Currency:
1 Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TT$) = 100 cents. Notes of $1, $5, $10, $20,
$100; coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 cents. TT dollar floats against other currencies.
1 EUR = 9.24 TTD (9/2009), 1 US Dollar = 6.28 Trinidad/Tobago Dollar (9/2009).
Costs: food and accommodation costs are
lower than on the other Caribbean islands. You can eat inexpensive in Trinidad;
prices in Tobago are still resonable. A beer in the pub will cost you about
5 TT$, a good meal in a chinese restaurant about 25 TT$ (2006). Public
transport is very good and very resonable. In Arima you can catch a minibus
to Port-of-Spain every 5 minites. It will cost you only 4 TT$.
Credit cards: major credit cards are widely
accepted.
Miscellaneous
Languages: English (official), French,
Spanish, Hindi and Chinese.
Capital: Port-of-Spain.
Population: 1,3 million (est.).
Weather today: click
here for yahoo weather forecast.
Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to
December).
Average Temperature: 29°C (83°F).
Time: Summer: EST (Eastern Standard Time),
equivalent to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)-5 hours; Winter: EST+1, GMT-4.
Daylight savings time is not observed in Trinidad and Tobago.
Geography
Coastline: 362 km.
Highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m.
Size: 60 x 80 km (37 x 50 miles), 5130
sq km (1980 sq miles).
Terrain: Trinidad is mostly plain with
some hills in the north; Tobago is mountainous.
Location: Caribbean islands between the
Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela. Trinidad
and her tiny sister island of Tobago lie off the Venezuelan coast. Along
the north of Trinidad runs the Northern Range of mountains, looming over
the country's capital, Port-of-Spain. South of Port-of-Spain on the west
coast the terrain is low, and the Caroni Swamps contain a magnificent bird
sanctuary largely inhabited by the scarlet ibis. On the north and east
coasts lie beautiful beaches. Central Trinidad is flat and largely given
over to agriculture.
Air Transport
Airports: Piarco International Airport,
Trinidad, 17 miles (27 km) from Port-of-Spain (airport code "POS"). Crown
Point International Airport, Tobago, 7 miles (10 km) from Scarborough (airport
code "TAB").
Departure Tax: includet in the airline
ticket.
Flight Times: 35 mins from Barbados, 1
hr from Caracas, 3hrs 30 mins from Miami, 5 hrs from New York, 6 hrs from
Toronto, 8 hrs 20 mins from London, 9 hrs 40 mins from Frankfurt, 9 hrs
from Zurich.
International Airlines: Air Canada (Toronto;
669-4065), American Airlines (Miami, New York, San Juan; 669-4661), Caribbean
Airlines (669-3000), British Caledonian, Charter Operators.
Regional Airlines: BWIA (627-2942), LIAT
(Eastern Caribbean; 627-6274), Air Caribbean (Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados,
Grenada, Guyana; 623-2500), Surinam Airways (627-4747), Charter Operators.
Water Transport
Ports and harbors: Port-of-Spain (Trinidad),
Scarborough (Tobago).
Ferry Service: between Port-of-Spain (868)
625-4906/3055 and Scarborough (868) 639-2417. Monday to Friday leave Port-of-Spain
at 2:00 p.m, leave Scarborough at 11:00 p.m. Sunday leave Port-of-Spain
at 11:00 a.m., leave Scarborough at 11:00 p.m. From 60 TT$ for a return
ticket. Check this site for inter-island sailing times and more information
of the ferry service: https://www.patnt.com/ferry_schedule.shtml.
Yacht Services: Yacht Services Association
of Trinidad and Tobago, Chaguaramas, 634-4938, email:
ysatt@trinidad.net.
Tourist Information
Toursit Office: Tourism Development Company
Ltd., Level 1, Maritime Centre, #29 Tenth AVENUE, Barataria, Trinidad,
West Indies, Tel: (868) 675-7034, Fax: (868) 638-7962, Website:
https://www.gotrinidadandtobago.com/.
Highlights: Carnival in Port-of-Spain,
ASA Wright Nature Centre, Caroni Swamp, La Brea Pitch Lake, (Trinidad);
Pigeon Point, Buccoo Reef, Argyle Falls, Main Ridge, Charlotteville (Tobago).
Entry Requirements: All persons require
visas to enter Trinidad and Tobago, exept Commonwealth Countries (except
Australia, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Tanzania,
Uganda); exept the EEC Countries England, Greece, Ireland, Spain, France,
Portugal, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg; except
Turkey, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Finland, Israel,
Brazil, Colombia, Austria (they have visa abolition agreements with T&T);
except Citizens of USA on Vacation for three (3) months or less; except.Citizens
of Venezuela arriving from Venezuela on vacation for fourteen (14) days
or less; except Citizens of Suriname, Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guyana,
Netherlands Antilles (Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, St Maarten
and Saba).
Dining: Indian, Chinese, Caribben, International.
Tipping: 10% is standard unless a service
charge is included in the bill.
Taxes: There is 15% Sales Tax on goods
and services. There is a 10% service charge and a 10% Hotel Room Tax.
Water: Water is safe to drink; bottled
spring water is widely available.
Electricity: 115 / 230 volts AC, 60 Hz.
Continental 2-pin plugs are standard, though variations may be found.
Public Transport: by busses and route taxis;
transport is inexpensive and very good in Trinidad, still good in Tobago.
Driving: Driving is on the left side of
the road. Visitors in possession of valid licenses issued in U.S., Canada,
France, U.K., Germany and the Bahamas may drive for up to three months.
International licenses are also accepted.
Public Holidays: January 01st (New Year's
Day), January 08th (Eid-il-Fitr), February or March Monday and Tuesday
before Ash Wednesday (Carnival), March 30th (Spiritual Baptist Liberation
Shouter Day), April 21st (Good Friday), April 24th (Easter Monday), May
30th (Indian Arrival Day), June 19th ( Labour Day), June 22nd (Corpus Christi),
August 01st (Emancipation Day), August 31st (Independence Day), December
25th (Christmas Day), December 26th (Boxing Day).
Sports: diving, snorkeling, golf, deep-sea
fishing, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking.
Telephone: good local service; excellent
but expensive international service by satellite earth station. Country
code: 1 868. Outgoing international code: 01. There are no area codes.
Emergency numbers: Police 999, Fire & Ambulance 990.
Post: The main post office is on Wrightson
Road, Port-of-Spain. Airmail to Western Europe takes between 5 days and
two weeks. The main post office in Tobago is in Market Square, Scarborough.
Politics
Government type: parliamentary democracy.
Legal system: based on English common law;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
Laws: illegal drugs are not allowed into
Trinidad and Tobago. Travelers found to be in possession of illegal drugs
such as cocaine and marijuana (even a small amount) face serious penalties
and jail sentences.
Nationality: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s).
Ethnic groups: black 43%, East Indian (a
local term - primarily immigrants from northern India) 40%, mixed 14%,
white 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 32%, Hindu 24%,
Anglican 14%, other Protestant 14%, Muslim 6%, none or unknown 10%.
Literacy: 98.9 % (male: 99.2 %, female: 98.7 %)
(2015 est.).
Economy
Industries: petroleum, chemicals, tourism,
food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles.
Agriculture-products: cocoa, sugarcane,
rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry.
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas,
asphalt.
Partners: USA, Caricom countries, Latin
America, EU, Japan.
GDP per capita: 32,139 USD (2014 est.).
Unemployment rate: 4.0 % (2014 est.).