Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago Republic composed of the two southernmost islands of the Lesser Antilles, in the se Caribbean; the capital is Port of Spain on Trinidad. The larger island of Trinidad lies only 11km (7mi) off the Venezuelan coast. It is mainly low plains with coastal mangrove swamps. In sw Trinidad lies Pitch Lake, the world's largest natural source of asphalt. The Spanish colonized the island in the 16th century, but it was ceded to Britain in 1802. Tobago lies 30km (19mi) ne of Trinidad. The island, dominated by a mountain ridge, is heavily forested. Scarborough is the principal town. Tobago was initially settled by the British in 1616. After Spanish, Dutch and French rule, in 1803 the island became a British possession. In 1833, Trinidad and Tobago were integrated into a single Crown Colony, becoming an independent state in 1962, and a republic in 1976. In 1990, Prime Minister Arthur Robinson was captured and later released in an attempted coup. After 1995 elections, the United National Congress and the Alliance for Reconstruction formed a coalition government, with Basdeo Panday as prime minister. Panday was re-elected in 2000. Oil and gas production, asphalt, and tourism dominate the economy (2000 GDP per capita, US$9500). Area: 5128sq km (1980sq mi). Pop. (2000) 1,484,000.

http://www.gov.tt; http://www.visittnt.com