Portal:Trinidad and Tobago
Introduction
Trinidad and Tobago (/ˈtrɪnɪdæd ... 
listen), /toʊ-/), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is a twin island country that is the southernmost nation of the West Indies in the Caribbean. It is situated 130 kilometres (81 miles) south of Grenada off the northern edge of the South American mainland, 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) off the coast of northeastern Venezuela. It shares maritime boundaries with Barbados to the northeast, Grenada to the northwest, Guyana to the southeast, and Venezuela to the south and west.
The island of Trinidad was a Spanish colony from the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1498 until Spanish governor Don José María Chacón surrendered the island to a British fleet under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby in 1797. During the same period, the island of Tobago changed hands among Spanish, British, French, Dutch and Courlander colonisers more times than any other island in the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago were ceded to Britain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens as separate states and unified in 1889. Trinidad and Tobago obtained independence in 1962 and became a republic in 1976.
Selected general articles
- Telecommunications in Trinidad and Tobago include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet. Read more...
Trinidad and Tobago cuisine reflects a blending of African-West African, Amerindian, Arab, Chinese, Creole, European, Indian-South Asian, and Latin American-Spanish-Portuguese influences. Read more...
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Trinidad and Tobago face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same rights and benefits as that of opposite-sex couples.
In April 2018, the Trinidad and Tobago High Court declared the country's buggery law unconstitutional, as it infringed on the rights of LGBT citizens and criminalised consensual sexual acts between adults. The law stipulated that those found guilty of buggery would be sentenced to 25 years in prison, while other sexual acts (such as oral sex) carried a 5-year sentence. In 2016, Prime Minister Keith Rowley said that "the State has a duty to protect all citizens, regardless of whom they sleep with." Read more...- This article is about the demographic features of the population of Trinidad and Tobago, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Read more...
- The Chief Justice of Trinidad and Tobago is the highest judge of the state Trinidad and Tobago and presides its Supreme Court of Judicature. He is appointed by a common decision of the President, the Prime Minister and the leader of the main opposition party. Read more...
- This article lists political parties in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago has a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party.
Currently the two major parties are the People's National Movement and the People's Partnership (United National Congress, Congress of the People, Tobago Organization of the People, National Joint Action Committee. The PNM has governed Trinidad and Tobago from 1956–86, 1991–95, and 2001 to 2010, and currently serves as the government. The UNC governed from 1995-2001 and from 2010-2015. Read more... - This is a list of islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic republic in the southern Caribbean. Read more...
- According to the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, the supreme law of the nation, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago is the primary legal advisor to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Read more...
- Trinidad and Tobago, a country that relies heavily on industrialisation and tourism, has various transport systems. Read more...
- This is a list of the heads of state of Trinidad and Tobago, from the independence of Trinidad and Tobago in 1962 to the present day.
From 1962 to 1976 the head of state under the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962 was the Queen of Trinidad and Tobago, Elizabeth II, who was also the Monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen was represented in Trinidad and Tobago by a Governor-General. Trinidad and Tobago became a republic under the Constitution of 1976 and the Monarch and Governor-General were replaced by a ceremonial President. Read more... - The Government of Trinidad and Tobago officially recognizes a number of holidays and celebrations from most represented groups. The following holidays are those that are officially observed in Trinidad and Tobago: Read more...
- The Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962 (c. 54) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that granted independence to Trinidad and Tobago with effect from 31 August 1962. The Act also provided for the granting of a new Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago to take effect upon independence.
As a result of the Act, Trinidad and Tobago became an independent country in the West Indies achieving independence from the United Kingdom. Read more... - Social unrest has shaped the development of Trinidad and Tobago since the middle of the 19th century. Attempts by the British colonial government to crack down on the celebration of Carnival sparked the Canboulay Riots in 1881 and 1884. Attempts to control the celebration of Hosay by the Indian population culminated in the Hosay Riots in 1884. In the early 20th century, the Water riots culminated in the destruction of the Red House [1], the seat of government, by a mob of protestors.
In response to poor working conditions and inadequate pay, the Labour riots of 1937 shook Trinidad and led to the birth of the trade union movement. Labour problems again resulted in unrest in 1965. The rise of the Black Power movement late in the 1960s culminated in the 1970 Black Power Revolution which threatened the government of Prime Minister Eric Williams. In 1975 there was labour unrest when the major unions representing oil workers and sugar workers marched in San Fernando and were met by brutal police resistance. This became known as "Bloody Tuesday". Further unrest in the 1970s had little lasting impact. The economic downturn following the end of the oil boom saw the People's National Movement losing power after 30 unbroken years in government. Austerity measures introduced by the new National Alliance for Reconstruction government led to a series of protests by labour and social groups. One of these groups, the Islamist Jamaat al Muslimeen staged an attempted coup d'état in July 1990. Read more... - The dollar (currency code TTD) is the currency of Trinidad and Tobago. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively TT$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is subdivided into 100 cents. Its predecessor currencies are the Trinidadian dollar and the Tobagan dollar. Read more...
- The politics of Trinidad and Tobago function within the framework of a unitary state regulated by a parliamentary democracy modelled on that of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, from which the country gained its independence in 1962. Under the 1976 republican Constitution, the British monarch was replaced as head of state by a President chosen by an electoral college composed of the members of the bicameral Parliament, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The country has remained a member of the Commonwealth, and has retained the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London as its highest court of appeal.
