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| DO YOU KNOW YOUR HISTORY |
| How This Whole Thing All Began |
| enabling them to build boats and to gain the ability to navigate, explore and settle in the islands of the Caribbean. and shellfish. When they arrived at the Banwari Hill they occupied the area for about 1,500 years. It is believed that they were fishermen, hunters of small game and collectors of wild edible fruits, vegetables, nuts and shellfish. When they arrived at the Banwari Hill they occupied the area for about 1,500 years. So great were these people, that some of our rivers, bays, towns, points and districts were named after them. Some of these are:- Mucurapo, Piarco (where you will find our National Airport), Erin, Mayaro, Cumana, Chaguaramas, Nariva (the Nariva swamp recently documented by National Geographic), Couva, Maraval etc. Most of these Amerindian names are those of the plants, trees and animals. Imagine this! Living in those good old days. Apparently at the time of discovery there were around 40,000 Amerindians living in Trinidad. There were different tribes, the two major being the Arawaks and the Caribs. The Arawaks occupied the South coast of Trinidad, while the East Coast, South East and the North East coasts were occupied by the Caribs. In the early seventeenth, century the Caribs occupied the island of Tobago. The Arawaks were fair in complexion, wore a small piece of cloth which covered their genitals, had long hair, parted in the middle and decorated themselves with red paint and feathers. The headmen of the tribe wore golden crowns and golden shape ornaments on their breasts. The Arawaks were peaceful people. They cultivated cassava, maize, tobacco, beans, squash and pepper for food. They grew cotton and used it to make clothing and annatoo for body paint. Along with cultivating their food, they fished, did a little game hunting, gathered crabs, shells and turtle eggs. They lived a simple and normal life with the men doing the fishing and hunting etc., while the women cooked, planted, did the weeding and household chores. The chiefs of the village were elected by the people and were the only men allowed to have more than one wife. Feasts were held when there were ceremonies of initiation of chiefs, burials and for the preparations of war expeditions. They believed in spirits of nature and the medicine men were curers and advisors as they knew how to raise the spirits. Believe it or not some of these chiefs were also medicine men. The houses of the Arawaks and Caribs were mostly bell shaped and are known today as thatched houses made of straw, mud and sticks. The Carib's story says that, The water Camudi had an Indian woman for a sweetheart and that in the day he took the form of a snake and at night he was a person just like you and I. The woman and the Camudi used to meet at the water side. The parents of the girl knew nothing of the relationship she had with the Camudi. The girl and the Camudi became lovers and then came a baby Camudi. This baby would appear when it's mother reached the river, swim about and after playing for a while, return to its nesting place. Noticing that his daughter spent so much time at the river. The father of the girl asked his two sons "what was wrong with their sister and why she stayed so long to bathe each time she went to the river". So he sent them to see what kept her. The two brothers spied on their sister as she went on her way one evening. The two brothers could not believe their eyes when they say the Camudi with their sister. The huge Camudi brought his infant son something to eat and they were able to see the baby take the father's place when he left. When the brothers arrived home they told their father what they had seen and the father ordered them to kill both snakes. So the next occasion they had, they killed the huge Camudi and seized the baby serpent, carried it far away back into the bushes, where they chopped it up into pieces. Some months after, while hunting in the vicinity where the baby serpent was chopped up, the brothers heard a great noise and the sound of voices coming from the very same direction of the serpent's death. They proceeded to find out what all the noise was about. To their surprise they found four houses in the identical spot of the chopping, all occupied by Indians who had grown out of the fragments of the baby snake. In the first house the master said that he was glad to welcome his two uncles, but in the other three houses the masters were angry with them for killing the son of their sister from whom they had all sprung. But the first house master said, "No, don't do that, because these two visitors are uncles to all of you and you must not have a bad mind towards them". The two brothers got away without further trouble and on arriving home told their father how the snake's fragments had grown into people. On hearing this the old man wanted to see his grandchildren, his two sons led the way into the bush and he was very happy to see his numerous progeny, with whom he made good friends, and they all drank paiwarri. And it was so, as the legend says, the Carib nation arouse from the baby Camudi. Christopher Columbus re-discovered Trinidad on July 31, 1498 claiming the island for Spain. Trinidad became a Spanish Monarchy with the King of Spain ruler of the island. After the colonization of Trinidad by the Spanish, they realized that Trinidad was not the Famous El Dorado (the city of gold), which at that time conquistadors told tales of. As Gold and Silver were all that the Spanish colonizers who followed Christopher Columbus were interested in, they noticed that the Spanish Government began to neglect Trinidad. They enslaved the Amerindians and forced them to work in the tobacco fields as tobacco was at that time, the basis