Trinidad and Tobago is a nation consisting primarily of two Caribbean islands just off the northeast coast of Venezuela. The La Brea Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt.

Understand

The islands were first inhabited by Arawak and Carib peoples, who settled here from South America, and whose descendants make up a small minority of the population. A cosmopolitan society exists and the majority of the population descended from African slaves and East Indian indentured servants. Additionally, some laborers were imported from Portugal and China. However, most of the Portuguese laborers could not cope with the hot tropical climate and died off. The Chinese grew fed up of slave like labor and started their own businesses such as small shops and laundromats. The Spanish, French, and Dutch all had a presence here before the two islands came under British control as a single colony in the late 19th century. Trinidad and Tobago became independent in 1962.

The two islands have distinct personalities. Trinidad is by far the larger of the two, and is the location of most of the country's cities and activity. It is also the country's industrial center, especially for petroleum and natural gas production, which make T&T one of the most prosperous countries in the Caribbean. Tobago is the less developed, except for tourism, which is its main industry. Recently, however, development in Tobago has increased as the island is now a popular tourist destination. Both have a share of natural beauty, however.