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TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a nation
located in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela. It
consists of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and many smaller islands,
the most important being Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande, Little
Tobago and St. Giles Is. The larger and more populated island is Trinidad,
while the island of Tobago is smaller (303 square kilometres; about 6% of
the total area) and less populous (50,000 people; 4% of the total population).
The tallest building in Trinidad and Tobago is the recently constructed
Nicholas Tower.
History
Prior to European contact, the island of Trinidad is reported to have been
occupied by various Amerindian nations some of whom were described as being
Caribs while others were reportedly Arawaks. Tobago was inhabited by Island
Caribs. The aboriginal name for Trinidad was Kairi or Iere which meant The
Land of the Hummingbird. Christopher Columbus discovered the island of
Trinidad on July 31, 1498 and named Trinidad after the Holy Trinity; Tobago
was named Bella Forma by him, but this later became Tobago (probably derived
from tobacco).
The Spanish settled on Trinidad, while Tobago frequently changed hands
between the European sea powers, but the settlements on both islands were
small and underdeveloped. The changing of hands of the European powers was
mainly to keep Tobago free of pirates. After changing hands between the
British, French, Dutch and Courlanders, Britain consolidated its hold on
both islands during the Napoleonic Wars, and they were combined into the
colony of Trinidad and Tobago in 1889.
Following World War II, when American naval bases were located on Trinidad,
the islands became independent as part of the West Indies Federation in
1958. The federation was dissolved quickly, and the independent nation of
Trinidad and Tobago was formed in 1962.
In 1976 the country severed its links with the British monarchy and became a
republic within the Commonwealth.
At present, the country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean,
thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing.
Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing.
Politics
Chief of state in Trinidad and Tobago is the president, Professor George
Maxwell Richards, who is elected by the parliament. This parliament consists
of two chambers, the Senate (31 seats) and the House of Representatives (36
seats). The members of the former are appointed by the president,the ruling
party and the Opposition, while the members of the latter are chosen by the
public in elections held every five years.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. The President is obligated
to appoint the person with the most support in the House of Representatives
to this post; usually this is the leader of the party which won the most
seats in the previous election.
The present ruling party (2004) is the People's National Movement led by
Patrick Manning; the Opposition party is the United National Congress led by
Basdeo Panday.
Counties and Municipalities
The local government bodies consist of eight counties and five
municipalities in Trinidad and the Tobago House of Assembly in Tobago.
The five towns with municipality-status are:
The Borough of Arima
The Borough of Chaguanas
The City of Port-of-Spain
The Borough of Point Fortin
The City of San Fernando
The eight Regional Corporations are:
Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo Regional Corporation
Diego Martin Regional Corporation
Princes Town Regional Corporation
Rio Claro-Mayaro Regional Corporation
San Juan-Lavantille Regional Corporation
Sangre Grande Regional Corporation
Siparia Regional Corporation
Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation
Historically, Trinidad was divided into eight counties, and these counties
were subdivided into Wards. Tobago was adminstered as a Ward of County Saint
David.
Caroni
Mayaro
Nariva
Saint Andrew
Saint David
Saint George
Saint Patrick
Victoria
Prior to reform of the system in the early 1990s these counties functioned
as the administrative bodies for Local Government with the following
modifications:
Saint George was divided into Saint George East, Saint George West, the City
of Port of Spain and the Royal Borough of Arima.
The Borough (City after 1988) of San Fernando was separate from County
Victoria.
After 1980 the Borough of Point Fortin was separated from the County Saint
Patrick.
Saint Andrew and Saint David were combined under a single County Council.
Nariva and Mayaro were combined under a single County Council.
Since its establishment in 1980 the Tobago House of Assembly has gradually
assumed many of the roles of the central government, in addition to those of
local government.
