Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago,officially theRepublic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmostisland countryin theCaribbean. Comprising the main islands ofTrinidadandTobago, along with numeroussmaller islands, it is located 11 kilometres (6 nautical miles) northeast off the coast ofVenezuela, 130 kilometres (70 nautical miles) south ofGrenada, and west ofBarbados.Its capital city isPort of Spain, while its largest and most populous municipality isChaguanas. Despite its proximity toSouth America, Trinidad and Tobago is generally considered to be part of theWest Indies.
Indigenous peoplesinhabited Trinidad for centuries prior toSpanish colonization, following the arrival ofChristopher Columbusin 1498. Spanish governorJosé María Chacónsurrendered the island to a British fleet under SirRalph Abercromby's command in 1797.Trinidad and Tobago were ceded to Britain in 1802 under theTreaty of Amiensas separate states and unified in 1889.Trinidad and Tobago obtained independence in 1962, and became a republic in 1976.
Unlike most Caribbean nations and territories, which rely heavily on tourism, the economy is primarily industrial, based on large reserves ofoil and gas.The country experiences fewer hurricanes than most of the Caribbean because it is farther south.
Trinidad and Tobago is well known for itsAfricanandIndiancultures, reflected in its large and famousCarnival,Diwali, andHosaycelebrations, as well as being the birthplace of thesteelpan, thelimbo, and musical styles such ascalypso,soca,rapso,parang,chutney, andchutney soca.
HistorianE. L. Josephclaimed that Trinidad's Indigenous name wasCairior "Land of theHumming Bird", derived from theArawakname for hummingbird,ierèttêoryerettê. However, other authors dispute this etymology with some claiming thatcairidoes not mean hummingbird (tukusiortucuchibeing suggested as the correct word) and some claiming thatkairi, oriere, simply meansisland.Christopher Columbusrenamed it "La Isla de la Trinidad" ("The Island of theTrinity"), fulfilling a vow made before setting out on his third voyage of exploration.Tobago's cigar-like shape, or the use of tobacco by the native people, may have given it its Spanish name (cabaco,tavaco,tobacco) and possibly some of its other Indigenous names, such asAloubaéra(black conch) andUrupaina(big snail),although the English pronunciation is/təˈbeɪɡoʊ/.Indo-Trinidadianscalled the islandChinidatorChinidadwhich translated to the "land of sugar". The usage of the term goes back to the 19th century when recruiters in India would call the islandChinidatas a way of luring workers into indentureship on the sugar plantations.
The islands that make up modern-day Trinidad and Tobago lie at the southern end of theLesser Antillesgroup.
Both Trinidad and Tobago were originally settled byIndigenous peoplewho came through South America.Trinidad was first settled by pre-agricultural Archaic people at least 7,002 years ago, making it the earliest settled part of the Caribbean.Banwari Tracein south-west Trinidad is the oldest attested archaeological site in the Caribbean, dating to about 5000 BC. Several waves of migration occurred over the following centuries, which can be identified by differences in their archaeological remains.At the time of European contact, Trinidad was occupied by variousArawakan-speaking groups including the Nepoya and Suppoya, andCariban-speaking groups such as theYao, while Tobago was occupied by theIsland CaribsandGalibi.
Christopher Columbus was the first European to see Trinidad, on his third voyage to the Americas in 1498.He also reported seeing Tobago on the distant horizon, naming itBellaforma, but did not land on the island.
In the 1530s Antonio de Sedeño, a Spanish soldier intent on conquering the island of Trinidad, landed on its southwest coast with a small army of men, intending to subdue the Indigenous population of the island. Sedeño and his men fought the native peoples on many occasions, and subsequently built a fort. The next few decades were generally spent in warfare with the native peoples, until in 1592, the "Cacique" (native chief) Wannawanare (also known as Guanaguanare) granted the area around modernSaint Josephto Domingo de Vera e Ibargüen, and withdrew to another part of the island.The settlement of San José de Oruña was later established byAntonio de Berríoon this land in 1592.Shortly thereafter the English pirateWalter Raleigharrived in Trinidad on 22 March 1595in searchof the long-rumoured "El Dorado" ("City of Gold") supposedly located in South America.He attacked San José, captured and interrogated Antonio de Berrío, and obtained much information from him and from the Cacique Topiawari; Raleigh then went on his way, and Spanish authority was restored.
Meanwhile, there were numerous attempts by European powers to settle Tobago during the 1620–40s, with the Dutch, English and Couronians  (people from theDuchy of Courland and Semigallia, now part ofLatvia) all attempting to colonise the island with little success.From 1654 the Dutch and Courlanders managed to gain a more secure foothold, later joined by several hundred French settlers.A plantation economy developed based on the production of sugar, indigo and rum, worked by large numbers of African slaves who soon came to vastly outnumber the European colonists.Large numbers of forts were constructed as Tobago became a source of contention between France, Netherlands and Britain, with the island changing hands some 31 times prior to 1814, a situation exacerbated by widespread piracy.The British managed to hold Tobago from 1762 to 1781, whereupon it was captured by the French, who ruled until 1793 when Britain re-captured the island.
The 17th century on Trinidad passed largely without major incident, but sustained attempts by the Spaniards to control and rule over the Indigenous population was often fiercely resisted.In 1687 theCatholicCatalanCapuchin friarswere given responsibility forthe conversionsof theindigenous peopleofTrinidadand theGuianas.They founded several missions in Trinidad, supported and richly funded by the state, which also grantedencomiendaright to them over the native peoples, in which the native peoples were forced to provide labour for the Spanish.One such mission wasSanta Rosa de Arima,established in 1689, when Indigenous people from the formerencomiendasofTacariguaandArauca(Arouca) were relocated further west.Escalating tensions between the Spaniards and Indigenous people culminated in violence in 1689, when Indigenous people in the San Rafael encomienda rebelled and killed several priests, attacked a church, and killed the Spanish governorJosé de León y Echales. Among those killed in the governor's party was Juan Mazien de Sotomayor, missionary priest to the Nepuyo villages of Caura, Tacarigua and Arauca.The Spanish retaliated severely, slaughtering hundreds of native peoples in an event that became known as theArena massacre.As a result, continuing Spanish slave-raiding, and the devastating impact of introduced disease to which they had no immunity, the native population was virtually wiped out by the end of the following century.
During this period Trinidad was an island province belonging to theViceroyalty of New Spain, together with Central America, present-dayMexicoand what would later become the southwesternUnited States.In 1757 the capital was moved from San José de Oruña to Puerto de España (modernPort of Spain) following several pirate attacks.However the Spanish never made any concerted effort to colonise the islands; Trinidad in this period was still mostly forest, populated by a few Spaniards with a handful of slaves and a few thousand Indigenous people.Indeed, the population in 1777 was only 1,400, and Spanish colonisation in Trinidad remained tenuous.
In 1777, the captain generalLuis de Unzaga'le Conciliateur', married to a French Creole, allowed free trade in Trinidad, attracting French settlers and its economy improved notably.Since Trinidad was considered underpopulated, Roume de St. Laurent, a Frenchman living inGrenada, was able to obtain aCédula de Poblaciónfrom the Spanish kingCharles IIIon 4 November 1783.ACédula de Poblaciónhad previously been granted in 1776 by the king, but had not shown results, and therefore the new Cédula was more generous.It granted free land and tax exemption for 10 years to Roman Catholic foreign settlers who were willing to swear allegiance to the King of Spain.The land grant was 30 fanegas (13 hectares/32 acres) for each free man, woman and child and half of that for each slave that they brought with them. The Spanish sent a new governor,José María Chacón, to implement the terms of the newcédula.
The Cédula was issued only a few years before theFrench Revolution. During that period of upheaval, French planters with their slaves, freecolouredsandmulattosfrom the neighbouring islands ofMartinique,Saint Lucia, Grenada,GuadeloupeandDominicamigrated to Trinidad, where they established an agriculture-based economy (sugar and cocoa).These new immigrants established local communities inBlanchisseuse, Champs Fleurs,Paramin,Cascade,CarenageandLaventille.
As a result, Trinidad's population jumped to over 15,000 by the end of 1789, and by 1797 the population ofPort of Spainhad increased from under 3,000 to 10,422 in just five years, with a varied population of mixed race individuals, Spaniards, Africans, French republican soldiers, retired pirates and French nobility.The total population of Trinidad was 17,718, of which 2,151 were of European ancestry, 4,476 were "free blacks and people of colour", 10,009 were enslaved people and 1,082 Indigenous people.The sparse settlement and slow rate of population-increase during Spanish rule (and even later during British rule) made Trinidad one of the less populated colonies of the West Indies, with the least developed plantation infrastructure.
