic within the
Commonwealth, though it retained the British Privy Council as its final Court of Appeal.
Between the years 1972 and 1983, the Republic profited greatly from the rising price of
oil, as the oil-rich country increased its living standards greatly.
In 1990, 114 members of the
Jamaat al Muslimeen, led by
Yasin Abu Bakr, formerly known as Lennox Phillip, stormed the
Red House (the seat of
Parliament), and
Trinidad and Tobago Television, the only television station in the country at the time, and
held the country's government hostage for six days before surrendering.
Since 2003, the country has entered a second oil boom, a driving force which the government hopes to use to turn the country's main export back to sugar and
agriculture. Great concern was raised in August 2007 when it was predicted that this boom would last only until 2018.
Petroleum, petrochemicals and
natural gas continue to be the backbone of the economy. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy of Tobago, and the island remains a favourite destination for many European tourists. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most prosperous and stable democratic nations in the Caribbean.
Politics
liberal democracy with a
two-party system and a
bicameral parliamentary system based on the
Westminster System. The
Head of State of Trinidad and Tobago is the
President, currently
George Richards. The
Head of Government is the
Prime Minister. The President is elected by an
Electoral College consisting of the full membership of both houses of
Parliament. The
Prime Minister is appointed by the
President. The President is required to appoint the leader of the party who in his opinion has the most support of the members of the House of Representatives to this post; this has generally been the leader of the party which won the most seats in the previous election (except in the case of the
2001 General Elections).
The
Parliament consists of two chambers, the
Senate (31 seats) and the
House of Representatives (41 seats
(External Link
)). The members of the Senate are appointed by the president. Sixteen Government Senators are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, six Opposition Senators are appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and nine Independent Senators are appointed by the President to represent other sectors of civil society. The 41 members of the House of Representatives are elected by the people for a maximum term of five years in a "
first past the post" system.
Since
December 24 2001, the governing party has been the
People's National Movement led by
Patrick Manning; the
Opposition party is the
United National Congress led by
Basdeo Panday. Another recent party called
Congress of the People, or COP, led by
Winston Dookeran was founded on December 10, 2006. Support for these parties appears to fall along ethnic lines with the PNM consistently obtaining a majority Afro-Trinbagonian vote, and the UNC gaining a majority of Indo-Trinbagonian support. COP had many supporters but not enough to get a single seat in the last elections as being a new party. At present the PNM holds 26 seats in the House of Representatives and the UNC Alliance (UNC-A) holds 15 seats, following elections held on the 5th November 2007.
Voter turnout in General Elections usually comes in at about 60-70%, about average for established democracies.
In addition to the Parliamentary system, there are 14 Municipal Corporations, 3 Boroughs and 2 Cities which have a limited level of autonomy. The various councils which make up "Local Government" are made up of a mixture of elected and appointed members. Elections are due to be held every 3 years, but have not beem held since 2002, 2 extensions having been sought by the government. Local Government elections are next due in July 2008
Trinidad and Tobago is a leading member of the
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the
CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), of which only the Caribbean Single Market (CSM) is in force. It is also the seat of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which was inaugurated on 16th April 2005. The CCJ is intended to replace the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as the final Appellate Court for the member states of the CARICOM. Since its inauguration, only two states, Barbados and Guyana, have acceded to the appellate jurisdiction of the CCJ. The CCJ also serves has an original jurisdiction in the interpretation of the
Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, to which all members of CARICOM have acceded. However, to date, only one matter has been filed under the original jurisdiction.
Geography
Antilles or
West Indies, situated between 10° 2' and 11° 12' N
latitude and 60° 30' and 61° 56' W
longitude. At the closest point, Trinidad is just 11 kilometres (7 miles) off the
Venezuelan coast. Covering an area of 5,128 square kilometres (1,979 sq mi), the country consists of the two main islands,
Trinidad and
Tobago, and
21 smaller islands – including
Chacachacare,
Monos,
Huevos,
Gaspar Grande (or Gasparee),
Little Tobago, and
St. Giles Island. Trinidad is 4,768 square kilometres (1,841 sq mi) in area (comprising 93.0% of the country's total area) with an average length of 80 kilometres (50 mi) and an average width of 59 kilometres (37 mi). Tobago has an area of about 300 square kilometres (115 sq mi), or 5.8% of the country's area, is 41 kilometres (25.5 mi) long and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) at its greatest width.
The terrain of the islands is a mixture of mountains and plains. The highest point in the country is found on the
Northern Range at
El Cerro del Aripo which is situated at 940 metres (3,085 ft) above sea level. The climate is tropical. There are two seasons annually: the
dry season for the first six months of the year, and the
wet season in the second half of the year. Winds are predominantly from the northeast and are dominated by the
northeast trade winds. Unlike most of the other Caribbean islands, both Trinidad and Tobago have frequently escaped the wrath of major devastating hurricanes including
Hurricane Ivan, the most powerful storm to pass close to the islands in recent history in September 2004.
