Trinidad and Tobago

First colonized by the Spanish, Trinidad and Tobago came under British control in the early 19th century. The emancipation of enslaved people in 1834 disrupted the twin islands' sugar industry. Contract workers arriving from India between 1845 and 1917 augmented the labor force, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export that remains the country's dominant industry. Trinidad and Tobago attained independence in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean, thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. The government is struggling to reverse a surge in violent crime.

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

11 00 N, 61 00 W

Central America and the Caribbean

slightly smaller than Delaware

362 km

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

70 sq km (2012)

population on Trinidad is concentrated in the western half of the island, on Tobago in the southern half

outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt

East Indian 35.4%, African descent 34.2%, mixed - other 15.3%, mixed - African/East Indian 7.7%, other 1.3%, unspecified 6.2% (2011 est.)

English (official), Trinidadian Creole English, Tobagonian Creole English, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Trinidadian Creole French, Spanish, Chinese

Protestant 32.1% (Pentecostal/Evangelical/Full Gospel 12%, Baptist 6.9%, Anglican 5.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 4.1%, Presbyterian/Congregational 2.5%, other Protestant 0.9%), Roman Catholic 21.6%, Hindu 18.2%, Muslim 5%, Jehovah's Witness 1.5%, other 8.4%, none 2.2%, unspecified 11.1% (2011 est.)

0.08% (2025 est.)

10.33 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

8.69 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

population on Trinidad is concentrated in the western half of the island, on Tobago in the southern half

545,000 PORT-OF-SPAIN (capital) (2023)

54 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.63 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.8 (2025 est.)

4.16 physicians/1,000 population (2021)

1.6 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

18.6% (2016)

42.7% (2022 est.)

water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; widespread pollution of waterways and coastal areas; illegal dumping; deforestation; soil erosion; fisheries and wildlife depletion

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

10.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

3.84 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary republic

9 regions, 3 boroughs, 2 cities, 1 ward <br><br><strong>regions:</strong> Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco <br><br><strong>borough:</strong> Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin <br><br><strong>cities:</strong> Port of Spain, San Fernando <br><br><strong>ward:</strong> Tobago

English common law; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

People's National Movement or PNM<br>United National Congress or UNC<br>Tobago People’s Party or Tobago

ACP, ACS, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club (associate), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

31 August 1962 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

<strong>description: </strong>red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper left to the lower right<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the colors represent the elements of earth, water, and fire; black also stands for the wealth of the land and the dedication of the people; white for the sea, the purity of the country's aspirations, and equality; red for the sun, the vitality of the land, and the people's courage and friendliness

scarlet ibis (bird of Trinidad), cocrico (bird of Tobago), chaconia flower

red, white, black

designed in 1962, the coat of arms shows the scarlet ibis (national bird of Trinidad) and the cocrico (national bird of Tobago); they support a shield displaying two hummingbirds, because Trinidad is home to 18 species of the bird and is called the &ldquo;Land of Hummingbirds;&rdquo; three gold ships on a backdrop of national colors represent Christopher Columbus, who visited the islands; the three peaks in the lower left refer to Trinidad being named after the Holy Trinity and also represent a famous mountain; the image of a gold ship's wheel in front of a coconut palm was also used on the Great Seals of British Colonial Tobago; the gold helmet represents Queen Elizabeth II of England (ruler of the country at the time), and the national motto promotes harmony in diversity

high-income Caribbean economy; major hydrocarbon exporter; key tourism and finance sectors; high inflation and growing public debt; long foreign currency access delays; large foreign reserves and sovereign wealth fund

$26.429 billion (2024 est.)

chicken, fruits, coconuts, citrus fruits, maize, oranges, plantains, eggs, taro, mangoes/guavas (2023)

petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, food processing, cement, cotton textiles

-4.7% (2023 est.)

649,900 (2024 est.)

16.7% (of GDP) (2019 est.)

USA 28%, China 7%, Guyana 5%, Chile 5%, Netherlands 5% (2023)

natural gas, alcohols, ammonia, crude petroleum, iron reductions (2023)

USA 29%, Guyana 27%, China 8%, Brazil 4%, Canada 3% (2023)

railway cargo containers, refined petroleum, cars, iron ore, excavation machinery (2023)

6 free-to-air TV networks, 2 of which are state-owned; 24 subscription providers (cable and satellite); over 36 radio frequencies (2019)

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3 (2025)

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF): Trinidad and Tobago Regiment (Army/Land Forces), Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard, Defense Force Reserves (2026)

approximately 5,000 Defense Forces (2025)

the TTDF's ground force inventory consists of light weapons, while the Coast Guard and Air Guard field mostly secondhand equipment from several countries, including Australia, China, Italy, the Netherlands, and the US (2025)

generally 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2025)

the primary responsibilities of the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF) are conducting border and maritime security, assisting civil authorities in times of crisis or disaster, providing search and rescue services, securing ports, and supporting civil law enforcement, particularly in countering gang-related crime and trafficking of narcotics and other illicit goods; the Police Service maintains internal security (2025)

Tren de Aragua (TdA)