The British had begun to take a keen interest in Trinidad, and in 1797 a British force led by GeneralSir Ralph Abercrombylaunched aninvasion of Trinidad.His squadron sailed through the Bocas and anchored off the coast ofChaguaramas. Seriously outnumbered, Chacón decided to capitulate to the British without fighting.Trinidad thus became a Britishcrown colony, with a largely French-speaking population and Spanish laws.British rule was later formalised under theTreaty of Amiens(1802).The colony's first British governor wasThomas Picton, however his heavy-handed approach to enforcing British authority, including the use of torture andarbitrary arrest, led to his being recalled.
British rule led to an influx of settlers from the United Kingdom and the British colonies of the Eastern Caribbean. English, Scots, Irish, German and Italian families arrived, as well as some free blacks known as "Merikins" who had fought for Britain in theWar of 1812and were granted land in southern Trinidad.Under British rule, new states were created and the importation of slaves increased, however by this time support forabolitionismhad vastly increased and in England the slave trade was under attack.Slavery wasabolished in 1833, after which former slaves served an "apprenticeship" period.  In 1837 Daaga, a West African slave trader who had been captured by Portuguese slavers and later rescued by the British navy, was conscripted into the local regiment. Daaga and a group of his compatriotsmutinied at the barracks in St Josephand set out eastward in an attempt to return to their homeland. The mutineers were ambushed by a militia unit just outside the town of Arima. The revolt was crushed at the cost of some 40 dead, and Daaga and his party were later executed at St Joseph.The apprenticeship system ended on 1 August 1838 with full emancipation.An overview of the population statistics in 1838, however, clearly reveals the contrast between Trinidad and its neighbouring islands: upon emancipation of the slaves in 1838, Trinidad had only 17,439 slaves, with 80% of slave owners having enslaved fewer than 10 people each.In contrast, at twice the size of Trinidad, Jamaica had roughly 360,000 slaves.
After the African slaves were emancipated many refused to continue working on the plantations, often moving out to urban areas such as Laventille andBelmontto the east of Port of Spain.As a result, a severe agricultural labour shortage emerged. The British filled this gap by instituting a system ofindentureship. Various nationalities were contracted under this system, including Indians, Chinese, and Portuguese.Of these, the East Indians were imported in the largest numbers, starting from 1 May 1845, when 225 Indians were brought in the first ship to Trinidad on theFatel Razack, a Muslim-owned vessel.Indentureship of the Indians lasted from 1845 to 1917, during which time more than 147,000 Indians came to Trinidad to work on sugarcane plantations.
Indentureship contracts were sometimes exploitative, to such an extent that historians such as Hugh Tinker were to call it "a new system of slavery". Despite these descriptions, it was not truly a new form of slavery, as workers were paid, contracts were finite, and the idea of an individual being another's property had been eliminated when slavery was abolished.In addition, employers of indentured labour had no legal right to flog or whip their workers; the main legal sanction for the enforcement of the indenture laws was prosecution in the courts, followed by fines or (more likely) jail sentences.People were contracted for a period of five years, with a daily wage as low as 25 cents in the early 20th century, and they were guaranteed return passage to India at the end of their contract period. However,coercive meanswere often used to retain labourers, and theindentureship contractswere soon extended to 10 years from 1854 after the planters complained that they were losing their labour too early.In lieu of the return passage, the British authorities soon began offering portions of land to encourage settlement, and by 1902, more than half of the sugar cane in Trinidad was being produced by independent cane farmers; the majority of which were Indians.Despite the trying conditions experienced under the indenture system, about 90% of the Indian immigrants chose, at the end of their contracted periods of indenture, to make Trinidad their permanent home.Indians entering the colony were also subject to certain crown laws whichsegregatedthem from the rest of Trinidad and Tobago's population, such as the requirement that they carry a pass with them if they left the plantations, and that if freed, they carry their "Free Papers" or certificate indicating completion of the indenture period.
Few Indians settled on Tobago however, and the descendants of African slaves continued to form the majority of the island's population. An ongoing economic slump in the middle-to-late 19th century caused widespread poverty.Discontent erupted into rioting on theRoxboroughplantation in 1876, in an event known as the Belmanna Uprising after a policeman who was killed.The British eventually managed to restore control; however, as a result of the disturbances Tobago's Legislative Assembly voted to dissolve itself and the island became a Crown colony in 1877.With the sugar industry in a state of near-collapse and the island no longer profitable, the British attached Tobago to their Trinidad colony in 1889.
In 1903,a protestagainst the introduction of new water rates in Port of Spain erupted into rioting; 18 people were shot dead, and theRed House(the government headquarters) was damaged by fire.A local elected assembly with some limited powers was introduced in 1913.Economically Trinidad and Tobago remained a predominantly agricultural colony; alongside sugarcane, the cacao (cocoa) crop also contributed greatly to economic earnings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In November 1919, the dockworkers went on strike over bad management practices, low wages compared to a higher cost of living.Strikebreakers were brought in to keep a minimum of goods moving through the ports. On 1 December 1919, the striking dockworkers rushed the harbour and chased off the strikebreakers.They then proceeded to march on the government buildings in Port of Spain. Other unions and workers, many with the same grievances, joined the dock worker's strike making it a General Strike.Violence broke out and was only put down with help from the sailors of British Naval shipHMSCalcutta. The unity brought upon by the strike was the first time of cooperation between the various ethnic groups of the time.Historian Brinsley Samaroo says that the 1919 strikes "seem to indicate that there was a growing class consciousness after the war and this transcended racial feelings at times."
However, in the 1920s, the collapse of the sugarcane industry, concomitant with the failure of the cocoa industry, resulted in widespread depression among the rural and agricultural workers in Trinidad, and encouraged the rise of a labour movement. Conditions on the islands worsened in the 1930s with the onset of theGreat Depression, with an outbreak oflabour riotsoccurring in 1937 which resulted in several deaths.The labour movement aimed to unite the urban working class and agricultural labour class; the key figures beingArthur Cipriani, who led theTrinidad Labour Party(TLP),Tubal Uriah "Buzz" Butlerof theBritish Empire Citizens' and Workers' Home Rule Party, andAdrian Cola Rienzi, who led the Trinidad Citizens League (TCL),Oilfields Workers' Trade Union, andAll Trinidad Sugar Estates and Factory Workers Union.As the movement developed calls for greater autonomy from British colonial rule became widespread; this effort was severely undermined by the British Home Office and by the British-educated Trinidadian elite, many of whom were descended from the plantocracy class.
Petroleum had been discovered in 1857, but became economically significant only in the 1930s and afterwards as a result of the collapse of sugarcane and cocoa, and increasing industrialization.By the 1950s petroleum had become a staple in Trinidad's export market, and was responsible for a growing middle class among all sections of the Trinidad population. The collapse of Trinidad's major agricultural commodities, followed by the Depression, and the rise of the oil economy, led to major changes in the country's social structure.
The presence of Americanmilitary basesin Chaguaramas andCumutoin Trinidad duringWorld War IIhad a profound effect on society. The Americans vastly improved the infrastructure on Trinidad and provided many locals with well-paying jobs; however, the social effects of having so many young soldiers stationed on the island, as well as their often unconcealed racial prejudice, caused resentment.The Americans left in 1961.
In the post-war period the British began a process of decolonisation across the British Empire. In 1945 universal suffrage was introduced to Trinidad and Tobago.Political parties emerged on the island, however these were largely divided along racial lines: Afro-Trinidadians and Tobagonians primarily supported thePeople's National Movement(PNM), formed in 1956 byEric Williams, with Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians mostly supporting thePeople's Democratic Party(PDP), formed in 1953 byBhadase Sagan Maraj,which later merged into theDemocratic Labour Party(DLP) in 1957.Britain's Caribbean colonies formed theWest Indies Federationin 1958 as a vehicle for independence, however the Federation dissolved after Jamaica withdrew following amembership referendumin 1961. The government of Trinidad and Tobago subsequently chose to seek independence from the United Kingdom on its own.
Trinidad and Tobago gained itsindependencefrom theUnited Kingdomon 31 August 1962.However,Elizabeth IIremained head of state, represented locally byGovernor-GeneralSolomon Hochoy, until the passage of the 1976 Republican Constitution.