As the majority of the population live in Trinidad, this is the location of most major towns and cities. There are three major municipalities in Trinidad:
Port of Spain, the capital,
San Fernando, and
Chaguanas. Of these, Chaguanas is the fastest growing. The main town in Tobago is
Scarborough.
Trinidad is made up of a variety of soil types, the majority being fine sands and heavy clays. The alluvial valleys of the Northern Range and the soils of the
East-West Corridor being the most fertile.
The Northern Range consists mainly of Upper
Jurassic and
Cretaceous rocks, mostly
andesites and
schists. The Northern Lowlands (
East-West Corridor and
Caroni Plains) consist of
Pleistocene or younger soft sands and clays with superficial gravel terraces and river and swamp alluvia. South of this, the
Central Range is a folded anticlinal uplift consisting of Cretaceous and
Eocene rocks, with
Miocene formations along the southern and eastern flanks. The
Naparima Plains and the
Nariva Swamp form the southern shoulder of this uplift. The Southern Lowlands consist of Miocene and
Pliocene sands, clays, and gravels. These overlie
oil and
natural gas deposits, especially north of the
Los Bajos Fault. The
Southern Range forms the third anticlinal uplift. It consists of several chains of hills, most famous being the
Trinity Hills. The rocks consist of
sandstones,
shales and
siltstones and clays formed in the Miocene and uplifted in the Pleistocene.
Oil sands and
mud volcanoes are especially common in this area.
Although it's located just off-shore from South America, Trinidad and Tobago isn't considered to be part of the
South American continent by virtue of its geographical and historical heritage.
See Bicontinental countries.
Economy
Trinidad's economy is strongly influenced by the petroleum industry. Tourism and manufacturing are also important to the local economy. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from good management and a large trade surplus. Agricultural products include citrus, cocoa, and other products. Sugar cane was once a prominent crop of Trinidad but commercial production has ceased since 2007
Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Recent growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional petrochemical, aluminum, and plastics projects are in various stages of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food and beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of employment. The country is also a regional financial center, and tourism is a growing sector, although it isn't proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. The expansion of Atlantic LNG over the past six years created the largest-single sustained phase of economic growth in Trinidad and Tobago. It has become the leading exporter of LNG to the United States, and now supplies some 70% of U.S. LNG imports.
Trinidad and Tobago has transitioned from an oil-based economy to a natural gas based economy. In 2007, natural gas production averaged 4 billion standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d), compared with 3.2 bcf/d in 2005. In December 2005, the Atlantic LNG fourth production module or "train" for liquefied natural gas (LNG) began production. Train 4 has increased Atlantic LNG's overall output capacity by almost 50% and is the largest LNG train in the world at 5.2 million tons/year of LNG.
Reductions in subsidies to state enterprises have contributed to fiscal soundness and lent credibility to the government's ongoing
divestment program. Companies all or partially divested since 1987 include the National Fisheries Company,
BWIA West Indies Airways (now
Caribbean Airlines), National Flour Mills (NFM), the Trinidad and Tobago
Electricity Commission, TT Methanol Company, Trinidad
Cement, the
Iron and
Steel Company of Trinidad and Tobago (ISCOTT), and the
Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA). BWIA was dissolved by the government and replaced by a new carrier. In May 1997, the government sold its remaining 69% interest in the Trinidad and Tobago Methanol Company to a consortium consisting of the local firm CL Financial and
Germany's Ferrostaal and Helm. NFM was divested by an additional 14% in 1997, bringing the government's holding down to 51%. The government has created a holding company to bring its remaining shares in several formerly wholly government-owned enterprises to market.
Trinidad and Tobago's infrastructure is good by regional standards. The
international airport in Trinidad was expanded in 2001. There is an extensive network of paved roads with several good four and six lane highways including one controlled access expressway. Emergency services are reliable, but may suffer delays in rural districts. Medical Care at public hospitals is modern, with high investment in equipment, but suffers from emigration of personnel. Private hospitals are available and reliable. Utilities are fairly reliable in the cities. Some areas, however, especially rural districts, still suffer from water shortages. The government is addressing this problem with the construction of additional desalinization plants. Infrastructure improvement, especially rural roads and telephone service, drainage and sewerage, are among the government's budget priorities.
Telephone service is relatively modern and reliable. Cellular service is widespread and has been the major area of growth for several years.
