|
The islands of T & T are in the Southern
Caribbean, off the Venezuelan coast. The south coast of Trinidad is
10 km from Venezuela, and Tobago lies 33 km to the north of Trinidad.
In Trinidad, there are three low mountain ranges: the Northern, Central
and Southern ranges. Tobago has a hilly range in the centre and flat
lands in the south and the west. Together, these two islands have rivers,
mangrove swamps, tropical savannahs, streams and a diverse and colourful
marine life. |
|
|
The tropical rain forests of T & T are more
typical of South America and less like those of the Caribbean islands.
These two islands were detached from South America 11,000 years ago.
In T & T, the temperature ranges from 20 C to 32 C, during its two
seasons. The dry season lasts from January to June and the rainy season
from July to December. T & T is rich in natural gas and oil. Oil production,
refining and natural gas are significant industries of the local economy.
T & T is one of the world's major exporters of ammonia, urea, methanol,
petroleum and wire rods. |
|
|
Did you know?
T & T has what could be called the eighth wonder of the world, Pitch
Lake near the town of La Brea. It has crude oil in it which reaches
the earth's surface by seeping through a fault line in the
sandstone 76 metres below ground. The pitch swirls slowly, swallowing
objects and releasing them years later.
|
|
Summary Fact Sheet
| Official Name: |
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Capital: |
National: Port of Spain;
Tobago: Scarborough |
| Type of Government: |
Parliamentary Democracy |
| Population: |
Total: 1.3 million;
Tobago: 46,400 |
| Area: |
Trinidad: 4,828 sq km,
Tobago: 300 sq km |
| Major Ethnic Groups: |
East Indian, African, Mixed, European, Chinese,
Lebanese,
Tobago: African |
| Languages: |
English, Hindi, English Creole, some
French-based patois |
| Religions: |
Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Orisha |
| Unit of Currency: |
T & T dollar |
| National Flag: |
On a red background, a central thick black
diagonal stripe runs from the upper left corner to the lower
right corner and is flanked on both sides by two
thinwhite stripes |
| Date of Independence: |
August 31, 2021 |
|
|
|