Trinidad and Tobago

(Republic of Trinidad and Tobago)

General Information:

Location: Southern Caribbean Sea
Capital: Port of Spain
Language(s): English, Spanish
Total Area: 5,132 sq km
Population: 1,363,985
Currency: Trinidad and Tobago Dollar
Curious Alcohol Fact: You are never far from a shot of rum!
Annual Average Liquor Consumption Per Capita: 6.28 liters
Most Popular Drink(s): Rum, coconut water

Trinidad & Tobago Video

Video Courtesy: cameraworksint

The Country

One of the most beloved island nations in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago (affectionately referred to as T & T) is located in the West Indies in the southern portion of the Caribbean Sea. By virtue of its location, Trinidad and Tobago is not too far from mainland Latin American nations of Guyana and Venezuela. When viewed from another perspective, Trinidad and Tobago can be said to be once a colony of the British Crown, Trinidad and Tobago became an independent state in 1962. The capital and largest city is Port of Spain and is located on Trinidad, the largest of the islands. With a nice and warm tropical climate, it is little surprise that Trinidad and Tobago is the preferred spot for many tourists from various parts of the globe.

The People

Trinidad and Tobago is a multicultural society and all visitors find it fascinating and colorful. Unlike many of the other island nations in the Caribbean where Blacks form the single largest ethnic group, the same does not really apply to T & T and the reason for this is that the status of the largest single ethnic group belongs to Asians! Many of these are descendants of migrants from the Indian subcontinent. Next to the Asians are the Blacks while other ethnic groups include the Latinos (Hispanics), Mixed (Mulattoes) and Europeans.

Eating and Drinking

The glory of T&T becomes glaring during dinners. Curry chicken and roti is quite popular and interestingly, many dishes in the country contain curry. You will also not regret trying out a plate of callaloo. All sorts of beverages and drinks are available.

Sports and Rectreation

For a nation that gave the world calypso, one should not be surprised with the array of celebrations, festivities and events in the country. One of the most electrifying of these carnivals is the one that is organized before the Lent and it features participants playing fantastic steel and calypso music.

Interesting Facts

Trinidad and Tobago is one of the few places in the world where the absolutely stunning bird-of-paradise can be found. As a matter of fact, the nickname for the island of Little Tobago is instructive –Bird of Paradise Island.
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the best sites in the world for scuba diving and snorkeling.
Trinidad and Tobago is the home of the globally popular calypso music.
When it comes to carnivals and festivals, there is actually no place like T & T.
Trinidad and Tobago is the place of origin of the popular steelpan and limbo genres of music.
Unlike what obtains in many parts of the Caribbean, the economy of T & T rests mainly on petroleum.
The island nation is rich in crude oil and natural gas.
The island of Tobago is actually shaped like a cigar.
In search of the famed ‘City of Gold’, Sir Walter Raleigh visited Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago is one of the Caribbean island nations where slaves from Africa where brought to work on the sugar plantations.
The name ‘Trinidad’ which means ‘Trinity’ was given by Christopher Columbus, the first European to visit the islands.
Tobago was actually derived from the word ‘tobacco’!
T & T was once a base for slave trade.
Tobago has its own House of Assembly.
The largest natural deposits of asphalt in the world are located in the nation and have been appropriately named as the Pitch Lake.
The beautiful scarlet ibis is the national bird.

Story By World By Shotglass
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Special thanks to our contributors:
Adebayo Ahmed Adebola (Ilorin, Nigeria).