of Trinidad's economy. The Amerindians being proud people were not used to slavery. Most of them died, while many migrated and others committed suicide. Very little improvement was made to the island by the Spaniards. It was only when Don Jose Maria Chacon, the last Spanish governor, arrived in 1784 that some improvements took place. Chacon was the man behind the following:- He re-sited the capital San José de Oruña (St. Joseph) to the sea port of Port-of-Spain. He built the town of San Fernando. He changed the course of the Dry River to its present locale on the outskirts of Port-of-Spain. Its original course ran through what is now Chacon Street. He divided the island into three administrative divisions for easier management. He distributed land to the people according to their ability to work. He made laws for the protection of the slaves. Chacon's rule did not last very long as in 1797 he surrendered to the British Admiral, Sir Ralph Abercromby and Trinidad became a British Monarchy. Chacon's rule did not last very long as in 1797 he surrendered to the British Admiral, Sir Ralph Abercromby and Trinidad became a British Monarchy. As Amerindian slave labour failed, there was a lack of labour which made way for the importation of Africans into Trinidad in the 17th century. On arrival into Trinidad the Africans were sold by auction and no mistake was ever made to sell two Africans of the same tribe to one estate owner, to prevent any communication between the new slaves. The Africans were treated badly and the punishment for small offences was very harsh. They were taught their master's language and were prevented from speaking their native language, hence, the reason for them not being able to speak any sort of African language to this date. Though these people endured hardships they were able to keep alive some of their beliefs and customs which have become part of Trinidad's culture. These Africans brought with them Chilli bibbi, pémi, coo-coo, acra and calallo. Su-Su, Shango (the Bongo and their belief in Supernatural which has given way to folk tales such as the Soucouyant, Loupgarou, la diablesse and Douen. Obeah is practiced and is another supernatural belief they also brought with them). On his visit to Trinidad, French planter Roume de St. Laurent was greatly impressed by the richness of the land that he made representations to the King of Spain for the immigration of French planters into Trinidad. They were to come from Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenada. The King of Spain granted his Cedula of Population on November 20, 1783 which opened the way for foreign immigration. The French made an important input to the development of the nation throughout the years. The French have left such an impact on our modern culture, Religeon, Language, people's names and not to mention the names of various locations. Culture - Introduction of Carnival in Trinidad Religion - Roman Catholic Language - French influenced patois is still spoken in remote areas of Trinidad. Place Names - Pointe-a-Pierre, Grange Riviere, Grande Chemin, La Lune, St. Claire, La Fillette, Petit Bourg, St. Madeleine, Champs Fleurs, Sans Souci, Belmont, Lapeyrouse, Bonne Aventure. People's Names - The descendents of the French in Trinidad still carry French names: Martineau, Duval, La Guerre, De Four, De Verteuil, Pierre, De Coudray, La Caille, La Fleur. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The islands came under British control in the 19th century; independence was granted in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing. Geography Trinidad and Tobago Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N, 61 00 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km slightly smaller than Delaware Coastline: 362 km Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December) Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, asphalt Land use: arable land: 14.62% permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (2005) Irrigated land: 40 sq km (2003) Natural hazards: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms Environment - current issues: water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt People Trinidad and Tobago Population: 1,065,842 (July 2006 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.1% (male 109,936/female 104,076) 15-64 years: 71.3% (male 398,657/female 361,093) 65 years and over: 8.6% (male 41,162/female 50,918) (2006 est.) Median age: total: 31.2 years male: 30.8 years female: 31.7 years (2006 est.) Population growth rate: -0.87% (2006 est.) Birth rate: 12.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) Death rate: 10.57 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) Net migration rate: -11.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 25.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.76 years male: 65.71 years female: 67.86 years (2006 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 3.2% (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 29,000 (2003 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,900 (2003 est.) Nationality: Noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian Ethnic groups: Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census) Religions: Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, other Christian 5.