Caribbean Community Information

Trinidad & Tobago:

Both islands were ‘discovered’ by Christopher Columbus in 1498, and settled by the Spaniards around 1598. The original inhabitants--Arawak and Carib Indians--were largely wiped out by the Spanish colonizers, and the survivors were gradually assimilated. Although it attracted French, free Black, and other non-Spanish settlers, Trinidad remained under Spanish rule until the British captured it in 1797. During the colonial period, Trinidad's economy relied on large sugar and cocoa plantations. Tobago's development was similar to other plantation islands in the Lesser Antilles and quite different from Trinidad's. During the colonial period, French, Dutch, and British forces fought over possession of Tobago, and the island changed hands 22 times--more often than any other West Indian island. Tobago was finally ceded to Great Britain in 1814. Trinidad and Tobago were incorporated into a single colony in 1888.

In 1958, the United Kingdom tried to establish an independent West Indies Federation (WIF) comprised of ten colonies of the former British West Indies. However, disagreement over the structure of the federation along with Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago's withdrawal soon led to its collapse. Trinidad and Tobago achieved full independence in 1962 and joined the British Commonwealth.

Trinidad and Tobago's people are mainly of African and East Indian descent. Although English is the official language, some people also speak Hindi, French patois, and several other dialects. Trinidad has two major folk traditions - Creole and East Indian. Creole is a mixture of cultural elements from Africa mixed with the influence of Spanish, French, and English colonial traditions. Trinidad's East Indian culture was introduced to the island with the arrival of the indentured servants who were brought to replace the freed africans following the abolition of slavery. Most of the east indians remained on the land and still dominate the agricultural sector, but many have become prominent players in the business sector.

East Indians have retained much of their traditions and culture, including Hindu and Muslim religious festivals and practices. One of the main attractions in Trinidad is the annual carnival famous for the calypso, chutney music and steel drum bands, which usually attracts millions of tourists and foreign nationals to the island every February.

As with other nations in the region, Trinidad and Tobago is considered a significant transshipment point for drugs from South America to the United States and Europe. As a result, the country has become ridden with drug and gang-related violence. This has clogged the courts and fuelled a high kidnapping and murder rate. This increase in kidnapping and murder has had a negative impact on the tourism industry. In 1990 a radical group of 114 members of the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen group tried to overthrow the democratically-elected government. The group consisting mostly of young black males, stormed the national parliament and held the prime minister along with members of his cabinet hostages and also held up the state-run television station. The group was led by Abu Bakr (64 years old at that time) who was a former police officer and Afro-Trinidadian Muslim-convert born Lenox Philip. Abu Bakr has been a thorn in the side of the Trinidadian politicians and authorities since the mid-1980s. He and his group protested a land ownership dispute with the government, poverty in the Afro-Trinidadian community, and state corruption. The siege set off rioting and violence in Port of Spain which resulted in scores of injuries, deaths and heavy damages to property. This incident left an indelible mark on Trinidadian politics which is still felt today.

In response to the increase in criminal activities, the government reintroduced capital punishment in 1999, despite strong international pressure. Trinidad and Tobago hosts the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), a regional supreme court which was established in February 2001, and inaugurated on 16th April 2005 in Port of Spain. To date twelve members of CARICOM Community are signatories to the CCJ which aims to replace Britain's Privy Council as a final court of appeal.

Trinidad and Tobago is one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, thanks to its large reserves of oil and gas, the exploitation of which dominates its economy. However, dependence on oil has made the country a hostage to world crude prices, and the decline in prices during the 1980s and early 1990s led to the build-up of a large foreign debt, widespread unemployment and labour unrest. Despite the above the country enjoys a high per capita income (US$ 9,925 in 2006).

The 2007 Transparency International, the global coalition against corruption group survey, listed Trinidad at number eight ranking among the 13 CARICOM member states and number 79 overall, among 179 countries. Based on the 2008 Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal's assessment of countries Index of Economic Freedom, Trinidad and Tobago's economy is 70.2 percent free, which makes it the world's 29th freest economy (dropping from the 23rd spot in 2007). Its overall score is 1.14 percentage points lower than the previous year 2006 (71.38), which reflects lower scores in four of the 10 economic freedoms. Trinidad and Tobago is ranked 3rd among the CARICOM countries and 6th out of 29 countries in the Americas. It's overall score is higher than the regional average.

For basic facts and figures (CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE)