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Latest News from
Trinidad & Tobago

CaribNation Shows Featuring
Trinidad & Tobago

#100 Trinidad and Tobago: The
Pandi Era…

#108 A Critical Examination of
Caribbean Music: Calypso

#131 The Caribbean Carnival, Pt. 1
The Trinidad Experience

#132 Caribbean Film/Filmmaker:
John Barry’s “Dance De Calypso”

#140 Media in the Caribbean:
Print, and Freedom of Speech

#141 Caribbean Artist:
Wilcox Morris

#143 Race Relations in Trinidad
and Tobago

#220 Profile: Miss Universe 1998,
Wendy Fitzwilliam

#306 Caribbean Carnival, Pt.2:
The Origin and Evolution

#315 Profile: Stokley Carmichael, Pt.1:
His Philosophy and Thoughts

#320 The Tobago Heritage Performers:
Children of Heritage Come Home

#326 Profile: Stokley Carmichael, Pt2:
A Mother’s Perspective

#327 Profile: Stokley Carmichael, Pt.3:
Comrades in Arms: Bob Brown &
Charlie Cobbs Remembers K.T.

#331 Wendy Fitzwilliam, Miss
Universe, 1998, One Year Later

#337 Caribbean Novelist:
Roselyn Carrington

#407 The New B.W.I.A.

#416 Trinidad and Tobago: The
Business Capital of the Caribbean

#417 Doing Business in the Caribbean
with Ambassador. Michael Arneaud of
Trinidad and Tobago

National Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.

The red is said to represent the vitality of the land and people, the warmth and energy of the sun, and courage and friendliness. The white is said to represent the sea, the purity of national aspirations, and the equality of all men, and the black represents strength, unity and purpose, and the natural resources. Map of Trinidad

Coat Of Arms.

'Dorling-Kindersley Pocket Book' says the coat of arms represents the three ships of Colombus who landed in Trinidad in 1498.

The top of the shield depicts two hummingbirds. The supporters are two local birds, a scarlet ibis and a cocrico, respectively.

The shield stands on waves breaking against the rocky coasts of the islands.

There are two sides to every story - and Trinidad and Tobago is no exception. On one side, there’s Trinidad: energetic, exciting; a melting-pot of races, cultures and ideas. This, for the most part, is a place of stimulus and excitement rather than relaxation. It demands participation: in a sport, a festival, a journey of discovery. A place that gives back what is put into it.

The flip side is Tobago, serene, philosophical, dreaming beneath the sun and the wash of the waves. Tobago, where the sea’s blue is startling and the roads wind like snakes along the steep green hillsides, is the place for dozing in a hammock, snorkelling on a reef, sipping a rum punch at sunset. A place for rest, or romance; for regeneration.

Facts at a Glance

Area: Trinidad 4828 sq km (1883 sq mi); Tobago 300 sq. km (117 sq mi)
Population: 1,270,000 (Trinidad 1,220,000; Tobago 51,000)
Capital city: Port of Spain (pop 300,000)
People: African (46%), East Indian (36%), with significant European, Chinese, Syrian, Lebanese and Carib minorities
Language: English, Hindi, Creole, Spanish and Chinese
Religion: Roman Catholic (33%), Hindu (25%), Anglican (15%), other Protestant denominations (13%) and Muslim (6%)
Government: Independent republic within the British Commonwealth
GDP per head: US$12,000
Major industries: Petroleum, processed foods, fertilizers, cement, steel, electronics, sugar, rice, cocoa, citrus, coffee

History

Trinidad was sighted in 1498 by Columbus, who christened it La Isla de la Trinidad, for the Holy Trinity. The Spanish who followed in Columbus' wake enslaved many of Trinidad's Amerindian inhabitants, taking them to toil in the new South American colonies. Spain, in its rush for gold, gave only scant attention to the potential of Trinidad's land, which lacked precious minerals. It took until 1592 for the Spanish to establish their first settlement, San Josef, just east of the present-day capital of Port of Spain. Over the next two centuries unsuccessful attempts were made by Spanish colonizers to establish tobacco and cacao plantations but crop failures and a lack of support from Spain left the island only lightly settled.

As a result, the British took the islands from the Spanish in 1797. Slavery was abolished in the1830s prompting the British to import thousands of indentured workers, mostly from India, to work in the cane fields and service the colony. The indentured labor system remained in place for over 100 years.

Tobago was also sighted by Columbus and claimed by the Spanish but there were no attempts to colonize it. During the 17th century, Tobago changed hands numerous times as the English, French, Dutch and even Courlanders (present-day Latvians!) wrestled for control. In 1704 it was declared a neutral territory, which left room for pirates to use the island as a base for raiding ships in the Eastern Caribbean. The British returned to establish a colonial administration on Tobago in 1763, and within two decades 10,000 African slaves were imported to establish the island's sugar, cotton and indigo plantations.

