Trinidad & Tobago Culture

Cruise
By Nneka McKay, Shadae Anglin & Aliyah Lewis
Leader/Government
The head of state is a non-executive President elected
by an electoral college comprising all the members of
parliament.
The President of T&T is Paula-Mae Weekes.
The Prime Minister of T&T is Keith Rowley
T&T follows the Westminster model of government
and upholds the traditions of parliamentary
democracy it inherited from Britain.
General elections are held at least every 5 years.
Independence Date
Trinidad and Tobago officially gained independence
from Britain on August 31st, 1962
Regional Membership
Member State of CARICOM
Date of Membership in CARICOM: 1 Aug 1973
Urban Centres
Chaguanas
San Fernando
Port of Spain
Mayaro
Borough of Arima
San Juan/Laventille
Point Fortin
Tunapuna/Piarco
Sangre Grande
Places of Interest
Maracas Bay, Trinidad
Port of Spain, Trinidad
Caroni Bird Sanctuary, Trinidad
Asa Wright Nature Centre & Lodge, Trinidad
Little Tobago Island
Mount St. Benedict Monastery, Trinidad
Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust, Trinidad
Main Ridge Forest Reserve, Tobago
Fort King George and the Tobago Museum, Tobago
Maracas Bay,
Trinidad

Maracas Bay is one of

Trinidad's most famous
beaches. A deep bay protects
this palm-fringed strip of
golden sand, one of the most
beautiful beaches close to the
city.
Port of Spain,
Trinidad

Capital of the nation, this

bustling business center
boasts many fine examples of
colonial-style architecture as
well as a few touristy things
to do if you're staying here for
a few days.
Caroni Bird
Sanctuary, Trinidad

Caroni Bird Sanctuary, is a

nirvana for nature lovers.
This series of mangrove-lined
waterways is the nesting
place of the scarlet ibis, the
national bird of Trinidad and
Tobago.
Asa Wright Nature
Centre & Lodge,
Trinidad

Asa Wright Nature Centre &

Lodge encompasses 1,500 acres
of dense forest in the Arima
and Aripo Valleys.
Hummingbirds, woodcreepers,
pygmy owls, trogons, and the
rare nocturnal oilbird are just
some of the avian species
spotted at this former cocoa,
coffee, and citrus plantation.
Little Tobago Island

On the east end of Tobago,

across from Speyside, Little
Tobago Island is an
uninhabited bird sanctuary
with several kilometers of
trails.
Mount St. Benedict
Monastery, Trinidad

The red-roofed church tower

of Mount St. Benedict
Monastery is one of the most
striking landmarks east of
Port of Spain. Benedictine
monks established this
community in 1912, and the
monastery is the largest and
oldest in the Caribbean.
Pointe-a-Pierre
Wildfowl Trust,
Trinidad

The middle of an oil refinery

may seem an odd place for a
nature sanctuary, but this is
one of the best bird viewing
spots in Trinidad.
Main Ridge Forest
Reserve, Tobago

Rich in biodiversity, the Main

Ridge Forest Reserve is
purportedly the oldest legally
protected forest in the
Western Hemisphere.
Fort King George
and the Tobago
Museum, Tobago