Eric Williamsof thePeople's National Movementbecame the firstPrime Minister, serving in that capacity uninterrupted until 1981.The dominant figure in the opposition in the early independence years wasOpposition LeaderRudranath Capildeoof theDemocratic Labour Party. The firstSpeaker of the House of RepresentativeswasClytus Arnold Thomasosand the firstPresident of the Senatewas J. Hamilton Maurice. The 1960s saw the rise of aBlack Power movement, inspired in part by thecivil rights movementin the United States. Protests and strikes became common, with events coming to head in April 1970 when police shot dead a protester named Basil Davis.Fearing a breakdown of law and order, Prime Minister Williams declared a state of emergency and ordered that many of the Black Power leaders be arrested. Some army leaders who were sympathetic to the Black Power movement, notablyRaffique ShahandRex Lassalle, attempted to mutiny; however, this was quashed by theTrinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.Williams and the PNM retained power, largely due to divisions in the opposition.
In 1963 Tobago was struck byHurricane Flora, which killed 30 people and resulted in enormous destruction across the island.Partly as a result of this, tourism came to replace agriculture as the island's primary source of income in the subsequent decades.On 1 May 1968, Trinidad and Tobago joined theCaribbean Free Trade Association(CARIFTA), which provided a continued economic, rather than political, linkage between the formerBritish West IndiesEnglish-speaking countriesafter theWest Indies Federationfailed. On 1 August 1973, the country became a founding member state of CARIFTA's successor, theCaribbean Community(CARICOM), which is apoliticalandeconomic unionbetween severalCaribbeancountries and territories.
Between the years 1972 and 1983, the country profited greatly from the risingprice of oiland the discovery of vast new oil deposits in its territorial waters, resulting in an economic boom that substantially increased living standards.In 1976 the country became a republic within theCommonwealth, though it retained theJudicial Committee of the Privy Councilas its final appellate court.The position of governor-general was replaced with that ofPresident;Ellis Clarkewas the first to hold this largely ceremonial role.Tobago was granted limited self-rule with the creation of theTobago House of Assemblyin 1980.
Williams died in 1981, being replaced byGeorge Chamberswho led the country until 1986. By this time a fall in the price of oil had resulted in a recession, causing rising inflation and unemployment.The main opposition parties united under the banner ofNational Alliance for Reconstruction(NAR) and won the1986 Trinidad and Tobago general election, with NAR leaderA. N. R. Robinsonbecoming the new Prime Minister.Robinson was unable to hold together the fragile NAR coalition, and his economic reforms, such as the implementation of anInternational Monetary FundStructural Adjustment Programand devaluation of currency led to social unrest.In 1990, 114 members of theJamaat al Muslimeen, led byYasin Abu Bakr(formerly known as Lennox Phillip) stormed theRed House(the seat ofParliament), andTrinidad and Tobago Television, the only television station in the country at the time,holding Robinson and country's government hostagefor six days before surrendering.The coup leaders were promised amnesty, but upon their surrender they were arrested, ultimately being released after protracted legal wrangling.
The PNM underPatrick Manningreturned to power following the1991 Trinidad and Tobago general election.Hoping to capitalise on an improvement in the economy, Manning calledan early electionin 1995, however, this resulted in ahung parliament. Two NAR representatives backed the oppositionUnited National Congress(UNC), which had split off from the NAR in 1989, and they thus took power underBasdeo Panday, who became the country's first Indo-Trinidadian Prime Minister.After a period of political confusion caused by a series of inconclusive election results, Patrick Manning returned to power in 2001, retaining that position until 2010.
In 2003 the country entered a second oil boom, and petroleum, petrochemicals and natural gas continue to be the backbone of the economy. Tourism and the public service are the mainstay of the economy of Tobago, though authorities have attempted to diversify the island's economy.A partnership resulted in Manning's defeat by the newly formedPeople's Partnershipcoalition in 2010, withKamla Persad-Bissessarbecoming the country's first female prime minister.However, the PP were defeated in 2015 by the PNM underKeith Rowley.In August 2020, the governing People's National Movement won generalelection, earning the incumbent Prime Minister Keith Rowley a second term in office.On January 3, 2024, Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced his intention to leave office as Prime Minister before the2025 Trinidad and Tobago general election. On January 6, 2025, Prime Minister Keith Rowley made the announcement that MinisterStuart Youngwas elected by the Parliamentary Caucus of thePeople's National Movementas Prime Minister, succeeding Rowley.
Trinidad and Tobago is situated between 10° 2' and 11° 12' Nlatitudeand 60° 30' and 61° 56' Wlongitude, with theCaribbean Seato the north, theAtlantic Oceanto the east and south, and theGulf of Pariato the west. It is located in the far south-east of the Caribbean region, with the island of Trinidad being just 11 kilometres (6 nmi) off the coast ofVenezuelain mainlandSouth Americaacross theColumbus Channel.The islands are a physiographic extension ofSouth America.Covering an area of 5,128 km(1,980 sq mi),the country consists of two main islands, Trinidad andTobago, separated by a 37-kilometre (20-nautical-mile) strait, plus a number of muchsmaller islands, includingChacachacare,Monos,Huevos,Gaspar Grande(or Gasparee),Little Tobago, andSaint Giles Island.
Trinidad is 4,768 km(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 km(120 sq mi), or 5.8% of the country's area, is41 km (25+1⁄2mi) long and12 km (7+1⁄2mi) at its greatest width. Trinidad and Tobago lie on the continental shelf of South America, and are thus geologically considered to lie entirely in South America.
The terrain of the islands is a mixture of mountains and plains.On Trinidad theNorthern Rangeruns parallel with the north coast, and contains the country's highest peak (El Cerro del Aripo), which is 940 metres (3,080 ft) above sea level,and second highest (El Tucuche, 936 metres (3,071 ft)).The rest of the island is generally flatter, excluding theCentral Rangeand Montserrat Hills in the centre of the island and theSouthern RangeandTrinity Hillsin the south. The three mountain ranges determine the drainage pattern of Trinidad.The east coast is noted for its beaches, most notablyManzanilla Beach. The island contains several large swamp areas, such as theCaroni Swampand theNariva Swamp.Major bodies of water on Trinidad include theHollis Reservoir,Navet Reservoir,Caroni Reservoir.  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 theEast–West Corridorare the most fertile.Trinidad is also notable for containingPitch Lake, the largest natural reservoir ofasphaltin the world.Tobago contains a flat plain in its south-west, with the eastern half of the island being more mountainous, culminating in Pigeon Peak, the island's highest point at 550 metres (1,800 ft).Tobago also contains several coral reefs off its coast.
The majority of the population reside on the island of Trinidad, and this is thus the location of largesttowns and cities. There are four major municipalities in Trinidad: the capital Port of Spain,San Fernando,ArimaandChaguanas. The main town on Tobago isScarborough.
The Northern Range consists mainly of Upper Jurassic andCretaceousmetamorphic rocks. The Northern Lowlands (theEast–West CorridorandCaroni Plain) consist of younger shallow marineclastic sediments. South of this, theCentral Rangefold and thrust beltconsists of Cretaceous andEocenesedimentary rocks, withMioceneformations along the southern and eastern flanks. TheNaparima Plainand theNariva Swampform the southern shoulder of this uplift.
The Southern Lowlands consist of Miocene andPliocenesands, clays, and gravels. These overlie oil and natural gas deposits, especially north of the Los Bajos Fault. The Southern Range forms the thirdanticlinaluplift. The rocks consist ofsandstones,shales,siltstonesand clays formed in the Miocene and uplifted in thePleistocene.Oil sandsandmud volcanoesare especially common in this area.
One of the natural wonders of the island is thePitch lakelake, a natural pitch lake on the island of Trinidad. Which is the largest naturally occurring deposit of asphalt on Earth.
Trinidad and Tobago has a maritimetropical climate.There are two seasons annually: thedry seasonfor the first five months of the year, and therainy seasonin the remaining seven of the year. Winds are predominantly from the northeast and are dominated by the northeasttrade winds. Unlike many Caribbean islands Trinidad and Tobago lies outside the main hurricane alleys; nevertheless, the island of Tobago was struck byHurricane Floraon 30 September 1963. In the Northern Range of Trinidad, the climate is often cooler than that of the sweltering heat of the plains below, due to constant cloud and mist cover, and heavy rains in the mountains.
Record temperatures for Trinidad and Tobago are 39 °C (102 °F)for the high in Port of Spain, and a low of 12 °C (54 °F).
Because the islands of Trinidad and Tobago lie on the continental shelf of South America, and in ancient times were physically connected to the South American mainland, their biological diversity is unlike that of most other Caribbean islands, and has much more in common with that of Venezuela.The main ecosystems are: coastal and marine (coral reefs, mangrove swamps, open ocean and seagrass beds); forest; freshwater (rivers and streams);karst; man-made ecosystems (agricultural land, freshwater dams, secondary forest); and savanna. On 1 August 1996, Trinidad and Tobago ratified the 1992 RioConvention on Biological Diversity, and it has produced a biodiversity action plan and four reports describing the country's contribution to biodiversity conservation. These reports formally acknowledged the importance of biodiversity to the well-being of the country's people through provision ofecosystem services.
