Sweet, sweet T&T

March 14th, 2006 | by: Stacy-Marie Ishmael | Comments(1)

To really be a fan of the Soca Warriors you need to know a bit about Trinidad and Tobago. This is the first in a series of mini-profiles of the Caribbean republic.

Trinidad and Tobago: land of the hummingbird and the scarlet ibis. Birthplace of Brian Lara, Ato Boldon and, of course, Dwight Yorke. Home of the steelpan, the only musical instrument invented in the 20th century. Land of calypso, soca and rapso. T&T is more than just ’sun sea and sand’ – although we do have those in abundance.

T&T is a twin-island republic with a population of just over a million. Our inhabitants are usually just referred to as ‘Trinis’, short for Trinidadians. More precisely, one can refer to Tobagonians or, collectively, Trinibagonians.

Located just seven miles north of Venezuela, Trinidad is the southernmost Caribbean island, and was once of a part of the South American mainland. The larger of the two islands, Trinidad is the country’s industrial and commercial centre. It is also the home of the greatest show on earth, Carnival. For this year’s Carnival, over 50,000 visitors from all over the world descend on the island for a week’s worth of revelry.

Tobago is renowned for its stunning beaches and natural beauty. The island is tiny – measuring just 116 square miles (300km ^ 2).

Enticed? Next Tuesday I’ll go into a bit more detail about the country’s history. Stay tuned.