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census) Languages: English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98% (2003 est.) Government Trinidad and Tobago Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago Government type: Parliamentary democracy Capital: Port-of-Spain Administrative divisions: 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando borough corporations: Arima, Point Fortin, Chaguanas ward: Tobago Independence: 31 August 1962 (from UK) National holiday: Independence Day, 31 August (1962) Constitution: 1 August 1976 Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term; election last held 14 February 2003 (next to be held in 2008); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 43% Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the opposition party for a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next to be held by October 2007) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1 Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London Political parties and leaders: National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TU [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]; Democratic Action Committee or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES], note - only active in Tobago Political pressure groups and leaders: Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR] International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376 FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462 Flag description: red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side Economy Trinidad and Tobago Economy - overview: Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a growing trade surplus. Prospects for growth in 2006 are good as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas are expected to remain high, and foreign direct investment continues to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime. GDP (purchasing power parity): $13.92 billion (2005 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $13.45 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7% (2005 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $12,900 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.7% industry: 57% services: 42.3% (2005 est.) Labor force: 620,000 (2005 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 est.) Unemployment rate: 8% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: 21% (1992 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.8% (2005 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 19% of GDP (2005 est.) revenues: $4.5 billion expenditures: $4.06 billion; including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (2005 est.) Public debt: 41.4% of GDP (2005 est.) Agriculture - products: cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry Industries: petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles Industrial production growth rate: 9% (2005 est.) Electricity - production: 6.076 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - consumption: 5.651 billion kWh (2003) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2003) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2003) Oil - production: 150,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 29,000 bbl/day (2003 est.) Oil - proved reserves: 990 million bbl (1 January 2004) Natural gas - production: 24.7 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 12.79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - exports: 11.79 billion cu m (2003 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) Natural gas - proved reserves: 733 billion cu m (1 January 2004) Current account balance: $3.27 billion (2005 est.) Exports: $9.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Exports - commodities: Petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers Exports - partners: US 67%, Jamaica 5.7%, France 3.6% (2004) Imports: $6.011 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals Imports - partners: US 23.9%, Venezuela 11.5%, Germany 11.2%, Brazil 10.7%, Spain 6.4%, Italy 5.1% (2004) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $4.045 billion (2005 est.) Debt - external: $2.986 billion (2005 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $24 million (1999 est.) Currency (code): Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD) Exchange rates: Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002), 6.2332 (2001) Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September Communications Trinidad and Tobago Telephones - main lines in use: 321,300 (2004) Telephones - mobile cellular: 651,200 (2004) Telephone system: general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004) Television broadcast stations: 6 (2005) Internet country code: .tt Internet hosts: 17,171 (2005) Internet users: 160,000 (2005) Transportation Trinidad and Tobago Airports: 6 (2005) Airports - with paved runways total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2005) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2005) Pipelines: condensate 253 km; gas 1,117 km; oil 478 km (2004) Roadways: total: 8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1999) Merchant marine: total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,671 GRT/2,749 DWT by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 1, unknown 2) (2005) Ports and terminals: Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain Military Trinidad and Tobago Military branches: Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes Air Wing) (2004) Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 290,715 females age 18-49: 258,410 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 202,958 females age 18-49: 173,797 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - dollar figure: $66.72 million (2003 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.6% (2003 est.) Transnational Issues Trinidad and Tobago Disputes - international: Barbados will assert its claim before the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into its waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to challenge this boundary as it may extend into its waters as well Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis |
| The European Intervention |
| The Introduction Of Negro Slaves |
| The Era Of France |