Fort King George is the most

well-preserved fort on the
island. Also on the grounds,
The Tobago Museum displays
collections of antique maps,
African Art, Amerindian
artifacts, coins, and shells.
Media Houses
The Press Television Radio
•Newsday - daily •CCN TV6 – private •Trinidad Broadcasting Company –
•Guardian - daily •C TV - state- private
•Daily Express owned •Talk City 91.1 - state-owned
•CNC3 - private •One Caribbean Media – private
•CL Communications - private
Sportspersons
Keiron Polland – Cricket
Gary Goodrigde – Super Heavyweight Kickboxer
Dwayne Bravo – Cricket
Ravi Rampaul - Cricket
Darren Bravo - Cricket
Robin Singh – Cricket
Richard Thompson - Sprinter
Languages
The official Language spoken in Trinidad & Tobago is
English.
However the most commonly spoken languages are
Trinidadian and Tobagonian Creole English
Religions
The major religions of Trinidad & Tobago are Roman
Catholicism, Hinduism and Islam.
Smaller religious groups in the country includes
Anglicans, Buddhist, Jews and Methodists.
Festivals
Carnival
Easter Weekend
Phagwa/Holi
Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day
Tobago Jazz Festival
Corpus Christi
Tobago Heritage Festival
Emancipation Day
Music /Genres (Persons)
The music of Trinidad and Tobago is best known for
its calypso music, soca music, chutney, parang and
steelpan.
Popular Trinidad and Tobago musicians includes
Haddaway, Nicki Minaj, Machel Montano, Billy
Ocean, Sonique, Bunji Garlin, Heather Headley and
Machel Montano.
Cuisine
Our cuisine has been greatly influenced by the
Amerindians, Africans, Indians, Europeans and the
Chinese.
African slave owners on the island sought to feed the
slaves as inexpensively as possible. Thus, their diets
consisted mainly of beans, starches and the cheapest
cuts of meats.
Africans also brought with them the technique of
‘one-pot’ cooking, of vegetables, meats, beans and
starches.
Cuisine (cont.)
This influence can be clearly seen in signature Creole
dishes like pelau, callaloo, chicken and stew peas and
of course, our many soups.
Indians arrived on the island with their traditional
spices and foods, which, once incorporated, altered
the local cuisine even further. The most significant
spice was curry.
Customs / Beliefs
Power differentials remain salient in different
contexts. Afro-Trinidadian women enjoy some
autonomy and power within domestic domains and
are often heads of households.
Women are said to dominate in "playin' mas',"
participating in Carnival, where they demonstrate an
assertive sexuality.
Wearing camouflage clothing if you're not in the
military is a criminal offense
Lit works / Authors
An impressive literary tradition exists among writers
who have mainly made their names and reputations
abroad, including C.L.R. James, Ralph de Boissie`re,
V.S. Naipaul, Shiva Naipaul, Samuel Selvon, Earl
Lovelace, Ismith Khan, Ramabai Espinet, and Michael
Anthony.
Calypso must count as oral literature. Contemporary
calypsonians include the Mighty Sparrow and Lord
Kitchener.
Literacy Rate
Trinidad and Tobago - Adult literacy rate. In 2015,
adult literacy rate for Trinidad and Tobago was 98.97
%. Adult literacy rate of Trinidad and Tobago
increased from 94.97 % in 1980 to 98.97 % in 2015
growing at an average annual rate of 1.04 %.
Infant Mortality Rate
In 2017, the infant mortality rate in Trinidad and
Tobago was at about 23.1 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Life Expetancy
According to the latest WHO data published in 2018
life expectancy in Trinidad and Tobago is: Male 68.2,
female 75.6 and total life expectancy is 71.8 which gives
Trinidad and Tobago a World Life Expectancy ranking
of 106.
GDP
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Trinidad and
Tobago was worth 23.41 billion US dollars in 2018. The
GDP value of Trinidad and Tobago represents 0.04
percent of the world economy. GDP in Trinidad and
Tobago averaged 8.83 USD Billion from 1960 until
2018, reaching an all time high of 27.87 USD Billion in
2008 and a record low of 0.54 USD Billion in 1960.
GNP
41.79 Billion PPP Dollars (2017)
Economic Activities
Petroleum, natural gas, methanol, etc., are the biggest
industries in Trinidad and Tobago.
he country has an industrial economy, something that is
uncharacteristic to Caribbean countries.
Some of the major industries in the country are its energy,
agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism industries,
whose products form bulk of the country’s annual exports.
The economy is mainly reliant on its natural resources, as
the country sits on the Caribbean’s largest reserves of
petroleum and natural gas.
Natural Disasters
Earthquakes are a potential threat and tremors are felt
occasionally. On 21 August 2018 Trinidad and Tobago
experienced an earthquake in excess of magnitude 6.7
causing damage to some buildings and
communication networks.
The Caribbean hurricane season normally runs from
June to November. Trinidad and Tobago is rarely
affected by hurricanes but can experience severe storm
conditions. Heavy rain caused flooding in some areas
of Trinidad in late 2018.
The End