Information about vertebrates is rather comprehensive, with 472 bird species (2 endemics), about 100 mammals, about 90 reptiles (a few endemics), about 30 amphibians (including several endemics), 50 freshwater fish and at least 950 marine fish.Notable mammal species include theocelot,West Indian manatee,collared peccary(known as the quenk locally),red-rumped agouti,lappe,red brocket deer,Neotropical otter,weeper capuchinandred howler monkey; there are also some 70 species ofbat, including thevampire batandfringe-lipped bat.The larger reptiles present include 5 species of marine turtles known to nest on the islands' beaches, thegreen anaconda, theBoa constrictorand thespectacled caiman. There are at least 47 species of snakes, including only four dangerous venomous species (only in Trinidad and not in Tobago), lizards such as thegreen iguana, theTupinambis cryptusand a few species of fresh water turtles and land tortoises.are present. Of the amphibians, thegolden tree frogandTrinidad poison frogare found in the highest peaks of Trinidad's Northern Range and nearby onVenezuela's Paria Peninsula.Marine life is abundant, with several species ofsea urchin,coral,lobster,sea anemone,starfish,manta ray,dolphin,porpoiseandwhale sharkpresent in the islands' waters.The introducedPteroisis viewed as a pest, as it eats many native species of fish and has no natural predators; efforts are currently underway to cull the numbers of this species.The country contains five terrestrial ecoregions:Trinidad and Tobago moist forests,Lesser Antillean dry forests,Trinidad and Tobago dry forests,Windward Islands xeric scrub, andTrinidad mangroves.
Trinidad and Tobago is noted particularly for its large number of bird species, and is a popular destination forbird watchers. Notable species include thescarlet ibis,cocrico,egret,shiny cowbird,bananaquit,oilbirdand various species ofhoneycreeper,trogon,toucan,parrot,tanager,woodpecker,antbird,kites,hawks,boobies,pelicansandvultures; there are also 17 species of hummingbird, including thetufted coquettewhich is the world's third smallest.
Information about invertebrates is dispersed and very incomplete. About 650 butterflies,at least 672 beetles (from Tobago alone)and 40 coralshave been recorded.Other notable invertebrates include thecockroach,leaf-cutter antand numerous species ofmosquitoes,termites,spidersandtarantulas.
Although the list is far from complete, 1,647 species of fungi, including lichens, have been recorded.The true total number of fungi is likely to be far higher, given the generally accepted estimate that only about 7% of all fungi worldwide have so far been discovered.A first effort to estimate the number of endemic fungi tentatively listed 407 species.
Information about micro-organisms is dispersed and very incomplete. Nearly 200 species of marine algae have been recorded.The true total number of micro-organism species must be much higher.
Thanks to a recently published checklist, plant diversity in Trinidad and Tobago is well documented with about 3,300 species (59 endemic) recorded.Despite significant felling, forests still cover about 40% of the country, and there are about 350 different species of tree.A notable tree is themanchineelwhich is extremely poisonous to humans, and even just touching its sap can cause severe blistering of the skin; the tree is often covered with warning signs. The country had a 2019Forest Landscape Integrity Indexmean score of 6.62/10, ranking it 69th globally out of 172 countries.
Threats to the country's biodiversity include over-hunting and poaching (seeHunting#Trinidad and Tobago), habitat loss and fragmentation (particularly due to forest fires and land clearance for quarrying, agriculture, squatting, housing and industrial development and road construction), water pollution, and introduction of invasive species and pathogens.
Trinidad and Tobago is a republic with atwo-party systemand abicameralparliamentary system based on theWestminster System.
Thehead of stateof Trinidad and Tobago is the president, currentlyChristine Kangaloo.This largely ceremonial role replaced that of the governor-general (representing themonarch of Trinidad and Tobago) upon Trinidad and Tobago's becoming a republic in 1976.Thehead of governmentis theprime minister, currentlyKeith Rowley.On January 3, 2024, Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced his intention to demit office as Prime Minister before the2025 Trinidad and Tobago general election. On January 6, 2025, Stuart Young was elected by the Parliamentary Caucus of thePeople's National Movementas Prime Minister, succeeding Rowley.The president is elected by anElectoral collegeconsisting of the full membership of both houses ofParliament.
Following a general election, which takes place every five years, the president appoints as prime minister the person who has the support of a majority in theHouse of Representatives; this has generally been the leader of the party which won the most seats in the election (except in the case of the2001 General Elections).
Since 1980 Tobago has also had its own elections, separate from the general elections. In these elections, members are elected and serve in the unicameral Tobago House of Assembly.
Parliament consists of theSenate(31 seats) and theHouse of Representatives(41 seats, plus the Speaker).The members of the Senate are appointed by the president; 16 government senators are appointed on the advice of the prime minister, six opposition senators are appointed on the advice of theleader of the opposition, currentlyKamla Persad-Bissessar, 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.
Trinidad is split into 14regions and municipalities, consisting of nine regions and five municipalities, which have a limited level of autonomy.The various councils are made up of a mixture of elected and appointed members. Elections are held every three years.Tobago is administered by theTobago House of Assembly. The country was formerly divided intocounties.
The two main national parties are thePeople's National Movement(PNM) and theUnited National Congress(UNC). They both areleft of centreparties and support for these parties appears to fall along ethnic lines rather than ideology, with the PNM consistently obtaining a majority of Afro-Trinidadian vote, and the UNC gaining a majority of Indo-Trinidadian support. Several smaller parties also exist. As of the August 2020 General Elections, there were 19 registered political parties. These include, the Progressive Empowerment Party, Trinidad Humanity Campaign, New National Vision, Movement for Social Justice, Congress of the People, Movement for National Development,Progressive Democratic Patriots, National Coalition for Transformation, Progressive Party, Independent Liberal Party, Democratic Party of Trinidad and Tobago, National Organisation of We the People, Unrepresented Peoples Party, Trinidad and Tobago Democratic Front, The National Party, One Tobago Voice, and Unity of the Peoples.
The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.It consists of theRegiment, the Coast Guard, theAir Guardand theDefence Force Reserves. Established in 1962 after Trinidad and Tobago's independence from the United Kingdom, the TTDF is one of the largest military forces in the Anglophone Caribbean.
Its mission statement is to "defend the sovereign good of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, contribute to the development of the national community and support the State in the fulfilment of its national and international objectives". The Defence Force has been engaged in domestic incidents, such as theJamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt, and international missions, such as theUnited Nations Mission in Haitibetween 1993 and 1996.
In 2019, Trinidad and Tobago signed the UN treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Trinidad and Tobago is the 87th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024Global Peace Index.
Trinidad and Tobago maintains close relations with itsCaribbeanneighbours and major North American and European trading partners. As the most industrialised and second-largest country in the Anglophone Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago has taken a leading role in theCaribbean Community(CARICOM), and strongly supports CARICOM economic integration efforts. It also is active in theSummit of the Americasprocess and supports the establishment of theFree Trade Area of the Americas, lobbying other nations for seating the Secretariat in Port of Spain.
As a member of CARICOM, Trinidad and Tobago strongly backed efforts by the United States to bring political stability toHaiti, contributing personnel to the Multinational Force in 1994. After its 1962 independence from the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago joined theUnited NationsandCommonwealth of Nations. In 1967 it became the first Commonwealth country to join theOrganization of American States(OAS).In 1995 Trinidad played host to the inaugural meeting of theAssociation of Caribbean Statesand has become the seat of this 35-member grouping, which seeks to further economic progress and integration among its states. In international forums, Trinidad and Tobago has defined itself as having an independent voting record, but often supports US and EU positions.
Trinidad and Tobago has in recent decades suffered from a relatively high crime rate;there are currently roughly 500 murders per year.The country is a noted transshipment centre for the trafficking of illegal drugs from South America to the rest of the Caribbean and beyond to North America.Some estimates put the size of the "hidden economy" as high as 20–30% of measured GDP.
Though there have been no terrorism-related incidents in the country since theJamaat al Muslimeen coup attemptin 1990, Trinidad and Tobago remains a potential target and it is estimated that roughly 100 citizens of the country have traveled to theMiddle Eastto fight for theIslamic State.In 2017, the government adopted a counter-terrorism and extremism strategy.In 2018, a terror threat at theTrinidad and Tobago Carnivalwas thwarted by law enforcement.
