What can you tell me about Trinidad and Tobago?

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pistons56

It's a dump, the drivers are awful, the police and government bodyguards all walk around with assault rifles, which is SCARY. I was at this mall and the Ministry of Health's bodyguard was armed with an M4 or something by a candy store. I don't know if it was necessary, but it's not a good sign. The place is really dirty, garbage is everywhere. People criticize Trinis for being lazy partiers, which is true. I would stay the hell away. Really.

The girls are awesome though.

sasha_r84

^^^ dont be hating on trinidad!

Spock

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a nation in the southern Caribbean Sea, situated 11 km (7 miles) off the coast of Venezuela. It is an archipelagic state[1] consisting of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and 21 smaller islands. The larger and more populated island is Trinidad, while Tobago is smaller (303 square kilometres; about 6% of the total area) and less populous (50,000 people; 4% of the total population). Citizens are officially called Trinidadians or Tobagonians or Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, but are informally referred to as Trinis or Trinbagonians.

Unlike most of the English-speaking Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago is a primarily industrialised country whose economy is based on petroleum and petrochemicals. People of Indian and African descent make up almost 80% of the population, while the remainder are mostly mixed race with small European, Chinese and Syrian-Lebanese minorities. Trinidad and Tobago is famous for its pre-Lenten Carnival and as the birthplace of steelpan and limbo.

The capital city Port of Spain is currently a leading candidate to serve as the headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Both Trinidad and Tobago were originally settled by Amerindians of South American origin. Trinidad was first settled by pre-agricultural Archaic people at least 7000 years ago, making it the earliest-settled part of the Caribbean. Ceramic-using agriculturalists settled Trinidad around 250 BCE and then moved up the Lesser Antillean chain. At the time of European contact Trinidad was occupied by various Arawakan- and Cariban-speaking tribes including the Nepoya, Suppoya and Yao, while Tobago was occupied by the Island Caribs and Galibi. The Amerindian name for Trinidad was Kairi or Iere which is usually translated as The Land of the Hummingbird, although others have reported that it simply meant island. Christopher Columbus encountered the island of Trinidad on July 31, 1498 and named it after the Holy Trinity. Columbus reported seeing Tobago, which he named Bella Forma, but did not land on the island. The name Tobago is probably derived from tobacco.

The Spanish established a presence on Trinidad, but due to a lack of settlers, eventually allowed any Roman Catholic European to settle on the island, leading to substantial immigration from France and elsewhere. Meanwhile, Tobago changed hands between 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. As a result of these colonial struggles Amerindian, Spanish, French and English place names are all common in the country. African slaves and Indian, Chinese, Portuguese and free African indentured labourers arrived to supply labour in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Emigration from Barbados and the Lesser Antilles, Venezuela and Syria and Lebanon also impacted on the ethnic make-up of the country.

Although originally a sugar colony, cacao dominated the economy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. After the collapse of the cacao crop (due to disease and the Great Depression) petroleum increasingly came to dominate the economy. The Depression and the rise of the oil economy led to changes in the social structure.

The presence of American military bases in Chaguaramas and Cumuto in Trinidad during World War II profoundly changed the character of society. In the post-war period, the wave of decolonisation that swept the British Empire led to the formation of the West Indies Federation in 1958 as a vehicle for independence. Chaguaramas was the proposed site for the federal capital. The Federation dissolved after the withdrawal of Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago elected for independence in 1962.

In 1970, a number of students gathered in front of the Canadian Embassy to protest an application fee for students visas, in what at the time was a copycat of the 1960s civil rights movement in north america. The results are known today as the Black Riots of 1970.

In 1976 the country severed its links with the British monarchy and became a republic within the Commonwealth.

In 1990, 114 men of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, led by Yasin Abu Bakr, stormed the Trinidadian Parliament at the Red House, and the only TV Station in the country at the time, and held the country's government hostage for six days. The matter was sorted out, and the country has been largely at peace since.

Petroleum, petrochemicals and natural gas continue to be the backbone of the economy. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy of Tobago, and the island remains a favorite destination for many European tourists. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most prosperous nations in the Caribbean, although less so than it was during the "oil boom" between 1973 and 1983.

bob_ballard_the_head

they are islands in the caribeeen.

Angela

Trinidad has one of the best carnivals I've been to. From the fetes leading up to the jump-up days, jouvert, competitions (for the music there), and just the overall experience. I love the food in Trinidad. Doubles in the morning are lovely (it's a vegetarian curry mixture to include chickpeas and tamarind sauce & pepper). The bake and shark (fried bread with shark) from Maracas Bay will surely have you coming back for more. Can't miss out on the rotis ( looks a little like a burrito, but with a wrap made from chickpeas & flour, filled with a curried mixture such as potatoes, chicken, beef, shrimp, or ox tail). You can have a mango chutney, pepper sauce, or whatever else they have available, added inside. There all types of rums available, but my favourite is Fernandes Black Label Rum. There are also a few beers that are local favourites. Carib is the one most people know because you see it within the Caribbean (and even my local grocery store), but I prefer Stag (even though they call it A Man's Beer).

Trinidad is not really a big tourist destination outside of Carnival, but the mixture of religions there, makes for a lot of bank holidays. Thus, there is a lot of events going on throughout the year. The beaches in Trinidad aren't my favourite (you would want to go to Tobago for the prettier ones), they are scenic with the very tall palm & coconut trees (taller than most islands I've been to). But that shouldn't deter you from visiting them. They still beat most US beaches.

Tobago is the smaller of the two islands and definitely the place to go if you want a more laid back, beach atmosphere.

Crime is on the rise in Trinidad, so as with most places, just use care and caution (ie, don't walk around wearing a bunch of jewelry or flashing a lot of money).

unicyclesam

I have to go there twice a year and hate it every time, it can be a scary place. if you want a caribbean vacation there are plenty of nice islands to choose from.

empress

there is a lot of good looking guys there. the food is great.and you will have a lot of fun.

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