Geography
The terrain of the islands is a mixture of mountains and plains. The highest
point in the country is found on the Northern Range at El Cerro del Aripo
which is situated at 940 m above sea level. The climate is tropical. There
are two seasons annually. The dry season, for the first six months of the
year, and the rainy season, in the second half of the year. The rainy season
is also known as the Hurricane season, however unlike most of the other
Caribbean islands, Trinidad and Tobago have frequently escaped the wrath of
major devastating hurricanes. Trinidad and Tobago are supplied with the
North Westerly winds which blow from the north west of the islands to the
south east of the islands.
As the majority of the population live in Trinidad, this is the location of
most major towns and cities. There are two major cities in Trinidad: Port of
Spain, the capital, and San Fernando. Although not usually recognised as
such, the largest town on the island is actually Chaguanas, which is also
the fastest-growing region. The largest settlement on Tobago is Scarborough.
Trinidad is made up of a variety of soil types, the majority being fine
sands and heavy clays. The alluvial valleys of the Northern Range and the
soils of the "East-West Corridor" being the most fertile.
Geography
The terrain of the islands is a mixture of mountains and plains. The highest
point in the country is found on the Northern Range at El Cerro del Aripo
which is situated at 940 m above sea level. The climate is tropical. There
are two seasons annually. The dry season, for the first six months of the
year, and the rainy season, in the second half of the year. The rainy season
is also known as the Hurricane season, however unlike most of the other
Caribbean islands, Trinidad and Tobago have frequently escaped the wrath of
major devastating hurricanes. Trinidad and Tobago are supplied with the
North Westerly winds which blow from the north west of the islands to the
south east of the islands.
As the majority of the population live in Trinidad, this is the location of
most major towns and cities. There are two major cities in Trinidad: Port of
Spain, the capital, and San Fernando. Although not usually recognised as
such, the largest town on the island is actually Chaguanas, which is also
the fastest-growing region. The largest settlement on Tobago is Scarborough.
Trinidad is made up of a variety of soil types, the majority being fine
sands and heavy clays. The alluvial valleys of the Northern Range and the
soils of the "East-West Corridor" being the most fertile.
Demographics
The two predominant ethnic groups are Indo-Trinidadians, the descendants of
indentured labourers from India (40.3% of the population) and
Afro-Trinidadians who descend from African slaves (39.5%). Together the two
groups form about 79.8% of the population; most of the remainder are people
of mixed descent, with small minorities of Europeans, Chinese,
Syrian-Lebanese and Caribs (descendants of the indigenous inhabitants, not
recognized as a distinct census category).
Many different religions are present in Trinidad and Tobago. The largest two
are the Roman Catholics and Hindus; the Anglicans, Muslims, Prebyterians,
Methodist are among the smaller faiths. Two Afro-Caribbean syncretic faiths,
the Shouter or Spiritual Baptists and the Orisha faith (formerly called
Shangos, a less than complementary term) are among the fastest growing
religious groups, as are a host of American-style evangelical and
fundamentalist churches usually lumped as "Pentecostal" by most Trinidadians
(although this designation is often inaccurate). The Mormon Church (Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) has also expanded its presence in the
country since the mid-1980s.
English is the country's only official language, but Hindi is also spoken by
some Indo-Trinidadians and widely used in popular music. Although Patois (a
dialect of French Creole) was once the most widely spoken language on the
island, it is now rarely spoken. Due to Trinidad's location on the coast of
South America, the country is slowly developing a connection with the
Spanish-speaking peoples, and therefore many schools now teach Spanish to
the locals. Conversely, Venezualans often come to Trinidad and Tobago to
learn English.
Culture
Trinidad and Tobago are famous as the birthplace of the calypso music, as
well as the music of the steel pan (whose patent is held by someone in
Maryland, United States). The diverse cultural and religious background
allows for many festivities and ceremonies throughout the year. Other
indigenous art forms include chutney, soca, Parang, and pichakarie (musical
forms which blend the music of the Caribbean and India) and the famous limbo
dance.
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