The country's prison administration is the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service (TTPrS), it is under the control of the Commissioner of Prisons (Ag.) Dennis Pulchan, located in Port-of-Spain.The prison population rate is 292 people per 100,000. The total prison population, including pre-trial detainees and remand prisoners, is 3,999 prisoners. The population rate of pre-trial detainees and remand prisoners is 174 per 100,000 of the national population (59.7% of the prison population). In 2018, the female prison population rate is 8.5 per 100,000 of the national population (2.9% of the prison population). Prisoners that are minors makes up 1.9% of the prison population and foreigners prisoners make 0.8% of the prison population.
The occupancy level of Trinidad and Tobago's prison system is at 81.8% capacity as of 2019.Trinidad and Tobago has nine prison establishments; Golden Grove Prison, Maximum Security Prison, Port of Spain Prison, Eastern Correctional Rehabilitation Centre, Remand Prison, Tobago Convict Prison, Carrera Convict Island Prison, Women's Prison and Youth Training and Rehabilitation Centre.Trinidad and Tobago also use labour yards as prisons, or means of punishment.
The population of the country estimated at between 1.4 to 1.5 million by the mid 2020s.
The ethnic composition of Trinidad and Tobago reflects a history of conquest and immigration.While the earliest inhabitants were of indigenous heritage, the two dominant groups in the country are now those of India-South Asian heritage and those of African heritage.Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagoniansmake up the country's largest ethnic group (approximately 35.4%);they are primarily the descendants ofindentured workers from India,brought to replace freed African slaves who refused to continue working on the sugar plantations. Through cultural preservation many residents of Indian descent continue to maintain traditions from their ancestral homeland. Indo-Trinidadians reside primarily on Trinidad; as of the 2011 census only 2.5% of Tobago's population was of Indian descent.
Afro-Trinidadians and Tobagoniansmake up the country's second largest ethnic group, with approximately 34.2% of the population identifying as being of African descent.The majority of people of an African background are the descendants of slaves forcibly transported to the islands from as early as the 16th century. This group constitute the majority on Tobago, at 85.2%.
The bulk of the rest of the population are those who identify as being of mixed heritage.There are also small but significant minorities of people ofIndigenous,European,Portuguese,Venezuelan,Chinese, andArabdescent.
Arimain Trinidad is a noted centre of First Peoples' culture, including as the headquarters of theCarib Queenand the location of theSanta Rosa First Peoples Community.
There is aCocoa Panyolcommunity in Trinidad and Tobago whose ancestors were migrant labourers of mixed Spanish, indigenous, and African descent who came from Venezuela between the late 19th and early 20th century to work on the cocoa estates.
English is the official language. Additional languages on the islands areTriniadian Creole English,Tobagonian Creole English,Caribbean Hindustani(dialect of Hindi),Trinidadian Creole French, Spanish, and Chinese.
English is the country's official language (the local variety of standard English isTrinidadian and Tobagonian Englishor more properly, Trinidad and Tobago Standard English, abbreviated as "TTSE"), but the main spoken language is either of twoEnglish-based creole languages(Trinidadian CreoleorTobagonian Creole), which reflects the Indigenous, European, African, and Asian heritage of the nation. Both creoles contain elements from a variety of African languages; Trinidadian English Creole, however, is also influenced by French andFrench Creole(Patois).
Trinidadian Hindustani,Trinidadian Bhojpuri,Trinidadian Hindi,Indian,Plantation Hindustani, orGaon ke Bolee (Village Speech)are names for the variety ofHindustanispoken in Trinidad and Tobago.A majority of the earlyIndianindentured immigrants spoke theBhojpuriandAwadhidialects, which later formed into Trinidadian Hindustani. In 1935, Indian movies began showing to audiences in Trinidad. Most of the Indian movies were in theStandard Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) dialectand this modified Trinidadian Hindustani slightly by adding StandardHindiandUrduphrases and vocabulary to Trinidadian Hindustani. Indian movies also revitalized Hindustani among Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians.The British colonial government and estate owners had disdain and contempt for Hindustani and Indian languages in Trinidad. Due to this, many Indians saw it as a broken language keeping them in poverty and bound to the cane fields, and did not pass it on as afirst language, but rather as aheritage language, as they favored English as a way out.Around the mid to late 1960s thelingua francaof Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians switched from Trinidadian Hindustani to a sort ofHindinizedversion of English. Today Hindustani survives on throughIndo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian musical formssuch as,Bhajan, Indian classical music, Indian folk music,Filmi,Pichakaree,Chutney,Chutney soca, andChutney parang. As of 2003, there are about 15,633 Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians who speak Trinidadian Hindustani and as of 2011, there are about 10,000 who speak Standard Hindi. Many Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians today speak a type ofHinglishthat consists of Trinidadian and Tobagonian English that is heavily laced with Trinidadian Hindustani vocabulary and phrases and many Indo-Trinidadians and Tobagonians can recite phrases or prayers in Hindustani today. There are many places in Trinidad and Tobago that have names of Hindustani origin. Some phrases and vocabulary have even made their way into the mainstream English and English Creole dialect of the country.World Hindi Dayis celebrated each year on 10 January with events organized by the National Council of Indian Culture, Hindi Nidhi Foundation, Indian High Commission, Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Co-operation, and theSanatan Dharma Maha Sabha.
The Tamil language is spoken by some of the olderTamil (Madrasi)Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian population. It is mostly spoken by the few remaining children of indentured Indian labourers from the present-day state ofTamil NaduinIndia. Other speakers of the language are recent immigrants from Tamil Nadu.
A majority of the people who immigrated in the 19th century were fromsouthern Chinaand spoke theHakkaandYuedialects of Chinese. In the 20th century after the years of indentureship up to the present-day more Chinese people have immigrated to Trinidad and Tobago for business and they speak the dialects of the indenturees along with other Chinese dialects, such asMandarinandMin.J. Dyer Ball, writing in 1906, says: "In Trinidad there were, about twenty years ago, 4,000 or 5,000 Chinese, but they have decreased to probably about 2,000 or 3,000, [2,200 in 1900]. They used to work in sugar plantations, but are now principally shopkeepers, as well as general merchants, miners and railway builders,
etc."
The indigenous languages wereYaoon Trinidad andKarinaon Tobago, both Cariban, andShebayaon Trinidad, which was Arawakan.
According to the 2011 census,Christianityis the largest religion of the country, claimed as the faith of 55.2% of the population.Roman Catholicswere the largest single Christian denomination, with 21.60% of the total population. ThePentecostal/Evangelical/Full Gospeldenominations were the second largest Christian group with 12.02% of the population. Various other Christian denominations includeSpiritual Baptist(5.67%),Anglicans(5.67%),Seventh-day Adventists(4.09%),PresbyteriansorCongregationalists(2.49%),Jehovah's Witnesses(1.47%),Baptists(1.21%),Methodists(0.65%) and theMoravian Church(0.27%).
Hinduismwas the second largest religion in the country, adhered to by 18.2% of the population in 2011.Hinduism is practised throughout the country,Diwaliis a public holiday, and otherHindu holidaysare also widely celebrated. The largest Hindu organization in Trinidad and Tobago is theSanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, which was formed in 1952 after the merging of the two main Hindu organizations. Most Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago areSanātanī (Sanatanist/Orthodox Hindu). Other sects and organizations include theArya Samaj,Kabir Panth, Seunariani (Sieunarini/Siewnaraini/Shiv Narayani),Ramanandi Sampradaya,Aughar (Aghor),Kali Mai (Madrasi),Sathya Sai Baba movement, Shirdi Sai Baba movement,ISKCON (Hare Krishna),Chinmaya Mission,Bharat Sevashram Sangha,Divine Life Society,Murugan (Kaumaram),Ganapathi Sachchidananda movement,Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (Radha Madhav)andBrahma Kumaris.
Muslimsrepresented 4.97% of the population in 2011.Eid al-Fitris a public holiday andEid al-Adha,Mawlid,Hosay,Shab-e-barat, and otherMuslim holidaysare also celebrated.
African-derived or Afrocentric religions are also practised, notablyTrinidad Orisha(Yoruba) believers (0.9%) andRastafarians(0.27%).Various aspects of traditionalobeahbeliefs are still commonly practised on the islands.
There has been a Jewish community on the islands for many centuries. However, their numbers have never been large, with a 2007 estimate putting the Jewish population at 55 individuals.
Respondents who did not state a religious affiliation represented 11.1% of the population, with 2.18% declaring themselvesirreligious.
