About Trinidad and Tobago

Located in the irresistible Caribbean region, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic nation made up of twenty three islands. It shares nautical borders with Barbados in the northeast and Guyana in the southeast.

Economy

Trinidad and Tobago has earned itself the enviable reputation of a solid investment ground for global trade and commerce. In the last four years it has been performing positively especially in the natural gas producing sector. 2002 looked like a good year with strong developments taking place; but they were overshadowed by political uncertainties. The government took stock of the situation and decided to divert their focus onto the tourism industry. The result was low inflation and trade surplus, which greatly benefited this archipelagic nation. From the banking point of view, there are four major financial institutions in the country, two of which are Republic Bank Limited and First Citizens Bank.

Demographics

A statistic survey done in 2005, showed that the population of Trinidad and Tobago was about 1.3 million, of which ninety six resided in the larger islands and the smaller islands are inhabited by a mere 4 %. The ethnic structure that is evident in this archipelagic nation is a reflection of the immigration and conquest of the past. Indo-Trinidadians and Afro-Trinidadians are the two major tribal groups that make up an estimated eight percent of the inhabitants of the country. The remainder of the population is made up of mixed races including European, Syrian-Lebanese and Chinese.

Religion

The people of Trinidad ad Tobago do not follow any one religion. Just like several other countries world-wide, there is a mixture of diverse faith groups. 26% of the population is Roman Catholics, which is the largest sect. The second largest is the Hindus, which make up 22% of the population and the Anglicans, which make up 8 %.

Only six percent of the population practices Islam and 4 % are Seventh Day Adventists. The rest of the population are either Presbyterians or Methodists. There is also an African syncretic creed cluster, which is named Shouter or Spiritual Baptists and Orisha or Shangos.

Culture

One of the most well celebrated festivals in Trinidad and Tobago is the pre-Lenten carnival. Besides, this archipelagic nation is the birth place of calypso harmony and steel pan, both of which were invented sometime during the twentieth century. Trinidad and Tobago have numerous different customs, which are remembered all year long. Other sights in this archipelagic nation include the indigenous art forms of Pichakaree, Limbo, Chutney, Parang and Soca. All these are in some way or the other focused on rhythm, which has resulted in the country becoming so famous as a big contributor to the music scene. Walcott and Naipaul, two Nobel Prize winners are from this nation.