Trinidad and Tobago
Fast facts
- Official language
- English
- Capital
- Port of Spain
- Currency
- Trinidad and Tobago dollar
- Drives on
- left
- Calling code
- +1-868
Facts from Wikipedia’s “Trinidad and Tobago” page (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Trinidad and Tobago (officially called the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) is a country in the south Caribbean Sea. It is 11 km (7 miles) away from Venezuela. The country has two bigger islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and many smaller islands. The capital is Port-of-Spain. The country has about 1,262,366 people in it.
Trinidad and Tobago received independence from the United Kingdom on August 31, 1962. Before that, it was ruled by the U.K. Right now, the head of state (person who is in charge of the country) is Ms Paula-Mae Weekes. The head of government (person who is in charge of the government) are Prime Minister Keith Rowley and President Paula-Mae Weekes.
Trinidad and Tobago is very diverse. It has people of many different races and religions. There are people who are children of Africans, Europeans, Arabs, Indians, and Chinese who moved to the islands a long time ago. The biggest religions in the country are Christianity and Hinduism. There are also Islam and African religions in the country. Trinidad and Tobago was home to the indigenous Caribs.
The country has some natural gas beneath the ground and underwater in the ocean. Natural gas is a liquid that makes machines work and heats houses. Also, many people called tourists visit the islands. They take pictures and learn about the islands.
The people in the country are famous for their music and artists such as Nicki Minaj and Haddaway. They also play football and cricket.
Demographics
The population of Trinidad and Tobago is 1.17 million as of (2002). The ethnic groups of the population are:
- 40.3%: East Indian
- 39.5%: West African descent
- 18.4%: Mixed Race
- 1.2%: Chinese and Other
- 0.6%: European descent
Written for younger readers
Trinidad and Tobago, in simpler words
This version comes from Wikijunior, a set of books written for children aged 8 to 11. It is shorter and uses plainer language than the article above.
From Wikijunior: South America
Trinidad and Tobago is a small island country in South America. It consists of two main islands named Trinidad and Tobago. It is home to 1.4 million people. The capital is the city of Port of Spain. Although the city with the most people in the country is San Fernando. The city of San Fernando has 48 thousand people! An interesting fact about the city is that it is at a rather low elevation, only 1m (3ft) above sea level! Unlike most other countries in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago’s economy is supported by industry, not tourism.
Christopher Columbus discovered Trinidad for the European world in 1498. But Indigenous peoples lived on the island for centuries before that. Scientists don’t know exactly when these people got there though.
Trinidad and Tobago is made up of two main islands, Tobago and Trinidad, and many smaller islands. The north side of Trinidad is mountainous, and contains the highest point on the island (El Cerro del Aripo) which is 940 metres (3,080 ft) above sea level! The rest of Trinidad is relatively flat. The island of Tobago is mountainous in the center, and more flat near the coast. There are multiple coral reefs off the coast of Tobago as well!
The national sport of Trinidad and Tobago is cricket.
The national flower of Trinidad and Tobago is the chaconia flower.
The national birds of Trinidad and Tobago are the cocrico and the scarlet ibis, a beautiful pink bird.
Where this page comes from
The article above is adapted from “Trinidad and Tobago” on Simple English Wikipedia, by its contributors. We removed reference markers, navigation boxes and tables, expanded measurement templates into readable numbers, and kept the prose otherwise intact. The simpler version is adapted from Wikijunior on Wikibooks.
Both sources are published under CC BY-SA 4.0, so this page is published under the same licence. You may share and adapt it, including commercially, as long as you credit the original and keep the same licence.
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