Digicel and
Laqtel were granted cellular licenses in 2005, breaking
TSTT's monopoly. The Internet has come into widespread use, although service can be slow at peak times. The government has been slow to open up this market to competition as well.
Trinidad and Tobago doesn't import or export any electricity. Conferences are being held by the government to find alternative energy sources, with a heavy focus on renewable energy.
The government's economic strategy is based on fiscal and monetary discipline, private sector investment, and export-led growth.
Demographics
Of the country's 1.3 million inhabitants (as of 2005), most (96%) reside on the island of Trinidad with most of the remainder (4%) in Tobago. The ethnic composition of Trinidad and Tobago reflects a history of conquest and immigration. Two major ethnic groups -
Indo-Trinidadians and
Afro-Trinidadians - account for almost 80% of the population, while people of
Mixed-race, Euro-Trinidadian/
European,
Chinese Trinidadian/
Chinese and Arab-Trinidadian/
Syrian-
Lebanese descent make up most of the rest of the population. According to the 1990 census, Indo-Trinidadians make up 40.3% of the population, Afro-Trinidadians 39.5%,
Mixed-race people 18.4%, Euro-Trinidadian 0.6% and Chinese,Lebanese, Syrians and others 1.2%. Euro-Trinidadians, especially those descendants of the former
plantocracy, are often referred to as
French Creoles, even if they're descended from Spanish, British, or German settlers. The mixed-race
Cocoa Payols are descendant of the original
Spanish settlers and later immigrants from
Venezuela. Today, the Trinidadian
Portuguese population includes both whites and mixed people. The small Amerindian population is largely mixed-race. The
Carib population, which is descendant of the indigenous inhabitants, is primarily organised around the
Santa Rosa Carib Community.
Emigration from Trinidad and Tobago, as with other Caribbean nations, has historically been high; most emigrants go to the
United States,
Canada and
Britain. Emigration has continued, albeit at a lower rate, even as the birth-rate sharply dropped to levels typical of industrialised countries. Largely because of this phenomenon, as of 2007, Trinidad and Tobago has a low
population growth rate (0.37%).
English is the country's only official language, but
Bhojpuri, locally known as
Hindi, is also spoken by a few Indo-Trinidadians and widely used in popular music such as chutney and chutney soca. The main spoken language is a
dialect or a creole which reflects the African and European heritage of the nation. The major spoken language in Tobago is English. Both languages contain elements from a number and variety of African languages; Trinidadian English, however, is also largely influenced by French and French Creole, Spanish (still spoken in the south as well as other parts of the island), and by Bhojpuri/Hindi. The creole languages and other vernaculars are normally spoken in informal situations, and there's no formalized system of writing (as in standard English). Although Patois (a variety of
French Creole) was once the most widely spoken language in Trinidad (and also on the Venezuelan Paria coast), there are various remnants of the language in everyday vernacular.
Due to Trinidad's location on the coast of
South America, the country has been slowly redeveloping a connection with the
Spanish-speaking peoples, but has been impeded by the fact that in 2004, only 1,500 inhabitants spoke Spanish. In 2004 the government initiated the
Spanish as a First Foreign Language (SAFFL) initiative
(External Link), with a public launch in March 2005. Government regulations now require Spanish to be taught to all beginning at the primary school level, while thirty percent of public employees are to be linguistically competent within five years. The government also announced that Spanish is to become the second official language of the country by 2020 alongside English. Venezuelans often come to Trinidad and Tobago to learn English, and many English schools have expanded to feature both English and Spanish.
Because of the country's colonial heritage, the names of towns in Trinidad are in roughly equal proportions of English (Chatham, Brighton, Green Hill, St. Mary's), French (Blanchisseuse, Sans Souci, Pointe-à-Pierre, Basse Terre), Spanish (Puerto España, San Fernando, Sangre Grande, Rio Claro, San Juan,) East Indian (Fyzabad, Barrackpore, Indian Walk, Madras Settlement) and Amerindian languages (Tunapuna, Guayaguayare, Carapichaima, Mucurapo, Chaguaramas). In Tobago, English names predominate. However, there are several names however which suggest its colonial past: Belle Garden, Bon Accord, Charlotteville, Les Coteaux Palatuvier (French), Auchenskeoch, Blenheim (Dutch).
Religion
Many different religions are present in Trinidad and Tobago. The largest two are the
Roman Catholics (26%) and
Hindus (22%); the
Anglicans (8%),
Muslims (5%),
Seventh-day Adventists (4%),
Presbyterians,
Jehovah's Witnesses and
Methodists are among the smaller faiths. Two
African syncretic faiths, the
Shouter or
Spiritual Baptists and the
Orisha faith (formerly called
Shangos, a less than complimentary term) are among the fastest growing religious groups, as are a host of
evangelical and
fundamentalist churches usually lumped as "
Pentecostal" by most Trinidadians (although this designation is often inaccurate).