TwoAfricansyncreticfaiths, the Shouter orSpiritual Baptistsand theOrishafaith (formerly calledShangos) are among the fastest growing religious groups. Similarly, there is a noticeable increase in numbers ofEvangelical ProtestantandFundamentalistchurches usually lumped as "Pentecostal" by most Trinidadians, although this designation is often inaccurate.Sikhism,Jainism,Baháʼí,Zoroastrianism, andBuddhismare practiced by a minority ofIndo-Trinidadian and Tobagonians, mostly by recent immigrants from India. Several eastern religions such asBuddhism,Chinese folk religion,TaoismandConfucianismare followed by a minority ofChinese Trinidadian and Tobagonian, with most being Christians.
Children generally start pre-school at two and a half years but this is not mandatory. They are, however, expected to have basic reading and writing skills when they commence primary school. Students begin primary school at age five and move on to secondary after seven years. The seven classes of primary school consists of First Year and Second Year, followed by Standard One through Standard Five. During the final year of primary school, students prepare for and sit the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) which determines the secondary school the child will attend.
Students attend secondary school for a minimum of five years, leading to the CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) examinations, which is the equivalent of the British GCSE O levels. Children with satisfactory grades may opt to continue high school for a further two-year period, leading to the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), the equivalent of GCE A levels. Both CSEC and CAPE examinations are held by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). Public Primary and Secondary education is free for all, although private and religious schooling is available for a fee.
Tertiary education for tuition costs are provided for via GATE (The Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses), up to the level of the bachelor's degree, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), theUniversity of Trinidad and Tobago(UTT), theUniversity of the Southern Caribbean(USC), theCollege of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago(COSTAATT) and certain other local accredited institutions. Government also currently subsidises some Masters programmes. Both the Government and the private sector also provide financial assistance in the form of academic scholarships to gifted or needy students for study at local, regional or international universities. Trinidad and Tobago was ranked 108th in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2024, down from 91st in 2019.
While women account for only 49% of the population, they constitute nearly 55% of the workforce in the country.
Trinidad and Tobago is the most developed nation and one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean and is listed in the top 40 (2010 information) of the 70high-income countriesin the world.Its gross national income per capita of US$20,070(2014 gross national income at Atlas Method) is one of the highest in the Caribbean.In November 2011, theOECDremoved Trinidad and Tobago from its list ofdeveloping countries.Trinidad's economy is strongly influenced by thepetroleumindustry. Tourism and manufacturing are also important to the local economy. Tourism is a growing sector, particularly on Tobago, although proportionately it is much less important than in many other Caribbean islands. Agricultural products include citrus and cocoa. It also supplies manufactured goods, notably food, beverages, and cement, to the Caribbean region.
Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources.Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of employment.Recent growth has been fuelled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional petrochemical, aluminium, and plastics projects are in various stages of planning.
The country is also a regional financial centre, and the economy has a growing trade surplus.The expansion ofAtlantic LNGover the past six years created the largest single-sustained phase of economic growth in Trinidad and Tobago. The nation is an exporter of LNG and supplied a total of 13.4 billion min 2017. The largest markets for Trinidad and Tobago's LNG exports are Chile and the United States.
Trinidad and Tobago has transitioned from an oil-based economy to a natural gas based economy. In 2017, natural gas production totalled 18.5 billion m, a decrease of 0.4% from 2016 with 18.6 billion mof production.Oil production has decreased over the past decade from 7.1 million metric tonnes per year in 2007 to 4.4 million metric tonnes per year in 2017.In December 2005, the Atlantic LNG's fourth production module or "train" for liquefied natural gas (LNG) began production. Train four 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.
Trinidad and Tobago is far less dependent on tourism than many other Caribbean countries and territories, with the bulk of tourist activity occurring on Tobago.The government has made efforts to boost this sector in recent years.
Some of the attractions of the island are its street food culture and cultural events, and Aripita Avenue in Port of Spain is one noted place for this.
Historically agricultural production including sugar and coffee dominated the economy, with sugar cane earning the most money, and providing the most employment. Some of the sugar produced was eaten in Trinidad but most of it was sold toUnited Kingdom,Canada, andUnited States. Cocoa was the second most valuable crop, and covers more area than sugar cane. Sugar production ceased around 2010 or so due to deflated prices of the time and high production costs.
Most farmers grow cocoa to sell to other countries that cannot grow it themselves. Trinidad was once the second biggest producer of cocoa afterEcuador, but this would not last long. As countries inWest AfricaandSouth Americabegan growing cocoa at a lower price, Trinidad lost many of its customers.
Agriculture has been in steep decline since the 20th century and now forms just 0.4% of the country's GDP and employs 3.1% of the workforce.Various fruits and vegetables are grown, such as cucumbers, eggplant, cassava, pumpkin, dasheen (taro) and coconut, and fishing is still also commonly practised.
Trinidad and Tobago, in an effort to undergo economic transformation through diversification,formedInvesTTin 2012 to serve as the country's sole investment promotion agency. This agency is aligned to the Ministry of Trade and Industry and is to be the key agent in growing the country's non-oil and gas sectors significantly and sustainably.
Trinidad and Tobago is home to the largest brewery company inCARICOM, theCarib Brewery.  It also has a number of food production facilities including a Nestle plant. Because the island has less land and a higher income than average there is a tendency to import food, nevertheless there is local production of many products including milk, chocolate, coconuts, and alcoholic beverages among others.In 2022, the output of the Food, Beverage, and Tobacco industry was almost 8 billion Trinidian dollars.
An example of a restaurant chain in Trinidad and Tobago isRoyal Castle.
See alsoCategory:Food and drink companies of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago has a well developed communications sector. The telecommunications and broadcasting sectors generated an estimated TT$5.63 billion (US$0.88 billion) in 2014, which as a percentage of GDP equates to 3.1 percent. This represented a 1.9 percent increase in total revenues generated by this industry compared to last year. Of total telecommunications and broadcasting revenues, mobile voice services accounted for the majority of revenues with TT$2.20 billion (39.2 percent). This was followed by internet services which contributed TT$1.18 billion or 21.1 percent. The next highest revenue earners for the industry were fixed voice services and paid television services whose contributions totalled TT$0.76 billion and TT$0.70 billion respectively (13.4 percent and 12.4 percent). International voice services was next in line, generating TT$0.27 billion (4.7 percent) in revenues. Free-to Air radio and television services contributed TT$0.18 billion and TT$0.13 billion respectively (3.2 percent and 2.4 percent). Finally, other contributors included "other revenues" and "leased line services" with earnings of TT$0.16 billion and TT$0.05 billion respectively, with 2.8 percent and 0.9 percent.
There are several providers for each segment of the telecommunications market. Fixed Lines Telephone service is provided byDigicel,TSTT(operating asbmobile) andCable & Wireless Communicationsoperating asFLOW; cellular service is provided byTSTT(operating as bmobile) and Digicel whilst internet service is provided byTSTT,FLOW,Digicel, Green Dot and Lisa Communications.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has recognised the creative industries as a pathway to economic growth and development. It is one of the newest, most dynamic sectors where creativity, knowledge and intangibles serve as the basic productive resource. In 2015, theTrinidad and Tobago Creative Industries CompanyLimited (CreativeTT) was established as a state agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry with a mandate to stimulate and facilitate the business development and export activities of the Creative Industries in Trinidad and Tobago to generate national wealth, and, as such, the company is responsible for the strategic and business development of the three niche areas and sub sectors currently under its purview –Music, Film and Fashion.MusicTT,FilmTTandFashionTTare the subsidiaries established to fulfil this mandate.
The transport system in Trinidad and Tobago consists of a dense network of highways and roads across both major islands, ferries connecting Port of Spain with Scarborough andSan Fernando, and international airports on both islands.TheUriah Butler Highway,Churchill Roosevelt Highwayand theSir Solomon Hochoy Highwaylinks the island of Trinidad together, whereas theClaude Noel Highwayis the only major highway in Tobago. Public transportation options on land are public buses, private taxis and minibuses. By sea, the options are inter-island ferries and inter-city water taxis.
The island of Trinidad is served byPiarco International Airportlocated inPiarco, which opened on 8 January 1931.Sitting at an elevation of 17.4 metres (57 ft)above sea level, it comprises an area of 680 hectares (1,700 acres) and has a runway of 3,200 metres (10,500 ft). The airport consists of two terminals, the North Terminal and the South Terminal. The older South Terminal underwent renovations in 2009 for use as a VIP entrance point during the fifth Summit of the Americas. The North Terminal was completed in 2001, and consists of14-second-level aircraft gates with jetways for international flights, two ground-level domestic gates and 82 ticket counter positions.
