T & T consists of two small islands 7 miles off the coast of Venezuela. T & T have their own immigration problems with boats from Venezuela arriving with potential illegal immigrants.
Tobago is the smaller of the two islands and is famous for it's beautiful beaches (I won't be making it there this trip). Trinidad has the majority of the population.
As with the other Caribbean Islands during colonial times it changed hands with wars and treaties, finally becoming a British Colony. Trinidad/Tobago finally gained independence from England in 1962 and became a Republic in 1976.
Fun facts:
- TT is the 3rd richest economy(GDP) in the Americas following the USA and Canada
- TT has rich reserves of natural gas and petroleum
- Steel Pan was invented in TT
- Calypso and Soca music originated in TT
- Pitch Lake in Trinidad is the world's largest natural deposit of asphalt. It covers about 99 acres and is 246 feet deep (Imagine being the one to determine the depth of that!)
- Main Ridge Forest Preserve on Tobago is the oldest protected rainforest in the Western Hemisphere.
- Tobago got it's name because it resembles a traditional tobacco pipe (tavaco) used by the locals
- Trinidad is the home of the largest Carnival in the Caribbean, which consistently ranks in the top 10 most coveted events in the world
- The limbo dance was created in Trinidad
- The novels Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island were based on these islands, and the movie Swiss Family Robinson was filmed here
- TT exports petroleum, petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals, steel products and fertilizer...among other things
- Trinidad's Moruga Scorpion Pepper has been named the hottest pepper in the world
- The beaches of TT contain the second largest nesting site in the world for leatherback turtles
- The largest living brain coral(about 10 ft by 16 ft) has been recorded off Speyside in Tobago
- Education in TT is entirely free, contributing to the over 98% literacy rate. Children are expected to have basic reading and writing skills before starting school at age 5. Most start preschool at 2 ½ years of age
- TT is one of the world's leading exporters of natural gas
- Curried Opossum and Curried Iguana are a delicacy in TT
- Cricket is the national sport
- The KFC in the capitol city of Port of Spain, Trinidad has the #1 sales of any KFC in the world. Open 24 hrs, you can buy fried chicken any time day or night! Needless to say, I did not feel the need to visit!
- National bird is the Scarlet Ibis, found mostly in the Caroni Bird Sanctuary
Scarlet Ibis
I've never seen one of these-never knew they existed!!
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