Facts about Trinidad
Termed the Mayoid cultural tradition, this represents the native tribes which were present in Trinidad at the time of European arrival.
In 1687, the Catalonian Capuchin friars were given responsibility for the conversion of the indigenous population of Trinidad and the Guianas.
Long-term growth looks promising, as Trinidad and Tobago further develops its hydrocarbon, petrochemical, and metals sectors—with significant increases in exports.
The arrival of witches' broom and black pod diseases in the 1930s, coupled with the Great Depression, destroyed the Cacao industry in Trinidad.
Trinidad was formally ceded to Britain in 1802, and its development as a sugar colony continued.
Largely because of this phenomenon, as of 2007, Trinidad and Tobago has the second lowest population growth rate in the world (-0.883 percent (2007 est.
The Spectacled Caiman, which may grow up to about eight feet in length, shares its habitat in the Nariva Swamp on Trinidad's east coast with the mighty Green Anaconda.
An abundance of birds, 468 species, have been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago.
Most of the soils of Trinidad are fertile, with the exception of the sandy and unstable terrain found in the southern part of the island.
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.
Twenty-nine Archaic sites have been identified, mostly in south Trinidad; this includes the 7,000-year-old Banwari Trace site which is the oldest human settlement in the eastern Caribbean.
A new player in the Surinamese gold sector is the U.S. firm Newmont Mining Corporation.
Trinidadian chocolate became a high-priced, much sought-after commodity.
the first ceramic-using people in the Caribbean, the Saladoid people, entered Trinidad.
Rather, Trinidad was once part of the South American mainland and is situated on its continental shelf, and Tobago is part of a sunken mountain chain related to the continent.
Trinidad demonstrated one of the first successful uses of non-violent protest and passive resistance almost a hundred years before Mahatma Gandhi's campaign in India.
Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic republic consisting of 23 islands in the southern Caribbean between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela.
Trinidad and Tobago, well within the tropics, both enjoy a generally pleasant maritime tropical climate influenced by the northeast trade winds.
Trinidad and Tobago is an English-speaking country with strong links to both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Officially Trinidadians or Tobagonians, the people from Trinidad and Tobago are often informally referred to as Trinidadian or Trinis.
In 1553, Juan Sedeсo was authorized to settle Trinidad, but the contract was never fulfilled.
Both languages contain elements from a number and variety of African languages; Trinidadian English, however, is also largely influenced by French and French Creole and by Bhojpuri/Hindi.
Euro-Trinidadians, especially those descendants of the former plantocracy, are often referred to as French Creoles, whether they are descended from Spanish, British, or German settlers.
Venezuelans often come to Trinidad and Tobago to learn English, and many English schools have expanded to feature both English and Spanish.
Estimated oil production in Trinidad in 2005 was about 150,000 bbl/day.
Trinidad and Tobago is the fifth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world.
The Culture of Trinidad and Tobago reflects the influence of African, Indian, French, Amerindian, Chinese, British, Spanish, Portuguese, Venezuelan, Caribbean, and American culture.
Trinidad and Tobago achieved full independence in August 1962 within the Commonwealth with Queen Elizabeth II as its titular head of state.
Trinidad and Tobago's infrastructure is adequate by regional standards.
According to the 1990 census, Indo-Trinidadians made up 40.3 percent of the population, Afro-Trinidadians 39.5 percent, Mixed-race people 18.4 percent, Euro-Trinidadian 0.6 percent and Chinese, Syrians, and others 1.2 percent.
In 1845 Trinidad began to introduce indentured laborers from India, which continued until 1917.
The oldest organized indigenous group in Trinidad is the Santa Rosa Carib Community centered in the town of Arima, although several new groups have developed in recent years.
Large herbivores include the Red Brocket, the Collared Peccary and the highly endangered West Indian Manatee (a few of which persist in the ecologically diverse Nariva Swamp on Trinidad's east coast).
Having once been part of the South American continent, Trinidad and Tobago has some of the richest natural communities in the Caribbean.
The country covers an area of 1,979 square miles (5,128 sq km) and consists of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and 21 smaller islands.
Indentured laborers eventually established themselves and many of them remained on the island and have become a major influence in the culture and identity of Trinidad.
The insect life of Trinidad and Tobago has not been well-studied and it is an entomologist's paradise waiting to be discovered, with many species remaining undocumented.
Trinidad was ruled as a crown colony with no elected representation until 1925.
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the main islands; Tobago is much smaller, comprising only about six percent of the total area and four percent of the population.
Their distinct pottery and artifacts survive until 1800, but after this time they were largely assimilated into mainstream Trinidad society.
Trinidad and Tobago's strong growth rate over the past few years has led to trade surpluses over the past four years, even with high import levels due to industrial expansion and increased consumer demand.
Some companies presently constructing large industrial plants at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate in central Trinidad are concerned that water supply to their plants will not be adequate.
The UNC allied with the NAR and formed the new government, with Panday becoming prime minister—the first prime minister of Indo-Trinidadian descent.
Trinidad and Tobago claims two Nobel Prize-winning authors, V. S. Naipaul and St. Lucian-born Derek Walcott.
Trinidad is 7 mi (11 km) off the northeast coast of Venezuela and 81 miles (130 km) south of the Grenadines.
Annual production of oil in Trinidad reached 47,000 barrels by 1910 and kept rapidly increasing year by year.
Human settlement in Trinidad dates back at least 7,000 years, beginning with settlement of the islands by Amerindians.
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.
Trinidad and Tobago became an independent nation (from the United Kingdom) in 1962 and a republic in 1976.
Calypso continued to play an important role in political expression, and also served to document the history of Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad has 1,056,608 (July 2007) inhabitants, most of whom (96 percent) reside on the island of Trinidad with most of the remaining (4 percent) living in Tobago.
Callaloo is generally considered a national dish of Trinidad and Tobago; it is often prepared for Sunday Lunch and paired with cornmeal coo coo, and sometimes made with crab.
The ethnic composition of Trinidad and Tobago reflects its history of conquest and immigration.
The main spoken language, Trinidadian English is either classified as a dialect or variety of English or as an English Creole (Trinidadian Creole English).
Today, the Trinidadian Portuguese population includes both whites and mixed people.
Trinidad and Tobago is a leading member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
From Trinidad they are believed to have moved north into the remaining islands of the Caribbean.
In 1899, Tobago became a ward of Trinidad and by then its importance as a sugar colony had long since passed.
The sugar plantations which dominated the economy of Trinidad in the nineteenth century gradually gave ground to the cultivation of cacao.
Trinidad and Tobago is a liberal democracy with a two-party system and a bicameral parliamentary system based on the Westminster System.
Trinidad and Tobago are extremely rich in neotropical invertebrate fauna.
The Silky Anteater and its relative the Tamandua are two of the most bizarre creatures of Trinidad's forests.
The cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago draws upon the varied origins of its people.
Tobago's development was similar to other plantation islands in the Lesser Antilles and quite different from Trinidad's.
Columbus is reported to have promised to name the next land he discovered for the Holy Trinity, thus the name Trinidad.
The islands lie outside the hurricane belt; despite this, Hurricane Flora damaged Tobago in 1963, and Tropical Storm Alma hit Trinidad in 1974, causing damage before obtaining full strength.
The expansion of Atlantic LNG over the next four years could create the largest single sustained phase of economic growth in Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad is traversed by three distinct mountain ranges that are a continuation of the Venezuelan coastal cordillera.
Emigration from Trinidad and Tobago, as with other Caribbean nations, has historically been high; most emigrants go to the United States, Canada and Britain.