Tobago's plantation economy slid into decline after the abolition of slavery but sugar and rum production continued until 1884, when the London firm that controlled finances for the island's plantations went bankrupt. Plantation owners unable to sell their sugar or rum quickly sold or abandoned their land, leaving the economy in shambles but most of the islanders with a plot of land; those who had no money to purchase land simply squatted. In 1889 the British made Tobago, which previously had its own independent legislature, a ward of neighboring Trinidad.

The depression of the 1930s led to a series of strikes and riots and the growth of a labor movement on the islands. As a consequence, the British granted universal suffrage in 1946 and took measures to institute self-government. Independence eventually came in 1962. An oil boom in the 1970s brought prosperity to the islands but the East Indian community became increasingly isolated from political power. In July 1990, members of a minority Muslim group attempted a coup. They stormed parliament and took 45 hostages, including prime minister ANR Robinson, who was shot in the leg after refusing to resign. Since then, the oil business has taken a downturn and the government has implemented austerity programs while boosting its efforts to promote tourism on the islands.

Culture

Trinidad's Carnival is the most outrageous in the Caribbean. Integral to the festivities is the music of the steel drum (pan), which was invented in Trinidad half a century ago using the hammered-out ends of discarded oil drums. Panyards, where steel drum bands practice in the evenings, abound in Port of Spain and are particularly active with the decibels in the weeks preceding Carnival.

Calypso, a medium for political and social satire, has roots on Trinidad. It stems back to the days when slaves sang in patois, mocking their colonial masters. The Mighty Sparrow, long-time king of calypso, is a Trinidadian native, as are many of the Caribbean's up-and-coming calypso stars. Today, the music of indentured servants from India has also become an integral part of Trinidad's musical repertoire.

A number of internationally known writers hail from Trinidad, including VS and Shiva Naipaul, Samuel Selvon and CLR James. St Lucian native Derek Walcott, the 1992 Nobel Prize winner for literature, lived in Trinidad for much of his adult life and is an active advocate for local theater projects.

Cricket is the most popular sport, though you could be forgiven for thinking it was an art form or quasi religion.

Tobago has some fine strands of beach on a par with many of the Caribbean's better known destinations. There are white-sand beaches and crystal-clear water to swim in at Store Bay and Pigeon Point. There's a coral reef at Buccoo Bay, not far from Pigeon Point, and a concentration of dive sites around Little Tobago, Goat Island and St Giles Island, three uninhabited islets off Tobago's northern coast. There's also good snorkeling to be found at Pirate's Bay on the northern side of Charlotteville and at Angel Reef off Goat Island.

Trinidad is not known for its beaches, but the island's singular favorite is Maracas Bay, a scenic spot north of Port of Spain. Trinidad boasts several worthwhile hikes, including a fine hiking trail to Blue Basin Waterfall in the Northern Range. Attacks on hikers sometimes occur, so a safe way to get into the wilderness is to join one of the monthly hikes led by the Trinidad & Tobago Field Naturalists Club or one of the frequent walks at the Asa Wright Nature Center. An alternative is to hike in the Tobago Forest Reserve, which has a number of safer trailheads leading into the rainforest. It's not uncommon to see parrots, hummingbirds, motmots, coricos, woodpeckers and trogons on these routes.

To see and hear the birds on Trinidad, check out the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust, the Asa Wright Nature Center or the bird sanctuary on Little Tobago, the islet close to Speyside.

Events

Trinidad's Carnival is the king of all Caribbean Carnivals and many Trinidadians prepare for it with obsessive devotion. From New Year's Day onwards, activities start swinging into full gear, culminating on Carnival Monday, two days before Ash Wednesday, which usually falls sometime in February or March. It all kicks off with a pre-dawn procession into the heart of the city as tens of thousands of revelers from around the world are invited to become part of the swell, and by nightfall everyone is dancing, drinking and carousing in the streets. On Carnival Tuesday, there are competitions for Band of the Year. Most of the larger events take place at the Queen's Park Savannah in the center of Port of Spain.

The Pan Jazz Festival, held in November, brings together pan drummers and jazz musicians for three days of concerts in Trinidad. There are also numerous East Indian festivals that are based on the lunar calendar; the biggest is Divali, which usually falls in November.

Tobago's Heritage Festival consists of two weeks of traditional-style festivities that begin in late July. For something quintessentially local, there's the big goat race in Tobago's Buccoo village on the Monday and Tuesday after Easter.

Facts for the Traveler

Visas: Citizens of the USA, Canada, and most European Commonwealth countries do not require visas. Visas are required by citizens of some countries, including Australia, New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka. In most countries, visas are obtained through the British Embassy.
Health risks: Dengue fever; a vaccination certificate for yellow fever is required for travelers who have been in any country in the past six months where yellow fever is endemic (eg many South American countries)
Time: GMT/UTC minus four hours
Electricity: 110V and 220V, 60 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Telephoning: From North America, dial 1 + 868 + the seven-digit local number. From elsewhere, dial your country's international direct dialing prefix + 1 + 868 + the seven-digit local number.