In 2008, the passenger throughput at Piarco International Airport was approximately 2.6 million. It is the seventh busiest airport in the Caribbean and the third busiest in the English-speaking Caribbean, afterSangster International AirportandLynden Pindling International Airport.Caribbean Airlines, the national airline, operates its main hub at the Piarco International Airport and services the Caribbean, the United States, Canada and South America. The airline is wholly owned by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. After an additional cash injection of US$50 million, the Trinidad and Tobago government acquired the Jamaican airlineAir Jamaicaon 1 May 2010, with a 6–12-month transition period to follow.
The Island of Tobago is served by theA.N.R. Robinson International AirportinCrown Point.This airport has regular services to North America and Europe. There are regular flights between the two islands, with fares being heavily subsidised by the Government.
Trinidad was formerly home to arailway network, however this was closed down in 1968.There have been talks to build a new railway on the islands, though nothing yet has come of this.
Trinidad and Tobago is the region's leading exporter of oil and gas but imports of fossil fuels provided over 90% of the energy consumed by its CARICOM neighbours in 2008. This vulnerability led CARICOM to develop an Energy Policy which was approved in 2013. This policy is accompanied by the CARICOM Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS). Under the policy, renewable energy sources are to contribute 20% of the total electricity generation mix in member states by 2017, 28% by 2022 and 47% by 2027.
In 2014 Trinidad and Tobago was the third country in the world which emitted the most CO2per capita afterQatarandCuracaoaccording to the World Bank.On average, each inhabitant produced 34.2 metric tons of CO2in the atmosphere. In comparison, the world average was 5.0 tons per capita the same year. Over recent years CO2emissions have declined, so that in 2021 at 21.01 tonnes per capita,Trinidad and Tobago ranked fourth, after the tiny countries smaller than half a million, such asCuracao, are excluded, and is the only non-Middle East country in the remaining worst sevenCO2emitters on a per capita basis.
In terms ofemissions intensityof economy (defined as CO2emissions per unit ofGDP), Trinidad and Tobago ranked third globally.Its emissions-source profile is unique amongst the worst CO2intensity emitters as the so-called "other sectors", which includes: industrial process emissions, agricultural soils and waste, accounts for more than fifty per cent of fossil CO2emissions, rather than the power industry, other industrial combustion, transport and buildings sectors.
The Caribbean Industrial Research Institute in Trinidad and Tobago facilitates climate change research and provides industrial support for R&D related to food security. It also carries out equipment testing and calibration for major industries.
Trinidad and Tobago has a diverse culture with African, Indian, Creole, European, Chinese, Indigenous, Latin American, and Arab influences, reflecting the various communities who have migrated to the islands over the centuries.
Steelpan music, the limbo dance competition, and carnival with its elaborate costumes, and Caribbean street foods are some of the famous cultures of the islands.
Trinidadian designerPeter Minshallis renowned not only for his Carnival costumes but also for his role in opening ceremonies of theBarcelona Olympics, the1994 FIFA World Cup, the1996 Summer Olympics, and the2002 Winter Olympics, for which he won anEmmy Award.
Diversity is also reflected the culinary culture, which bears witness to a variety of influences, including African, Indian, Chinese, Creole, European, Amerindian, Latin American, and North American.Street food is popular, and some examples aredoubles,aloo pie,saheena,phoulourie,kachorie, baiganee, pies, accra,bake and shark,barbecue, souse, chow,black pudding,arepas,gyros, and others.Some main and/or side dishes are curry crab and dumpling,pelau,oil down,pastelles, buljol,cou-cou,callaloo,ground provisions,fried plantain,red beans and rice,fried chicken,stewed chicken,barbecue chicken,fried fish,macaronipie,fry bake,dhal bhat (dhal and rice),kurhee, dhalpuri,paratha, sada roti, dosti roti,curry chicken,curry goat,geera pork, curry fish, curry shrimp, curry channa and aloo, curry baigan, bhajee, mango tarkari, curry chataigne, bodi, seim, pumpkin (kohra), baigan chokha, damadol (tomatoes) chokha,aloo choka,kitchrie,tarkaris, pepper shrimp,fried rice,chow mein, and many others.Some noted soups arechicken, cow heel, fish broth, andcorn soup. Some desserts and sweets includecassava pone, sweet bread, coconut drops, currants roll,sponge cake,black cake,kurma,gulab jamun,jalebi,laddoo,halwa,mohanbhog (parsad),pera,gujiya,maleeda,laapsi,sweet rice,barfi,rasgulla, sawine, sugar cake, toolum, and coconut, mango, orsoursopice cream.
Of these one of the most famous isdoubles, which is twobara(fried flatbread) withchanna(curried chickpeas) with various condiments likechutneys,kuchela, and pepper sauce. This is the most popular street food in the country.Doubles are popular late-night snack or breakfast, are thought to have been invented in 1936 on Trinidad.
Types of food that are popular are street food, celebration foods, deserts, and condiments like various chutneys.Fresh coconut water, rum,Mauby, are some examples.Having a fresh coconut water with "jelly", bitters, various mixed drinks, sorrel, are among noted beverages of the islands.Trinidadiangyrosandshawarmaare other noted food item, which was popularized by Lebanese and Syrian migrants to the islands.
Thelimbodance originated in Trinidad as an event that took place atwakesin Trinidad. The limbo has African roots. It was popularized in the 1950s by dance pioneerJulia Edwards(known as the "First Lady of Limbo") and her company which appeared in several films.Bélé, Bongo, and wining are also dance forms with African roots.
Jazz,ballroom,ballet,modern, andsalsadancing are also popular.
Indian dance formsare also prevalent in Trinidad and Tobago.Kathak,Odissi, andBharatanatyamare the most popularIndian classical dance formsin Trinidad and Tobago.Indian folk dances, such aslaunda ke naach, as well asBollywood dancesandchutneydancing are also popular.
The island is particularly renowned for its annualCarnivalcelebrations.Festivals rooted in various religions and cultures practiced on the islands are also popular.Hindu festivalsincludeDiwali,Phagwah (Holi),Nauratri,Vijayadashami,Maha Shivratri,Krishna Janmashtami,Ram Naumi,Hanuman Jayanti,Ganesh Utsav,Saraswati Jayanti,Kartik Nahan,Makar Sankranti,Pitru Paksha,Raksha Bandhan,Mesha Sankranti,Guru Purnima,Tulasi Vivaha,Vivaha Panchami,Kalbhairo Jayanti,Datta Jayanti, andGita Jayanti.Christian holidays and observances includeSpiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day,Lent,Palm Sunday,Easter,Maundy Thursday,Good Friday,Ash Wednesday,Holy Week,Easter Monday,Octave of Easter,Pentecost,Whit Monday,Old Year's Day,New Year's Day,Christmas,Boxing Day,Epiphany,Assumption of Mary,Feast of Corpus Christi,All Souls' Day,All Saints' Day.Muslim holidays includeHosay(Ashura),Eid al-Fitr,Eid al-Adha,Day of Arafah,Mawlid,Ramadan,Chaand Raat, andShab-e-barat. People ofIndian descentcelebrateIndian Arrival Dayto commemorate the arrival of theirindentured Indian ancestorsbeginning in 1845 and people ofAfrican descentcelebrateEmancipation Dayto commemorate the day their African ancestors were emancipated fromslavery. Trinidad and Tobago was the first country in the world to recognize both of these holiday and make them public holidays. TheIndigenous Amerindianshave theirSanta Rosa Indigenous Festivaland theChinese Trinidadians and Tobagonianshave theChinese New Year, although they are not public national holidays.National holidays such asIndependence Day,Republic DayandLabour Dayare celebrated as well.
Trinidad and Tobago claims twoNobel Prize-winning authors,V. S. NaipaulandSt Lucian-bornDerek Walcott(who also founded the Trinidad Theatre Workshop). Other notable writers includeMichael Anthony,Neil Bissoondath,Vahni Capildeo,Merle Hodge,C. L. R. James,Earl Lovelace,Rabindranath Maharaj,Kenneth RamchandandSamuel Selvon.
Trinidad and Tobago is the birthplace ofcalypso musicand thesteelpan.Trinidad is also the birthplace ofsoca music,chutney music,chutney-soca,parang,rapso,pichakareeandchutney parang.
Geoffrey Holder(brother ofBoscoe Holder) andHeather Headleyare two Trinidad-born artists who have wonTony Awardsfor theatre. Holder also has a distinguished film career, and Headley has won aGrammy Awardas well.
