Trinidad and Tobago

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a nation located in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela. It is an archipelagic state consisting of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and 21 smaller islands, the most important being Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande (or Gasparee), Little Tobago and St. Giles Is. The larger and more populated island is Trinidad, while the island of Tobago is smaller (303 square kilometres; about 6% of the total area) and less populous (50,000 people; 4% of the total population). Citizens are officially called Trinidadians or Tobagonians or Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, but are informally referred to as Trinis or Trinbagonians.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Trinidad and Tobago

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The terrain of the islands is a mixture of mountains and plains. The highest point in the country is found on the Northern Range at El Cerro del Aripo which is situated at 940 m above sea level. The climate is tropical. There are two seasons annually: the dry season for the first six months of the year, and the rainy season in the second half of the year. The rainy season is also known as the hurricane season; however unlike most of the other Caribbean islands, Trinidad and Tobago have frequently escaped the wrath of major devastating hurricanes, including Hurricane Ivan, the most powerful storm to pass close to the islands in recent history in September 2004. Hurricane Ivan month went on to devastate the small nations of Grenada and Haiti (among others) before hitting Florida. Trinidad and Tobago are supplied with the North Westerly winds which blow from the north west of the islands to the south east of the islands.

Related Topics:
Northern Range - El Cerro del Aripo - Hurricane - Hurricane Ivan - September - 2004 - Grenada - Haiti

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As the majority of the population live in Trinidad, this is the location of most major towns and cities. There are three major cities in Trinidad: Port-of-Spain, the capital, San Fernando and Chaguanas, the largest (and fastest growing) of the three. The largest town in Tobago is Scarborough.

Related Topics:
Port-of-Spain - San Fernando - Chaguanas - Scarborough

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Trinidad is made up of a variety of soil types, the majority being fine sands and heavy clays. The alluvial valleys of the Northern Range and the soils of the East-West Corridor being the most fertile.

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The Northern Range consists mainly of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks, mostly andesites and schists. The Northern Lowlands (East-West Corridor and Caroni Plains) consist of Pleistocene or younger soft sands and clays with superficial gravel terraces and river and swamp alluvia. South of this, the Central Range is a folded anticlinal uplift consisting of Cretaceous and Eocene rocks, with Miocene formations along the southern and eastern flanks. The Naparima Plains and the Nariva Swamp form the southern shoulder of this uplift. The Southern Lowlands consist of Miocene and Pliocene sands, clays, and gravels. These overlie oil and natural gas deposits, especially north of the Los Bajos Fault. The Southern Range forms the third anticlinal uplift. It consists of several chains of hills, most famous being the Trinity Hills. The rocks consist of sandstones, shales and siltstones and clays formed in the Miocene and uplifted in the Pleistocene. Oil sands and mud volcanoes are especially common in this area.

Related Topics:
Jurassic - Cretaceous - Andesite - Schist - East-West Corridor - Caroni Plains - Pleistocene - Central Range - Eocene - Miocene - Naparima Plains - Nariva Swamp - Pliocene - Oil - Natural gas - Los Bajos Fault - Southern Range - Trinity Hills - Sandstone - Shale - Siltstone - Oil sands - Mud volcano

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Although it is located just off-shore from South America, Trinidad and Tobago is sometimes considered to be part of the North American continent by virtue of its being a Caribbean country. See Bicontinental countries.

Related Topics:
South America - North American - Bicontinental countries

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