Trinidad and Tobago

From World travel guide

The Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago make up a Central American country between the eastern Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, to the northeast of Venezuela.

Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Terrain 4.2 History 5 Get in 5.1 Visa requirements 5.2 By plane 5.3 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Respect 16 Contact 17 External links 18 Geography 19 People 20 Government 21 Economy 22 Communications 23 Transportation 24 Military 25 Transnational Issues

Regions

• Trinidad
  • Counties:
  • Caroni
  • Mayaro
  • Nariva
  • Saint Andrew
  • Saint David
  • Saint George (Trinidad)
  • Saint Patrick
  • Victoria
• Tobago

Cities

• Port-of-Spain - Capital
• Arima
• San Fernando
• Scarborough

• Ports and harbors
  • Pointe-a-Pierre
  • Point Fortin
  • Point Lisas
  • Tembladora

Other destinations

Understand

Terrain

Mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

highest point 

El Cerro del Aripo 940 m

History

The islands came under British control in the 19th century; independence was granted in 1962. 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.

Independence 

31 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Constitution 

1 August 1976

Get in

Visa requirements

Passport holders from the countries of Australia, New Zealand, all Asian and Pacific nations require a visa in advance. The only exceptions are South Korea, Israel, and Turkey. No visa is required for USA, Canada, EU, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and rest of the British Commonwealth except the Commonwealth African countries of Cameroon, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. Mexico and all non-Commonwealth/non-EU Caribbean, Central and South American countries require a visa in advance except the nearby countries of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Surinam. Remainder of non-Commonwealth/ non-EU Europe and Africa also need a visa in advance. Both advance and free on-arrival visas (for everyone else) are for a 90-day stay.

By plane

Air service is available from Miami, New York (JFK & Newark), Washington DC (with a Caribbean stopover), Atlanta, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA; Toronto, Canada; London, UK; Caracas, Venezuela; Georgetown, Guyana; various other islands in the Caribbean. No service from Mexico and Central America--they must transfer in Miami or Caracas. Elsewhere in South America usually transfers from Caracas. Other European countries can transfer in London, though there might be an occasional flight from Germany (to Tobago) on Condor airlines.

By boat

Get around

Talk

Languages 

English (official), English Creole (oral only). Also, Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese. Creole is commonly used as informal communication among locals. It may seem, at times, you are in a country that only speaks a foreign language, but virtually everyone knows standard English.

Buy

Eat

Due to its varied background, Trinidad and Tobago have excellent and varied food options. In particular, the Indian roots have provided for some of the best street foods of any country in the world.

The unofficial offical meal of TT are tasty "Rotis", which are breads stuffed with chickpea curry, usually some meat, and other items (including green beans, pumpkin, and mangoes). The breads, also known as the skin, can be plain or can have split chickpeas inside. Many stores also sell rotis with no skin but with bread on the side, known as bust-up-shut. Supposedly the origin of this word comes from busted shirt, or old shirt, because the piles of bread resemble an old torn up shirt. If you can't tolerate extremely hot and spicy food, be sure to let the cook or waiter know in advance.

Another must try in TT is the infamous Bake 'n Shark or Shark 'n Bake. Most easily obtained along the north coast near Maracas Bay, pieces of Shark are deep friend, served in cut buns, and accompagnied by various sauces, including garlic and corriander.

Drink

Trinis love to drink. Rum till you die!

Sleep

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Respect

It's a good idea to greet a stranger before asking him or her a question. Homosexual behavior is prohibited, and should be kept private. There is no nude or topless bathing anywhere in Trinidad and Tobago.

In Trinidad, all five of the world's great religions are well represented. Although it has a large Indian Hindu community, there are no taboos that Westerners would have a difficult time getting used to. The cow is not so sacred as to prohibit eating beef or wearing leather. Also, the left hand is not considered unclean. Upon arriving in Trinidad a century ago, the Indians lost their former caste, and are considered equal to each other (as in Western society). Avoid asking exactly where in India a person's ancestors came from. Most people simply don't know.

Contact

External links

This article is still a stub and needs your attention. Plunge forward and help it grow!

---

The rest of this article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real Wikitravel country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and edit it.

---

Geography

Geographic coordinates 

11 00 N, 61 00 W

Area 

total land: 5,128 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly smaller than Delaware

Coastline 

362 km

Maritime claims 

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 NM

Natural resources 

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Land use 

arable land: 14.62%
permanent crops: 9.16%
other: 76.22% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

30 sq km (1998 est.)

Environment - current issues 

water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion

Environment - international agreements 

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

People

Population 

1,163,724 (July 2002 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian

Ethnic groups 

black 39.5%, East Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern India) 40.3%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and other 1.2%

Religions 

Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7%

Government

Country name 

conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago

Government type 

parliamentary democracy

Legal system 

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Judicial branch 

Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Court of Appeals the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mackisack LOGIE
chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130
telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN
embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain
telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376
FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462

Flag description 

red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side

Economy

Economy - overview 

Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. A leading performer in the past 4 years has been the booming natural gas sector. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The expected recovery of the global economy, along with anticipated higher oil prices, are plus factors for 2002. Negative factors are persistent high unemployment and the political uncertainties following the contentious selection of a new government in December 2001.

Labor force - by occupation 

construction and utilities 12%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, agriculture 10%, services 64% (1997 est.)

Industries 

petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles

Agriculture - products 

cocoa, sugarcane, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

Exports - commodities 

petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers

Imports - commodities 

machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals

Currency 

Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

Currency code 

TTD

Exchange rates 

Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2466 (January 2002), 6.2332 (2001), 6.2998 (2000), 6.2989 (1999), 6.2983 (1998), 6.2517 (1997)

Fiscal year 

1 October - 30 September

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

252,000 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

17,411 (1997)

Telephone system 

general assessment: excellent international service; good local service
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 2, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios 

680,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

4 (1997)

Televisions 

425,000 (1997)

Internet country code 

.tt

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

17 (2000)

Internet users 

120,000 (2002)

Transportation

Railways 

minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando; common carrier railway service was discontinued in 1968 (2001)

Highways 

total: 8,320 km
paved: 4,252 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (1996)

Airports 

6 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Military

Military branches 

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (including Ground Force, Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Trinidad and Tobago Police Service

Transnational Issues

Illicit drugs 

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis

de:Trinidad und Tobago fr:Trinité-et-Tobago ja:トリニダード・トバゴ