Human rights
The
Cat o' nine tails is still used to flog prisoners. On 11 March, 2005 the Government of Trinidad & Tobago was ordered by the
Inter-American Court of Human Rights to pay US$ 50,000 for "moral damages" to a prisoner who had received 15 strokes of the "Cat" plus expenses for his medical and psychological care (http://www.worldlii.org/int/cases/IACHR/2005/4.html). It is unclear whether the Court's decisions were met. However, the "Cat" hasn't been used for several years, and the use of the birch has also fallen into disuse. Prisoners sentenced to death for capital crimes used to be hanged, but recent attempts to execute persons sentenced to death have been blocked by the Privy Council, with sentences being commuted to life imprisonment.
Homosexual acts are illegal in Trinidad and Tobago (see
Gay rights in Trinidad and Tobago) and under Article 8 (18/1) of the Immigration Act, homosexuals are not allowed to enter the country. However, homosexuals have not been actively targeted under current law.
Culture
. It is also the birthplace of
calypso music and the
steelpan, which is widely claimed to be the only acoustic musical instrument invented during the 20th century. The diverse cultural and religious background allows for many festivities and ceremonies throughout the year. Other indigenous art forms include
soca (a derivate of calypso),
Parang (Venezuelan-influenced Christmas music),
chutney,
Rapso music, which was made famous by
Cheryl Byron and
pichakaree (musical forms which blend the music of the Caribbean and India) and the famous
Limbo dance.
The artistic scene is vibrant. Trinidad and Tobago claims two
Nobel Prize-winning authors,
V.S. Naipaul and
St Lucian-born
Derek Walcott. Mas' designer
Peter Minshall is renowned not only for his Carnival costumes, but also for his role in opening ceremonies of the
Barcelona Olympics, the
1994 Football World Cup, the
1996 Summer Olympics and the
2002 Winter Olympics, for which he won an
Emmy Award.
Hasely Crawford was the first Trinidadian to win the Olympic Gold Medal in the men's 100 m dash.
Sport
Olympic Games:
Hasely Crawford won the first
Olympic gold medal for Trinidad and Tobago in the men's 100 m dash in the
1976 Summer Olympics. Nine different athletes from Trinidad and Tobago have won twelve medals at the Olympics, beginning with a
silver medal in
weightlifting, won by
Rodney Wilkes in
1948, and most recently, a bronze medal by
George Bovell III in
2004.
Ato Boldon has won the most Olympic and World Championship medals for Trinidad and Tobago in athletics with eight in total - four from the Olympics and four from the World Championships. Boldon is also the only world champion Trinidad and Tobago has ever had in athletics competition. He won the 1997 200 m World Championship in Athens, Greece.
Cricket: Cricket is one of the most popular sports of Trinidad and Tobago, with intense inter-island rivalry with its Caribbean neighbours. Trinidad and Tobago plays both
One Day International and
Test cricket as a member of the
West Indies team. The
national team plays at the
first-class level in regional competitions. Trinidad and Tobago along with other islands from the Caribbean co-hosted the
2007 Cricket World Cup.
Brian Lara, world record holder for the most runs scored both in a Test and in a First Class innings, is from Trinidad and Tobago and is often known as the Prince of
Port of Spain and as one of the best cricketers in Trinidad and Tobago.
Football: The national football team qualified for the
2006 FIFA World Cup for the first time by beating
Bahrain in
Manama on
16 November 2005, making them the smallest country ever (in terms of population) to qualify. The team, coached by
Dutchman Leo Beenhakker, and led by Tobagonian-born captain
Dwight Yorke, drew their first group game - against Sweden in Dortmund - 0-0, but lost the second game to England on late goals, 0-2. They were eliminated after losing 2-0 to Paraguay in the last game of the Group Stage. Prior to the 2006 World Cup qualification, T&T came agonisingly close to qualifying in a controversial 1974 campaign and again for the 1990 competition needing only a draw at home against the
United States but losing 1-0 . Trinidad and Tobago hosted the
2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship.
Horse Racing: Trinidad has Santa Rosa Park, a horse racing track. There is also goat racing and crab racing in Tobago.
Sailing: As Trinidad and Tobago is just south of the hurricane belt it's very popular with international cruising yachtsmen, especially from August to October. Consequently there have been a number of repair centres and other facilities developed, the majority of these are situated in
Chaguaramas. This international community is also part of the tourism industry along with eco tours and carnival.
Holidays
The following holidays are observed in Trinidad and Tobago.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Trinidad And Tobago'.
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