The general direction and control of the government rests with the Cabinet, led by a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are answerable to the House of Representatives. The 41 members of the House are elected to terms of at least five years. Elections may be called earlier by the president at the request of the prime minister or after a vote of no confidence in the House of Representatives. In 1976, the voting age was reduced from 21 to 18. The Senate's 31 members are appointed by the President: 16 on the advice of the prime minister, six on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and nine independents selected by the President from among outstanding members of the community. Local government is through nine Regional Corporations and five municipalities. Tobago was given a measure of self-government in 1980 and is governed by the Tobago House of Assembly. In 1996, Parliament passed legislation which gave Tobago greater self-government. In 2005 Parliament approved a proposal by the independent Elections and Boundaries Commission to increase the number of seats in the House of Representatives from 36 to 41. Read more... - Trinidad and Tobago operates under a two-tier healthcare system. That is, there is the existence of both private and public facilities.
The Ministry of Health is responsible for leading the health sector. The service provision aspect of public healthcare has been devolved to newly created entities, the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs). Responsibility for the provision of healthcare services in Trinidad and Tobago was devolved from the Ministry of Health to Regional Health Authorities under the Regional Health Authorities Act No. 5 in 1994. Read more...
This is a list of the Prime Ministers of Trinidad and Tobago, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1950 to the present day. Read more...
Trinidad and Tobago dry forests are tropical dry forests located primarily in western and southern parts of the island of Trinidad, in southern parts of the island of Tobago and on smaller offshore islands including Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande, Little Tobago and Saint Giles Island.
Tropical dry forests in Trinidad and Tobago include both deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. A recent work by Howard Nelson suggests that areas which were formerly classified as evergreen forest also fit the criteria for dry forests. The major areas of dry forest in Trinidad include the Chaguaramas peninsula in the northwest, areas along the south coast of the island, from Cedros to Morne Diablo, and areas along the east coast including parts of the Guayaguayare, Mayaro and Manzanilla coastline. In addition, areas along the west coast including San Fernando Hill and much of the former Sugar Belt also would have originally supported dry forest. In Tobago much of the southwest of the island originally supported dry forests. Read more...- This is a list of rivers of Trinidad and Tobago, arranged by coast, with respective tributaries indented under each larger stream's name. Read more...
- The music of Trinidad and Tobago is best known for its calypso music, soca music and steelpan. Soca internationally noted performances in the 1950s from native artists such as Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow. The art form was most popularised at that time by Harry Belafonte. Along with folk songs and African- and Indian-based classical forms, cross-cultural interactions have produced other indigenous forms of music including soca, rapso, parang, chutney, and other derivative and fusion styles. There are also local communities which practice and experiment with international classical and pop music, often fusing them with local steelpan instruments.
MusicTT was established in 2014 to facilitate the business development and export activity of the music industry in Trinidad and Tobago. Read more... - Elections in Trinidad and Tobago gives information on election and election results in Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago elects on national level a House of Representatives (the Lower House of its legislature). The head of government the Prime Minister, is chosen from among the elected representatives on the basis of his/ her command of the support of the majority of legislators. The Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has two chambers. The House of Representatives has 41 members, elected for a maximum five-year term in single-seat constituencies. The Senate has 31 members: 16 Government Senators appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, 6 Opposition Senators appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and 9 so-called Independent Senators appointed by the President to represent other sectors of civil society. The president is elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of the members of both houses of Parliament. Other elected bodies include the Local Government bodies in Trinidad (2 cities, 3 boroughs, 9 Regional Corporations) and the Tobago House of Assembly which handles local government in the island of Tobago and is entrenched in the Constitution. Read more... - Criminal activity in Trinidad and Tobago has been and still is a controversial topic on the two islands. Gang Murders and murders rose every year from 1999 to 2008. Approximately 529 people were murdered in 2008, the highest number ever. In January 2018 Trinidad recorded 40 killings in the month. Nearly 500 murders per year were recorded in 2017.
Port of Spain and its immediate environs have a higher crime rate than any other part of Trinidad. Homicides countrywide rose from fewer than 50 in the 1980s, to 97 in 1998, then to 360 in 2006 (30 murders per 100,000 persons). It rose to approximately 529 in 2008 but decreased in the following years. Read more...
Did you know...
- ... that in 1992, Camille Robinson-Regis became the youngest senator to be appointed to the cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago?
- ... that Mike Agostini was the first track and field athlete from Trinidad and Tobago to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games?
Need help?
Do you have a question about Trinidad and Tobago that you can't find the answer to?
Consider asking it at the Wikipedia reference desk.
Get involved
For editor resources and to collaborate with other editors on improving Wikipedia's Trinidad and Tobago-related articles, see WikiProject Trinidad and Tobago.
Selected images
A map of Trinidad and Tobago
The scarlet ibis birds flying over the Caroni Swamp.
A tadjah at Hosay in Port of Spain during the 1950s
Spanish Governor José María Chacón signed the Cédula de Población.
Coast Guard vessel in action
The flag of Trinidad and Tobago
Regional corporations and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago
Brian Lara batting for the West Indies against India
Mayaro Beach, in the southeastern area of Trinidad
A proportional representation of Trinidad and Tobago's exports
The coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago is a major nesting site for Leatherback Turtles.
Newly arrived indentured East Indian labourers in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Chaconia (Warszewiczia coccinea) is the national flower of Trinidad and Tobago.
Masqueraders during Carnival celebrations
Sir Walter Raleigh raiding Spanish settlement in Trinidad in 1595
The cocrico bird in Tobago.
Steelpan was invented in Trinidad.
Trinidad and Tobago's topography
The Red House, Trinidad and Tobago's Parliament Buildings, 2008 (undergoing renovations)
A medallion showing the capture of Trinidad and Tobago by the British in 1797.
The state-owned Caribbean Airlines is the largest in the region.
An intersection of Churchill–Roosevelt Highway and Uriah Butler Highway, 2009
The oil refinery at Pointe-à-Pierre
.jpg)
.jpg)
_2010-09-04_19-02-50.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Subcategories
- Select [►] to view subcategories