Indian theatreis also popular throughout Trinidad and Tobago.Nautankisand dramas such asRaja Harishchandra,Raja Nal,Raja Rasalu,Sarwaneer (Sharwan Kumar),Indra Sabha,Bhakt Prahalad,Lorikayan,Gopichand, andAlha-Khandwere brought by Indians to Trinidad and Tobago, however they had largely began to die out, till preservation began by Indian cultural groups.Ramleela, the drama about the life of theHindudeityRama, is popular during the time betweenSharad NavaratriandVijaydashmi, andRas leela (Krishna leela), the drama about the life of the Hindu deityKrishna, is popular around the time ofKrishna Janmashtami.
Trinidad and Tobago is also the smallest country to have twoMiss Universetitleholders and had the firstblackwoman ever to win:Janelle Commissiongin 1977, followed byWendy Fitzwilliamin 1998; the country has also had oneMiss Worldtitleholder,Giselle LaRondewho won in 1986.
Trinidad and Tobago has a variety of museums, covering everything from classic cars, art, history, to zoology.
Hasely Crawfordwon the first Olympicgold medalfor Trinidad and Tobago in the men's100-metre dashin the1976 Summer Olympics. Nine different athletes from Trinidad and Tobago have won twelve medals at the Olympics, beginning with asilver medalinweightlifting, won by Rodney Wilkes in1948.Most recently, a gold medal was won byKeshorn Walcottin the men'sjavelin throwin2012.Ato Boldonhas 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 won the 1997200-metre dashWorld Championship inAthens, and was the sole world champion Trinidad and Tobago had produced untilJehue GordoninMoscow 2013. SwimmerGeorge Bovell IIIwon a bronze medal in the men's200 metres Individual Medleyin 2004. At the 2017 World Championship in London, the Men's 4x400 relay team captured the title, thus the country now celebrates three world championships titles. The team consisted ofJarrin Solomon,Jareem Richards,Machel CedenioandLalonde GordonwithRenny Quowwho ran in the heats.
Also in 2012,Lalonde Gordoncompeted in the London Summer Olympics where he won a bronze medal in the400-metre dash, being surpassed byLuguelin Santosof theDominican RepublicandKirani JamesofGrenada. Keshorn Walcott (as stated above) came first in javelin and earned a gold medal, making him the second Trinidadian in the country's history to receive one. This also makes him the first Western athlete in 40 years to receive a gold medal in the javelin sport, and the first athlete from Trinidad and Tobago to win a gold medal in a field event in the Olympics.Sprinter Richard Thompson is also from Trinidad and Tobago. He came second place to Usain Bolt in the Beijing Olympics in the 100-metre dash with a time of 9.89s.
In 2018, The Court of Arbitration for Sport made its final decision on the failed doping sample from the Jamaican team in the 4 x 100 relay in the 2008 Olympic Games. The team from Trinidad and Tobago will be awarded the gold medal, because of the second rank during the relay run.
In 2023, Trinidad and Tobago hosted the2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.
In 2024, Trinidadian sprinterLeah Bertrandcompeted in the 2024 Paris Olympics for the first time.Overall, TT sent about 17 athletes to the 2024 games, including noted athletes Michelle-Lee Ahye (springer), Jereem Richards (200m and 400m), Dylan Carter (swimming), Keshorn Walcott (javelin), Nicholas Paul (cyclist). Keshorn Walcott is previous Olympic medal winner, have won Gold and bronze.
(see alsoTrinidad and Tobago at the 2024 Summer Olympics)
Cricket is a popular sport of Trinidad and Tobago, often deemed the national sport, and there is intense inter-island rivalry with its Caribbean neighbours. Trinidad and Tobago is represented atTest cricket,One Day Internationalas well asTwenty20 cricketlevel as a member of theWest Indies team. Thenational teamplays at thefirst-classlevel in regional competitions such as theRegional Four Day CompetitionandRegional Super50. Meanwhile, theTrinbago Knight Ridersplay in theCaribbean Premier League.
TheQueen's Park Ovallocated inPort of Spainis the largest cricket ground in theWest Indies, having hosted 60 Test matches as of January 2018. Trinidad and Tobago along with other islands from the Caribbean co-hosted the2007 Cricket World Cup.
Brian Lara, world record holder for the most runs scored both in a Test and in a First Class innings amongst other records, was born in the small town ofSanta Cruzand is often referred to as the Prince of Port of Spain or simply the Prince. This legendary West Indian batsman is widely regarded.
Association football is also a popular sport in Trinidad and Tobago.The men's national football teamqualified for the2006 FIFA World Cupfor the first time by beatingBahraininManamaon 16 November 2005, making them the second least populated country ever to qualify, afterIceland.
The team, coached byDutchmanLeo Beenhakker, and led by Tobagonian-born captainDwight Yorke, drew their first group game – againstSwedeninDortmund, 0–0, but lost the second game toEnglandon late goals, 0–2. They were eliminated after losing 2–0 toParaguayin the last game of the Group stage.
Prior to the 2006 World Cup qualification, Trinidad and Tobago came close in a controversial qualification campaign for the1974 FIFA World Cup. Following the match, the referee of their critical game againstHaitiwas awarded a lifetime ban for his actions.Trinidad and Tobago again fell just short of qualifying for the World Cup in1990, needing only a draw at home against theUnited Statesbut losing 1–0.
They play their home matches at theHasely Crawford Stadium. Trinidad and Tobago hosted the2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship, and hosted the2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
TheTT Pro Leagueis the country's primary football competition and is the top level of theTrinidad and Tobago football league system. The Pro League serves as a league for professional football clubs in Trinidad and Tobago. The league began in 1999 as part of a need for a professional league to strengthen the country'snational teamand improve the development of domestic players. The first season took place in the same year beginning with eight teams.
Basketballis commonly played in Trinidad and Tobago in colleges, universities and throughout various urban basketball courts. Its national team is one of the most successful teams in the Caribbean. At theCaribbean Basketball Championshipit won four straight gold medals from 1986 to 1990.
Netballhas long been a popular sport in Trinidad and Tobago, although it has declined in popularity in recent years. At theNetball World Championshipsthey co-won the event in 1979, were runners up in 1987, and second runners up in 1983.
Rugbyis played in Trinidad and Tobago and continues to be a popular sport, andhorse racingis regularly followed in the country.
There is also the Trinidad and Tobago national baseball team which is controlled by the Baseball/Softball Association of Trinidad and Tobago, and represents the nation in international competitions. The team is a provisional member of thePan American Baseball Confederation.
There are a number of 9 and 18-holegolfcourses on Trinidad and Tobago. The most established is the St Andrews Golf Club, Maraval in Trinidad (commonly referred to as Moka), and there is a newer course at Trincity, near Piarco Airport called Millennium Lakes. There are 18-hole courses at Chaguramas and Point-a-Pierre and nine-hole courses at Couva and St Madeline. Tobago has two 18-hole courses. The older of the two is at Mount Irvine, with the Magdalena Hotel & Golf Club (formerly Tobago Plantations) being built more recently.
Although a minor sport, bodybuilding is of growing interest in Trinidad and Tobago.Darrem Charles, a former world class body builder, is from Trinidad and Tobago.
Dragonboat is also another water-sport that has been rapidly growing over the years. Introduced in 2006. the fraternity made consistent strides in having more members a part of the TTDBF (Trinidad and Tobago Dragonboat Federation) as well as performing on an international level such as the 10th IDBF World Nations Dragon Boat Championships in Tampa, Florida in the US in 2011.
Claude Noelis a former world champion in professional boxing. He was born in Tobago.
TheTrinidad and Tobago Chess Championshipwas started in 1937, and is an annual national chess championship.
The flag was chosen by the Independence committee in 1962. Red, black and white symbolise the warmth of the people, the richness of the earth and water respectively.
The coat of arms was designed by the Independence committee, and features thescarlet ibis(native to Trinidad), thecocrico(native to Tobago) andhummingbird. The shield bears three ships, representing both the Trinity, and the three ships that Columbus sailed.
There are five categories and thirteen classes of national awards:
The national anthem of the twin-island state is "Forged from the Love of Liberty".
Other national songs include "God Bless Our Nation"and "Our Nation's Dawning".
The national flower of Trinidad and Tobago is thechaconiaflower. It was chosen as the national flower because it is an indigenous flower that has witnessed the history of Trinidad and Tobago. It was also chosen as the national flower because of its red colour that resembles the red of the national flag and coat of arms and because it blooms around the Independence Day of Trinidad and Tobago.
The national birds of Trinidad and Tobago are thescarlet ibisand thecocrico. The scarlet ibis is kept safe by the government by living in the Caroni Bird Sanctuary which was set up by the government for the protection of these birds. The Cocrico is more indigenous to the island of Tobago and is more likely to be seen in the forest.Thehummingbirdis considered another symbol of Trinidad and Tobago due to its significance to the Indigenous peoples, however, it is not a national bird.
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