The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a nation located in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela. It is an archipelago consisting of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and 21 smaller islands, the most important being Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande (or Gasparee), Little Tobago and St Giles Is. The larger and more populated island is Trinidad, while the island of Tobago is smaller (303 square kilometres; about 6% of the total area) and less populous (50,000 people; 4% of the total population). Citizens are officially called ''Trinidadians'' or ''Tobagonians'' or ''Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago'', but are informally referred to as ''Trinis'' or ''Trinbagonians''. Capital city Port-of-Spain is currently a leading candidate to serve as the headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA-ALCA). {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+Republic of Trinidad and Tobago |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" | align="center" width="140px" | | align="center" width="140px" rowspan="2" height="135px" | |- | align="center" width="140px" | (Flag of Trinidad and Tobago) |- |} |- | align=center style="vertical-align: top;" colspan=2 | ''List of state mottos: Together we aspire, together we achieve'' |- | align=center colspan=2 style="background: #ffffff;" | |- | Official language | English language |- | Capital | Port-of-Spain |- | President of Trinidad and Tobago | George Richards |- | Prime minister | Patrick Manning |- | Area
- Total
- % water | List of countries by area
1 E9 m
Negligible |- | Population
- Total (2000)
- Population density | List of countries by population
1,262,366
215/km² |- | Independence | 31 August 1962 |- | Currency | Trinidad and Tobago dollar |- | Time zone | Coordinated Universal Time - 4 |- | National anthem | ''Forged From The Love of Liberty'' |- | Top-level domain | .tt |- | List of country calling codes | 1-868 |} == History == ''Main article: History of Trinidad and Tobago'', History of the Caribbean Prior to European contact, the island of Trinidad was occupied by various Amerindian tribes including the Arawak-speaking Nepoya and Suppoya and the Carib speaking Yao. Tobago was inhabited by Island Caribs (Kalinago). The aboriginal name for Trinidad was Kairi or Iere which is usually said to mean ''The Land of the Hummingbird'', although others have reported that it simply meant ''island''. Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Trinidad on July 31, 1498 and named it Trinidad after the Trinity; Tobago was named ''Bella Forma'' by him, but this later became Tobago (probably derived from tobacco). The Spain settled on Trinidad, while Tobago frequently changed hands between the European sea powers, but the settlements on both islands were small and underdeveloped. The changing of hands of the European powers was mainly to keep Tobago free of pirates. After changing hands between the Kingdom of Great Britain, France, Netherlands and Courlanders, Britain consolidated its hold on both islands during the Napoleonic Wars, and they were combined into the colony of Trinidad and Tobago in 1889. Because of the colonial struggles, English, Spanish, and French List of cities in Trinidad and Tobago are all common in the country. African slaves and Indian, China, Portugal and free African indentured servants were imported to supply labour in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Immigration from Barbados and the Lesser Antilles and from Syria and Lebanon also impacted on the ethnic make-up of the country. Although originally a sugar cane colony, cacao dominated the economy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. After the collapse of the cacao crop (due to disease and the Great Depression) petroleum increasingly came to dominate the economy. The Depression and the rise of the oil economy led to changes in the social structure. The presence of US Destroyers for Bases Agreement in Chaguaramas and Cumuto in Trinidad during World War II profoundly changed the character of society. In the post-war period, the wave of decolonisation that swept the British Empire led to the formation of the West Indies Federation in 1958 as a vehicle for independence. The Federation dissolved after the withdrawal of Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago elected for independence in 1962. In 1976 the country severed its links with the British monarchy and became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. Petroleum, petrochemicals and natural gas continue to be the backbone of the economy. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy of Tobago, although it has declined in the environment after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most prosperous nations in the Caribbean, although less so than it was during the "oil boom" between 1973 and 1983. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Trinidad and Tobago'' The Head of State of Trinidad and Tobago is the president, currently Professor Emeritus George Richards. The President is elected by an Electoral College consisting of the full membership of both houses of Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. The parliament consists of two chambers, the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago (31 seats) and the House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago (36 seats). The members of the Senate are appointed by the president. The 16 Government Senators are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, the 6 Opposition Senators are appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and the 9 Independent Senators are appointed by the President to represent other sectors of civil society. The 36 members of the House of Representatives are elected by the people for a maximum of five years. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. The President is obligated to appoint the person who in his opinion has the most support in the House of Representatives to this post; this has generally been the leader of the party which won the most seats in the previous election (except in the case of the Elections in Trinidad and Tobago#2001 General Elections). Since December 24 2001, the governing party has been the People's National Movement led by Patrick Manning; the Parliamentary opposition party is the United National Congress led by Basdeo Panday. Trinidad and Tobago is an active member of the Caribbean_Community. == Regional Corporations and Municipalities == ''Main article: Regional Corporations and Municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago'' The local government bodies consist of nine Regional Corporations and five municipality in Trinidad and the Tobago House of Assembly in Tobago. The five towns with municipality-status are: * The Borough of Arima * The Borough of Chaguanas * The City of Port-of-Spain * The Borough of Point Fortin * The City of San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago The nine Regional Corporations are: * Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo Regional Corporation * Diego Martin Regional Corporation * Penal-Debe Regional Corporation * Princes Town Regional Corporation * Rio Claro, Trinidad and Tobago-Mayaro Regional Corporation * San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago-Laventille Regional Corporation * Sangre Grande Regional Corporation * Siparia Regional Corporation * Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation Local government in Tobago is handled by the Tobago House of Assembly Historically, Trinidad was divided into eight county, and these counties were subdivided into Wards. Tobago was adminstered as a Ward of County Saint David. * Caroni (Trinidad and Tobago) * Mayaro * Nariva * Saint Andrew, Trinidad and Tobago * Saint David, Trinidad and Tobago * Saint George, Trinidad and Tobago * Saint Patrick, Trinidad and Tobago * Victoria, Trinidad and Tobago Prior to reform of the system in the early 1990s these counties functioned as the administrative bodies for Local Government with the following modifications: *Saint George was divided into Saint George East, Saint George West, the City of Port of Spain and the Royal Charter Borough of Arima. *The Borough (City after 1988) of San Fernando was separate from County Victoria. *After 1980 the Borough of Point Fortin was separated from the County Saint Patrick. *Saint Andrew and Saint David were combined under a single County Council. *Nariva and Mayaro were combined under a single County Council. *Since its establishment in 1980 the Tobago House of Assembly has gradually assumed many of the roles of the central government, in addition to those of local government. Counties and Wards still play a role in revenue collection by the government. == Geography == ''Main article: Geography of Trinidad and Tobago'' The terrain of the islands is a mixture of mountains and plains. The highest point in the country is found on the Northern Range at El Cerro del Aripo which is situated at 940 m above sea level. The climate is tropical. There are two seasons annually. The dry season, for the first six months of the year, and the rainy season, in the second half of the year. The rainy season is also known as the hurricane season; however unlike most of the other Caribbean islands, Trinidad and Tobago have frequently escaped the wrath of major devastating hurricanes, including Hurricane Ivan, the most powerful storm to pass close to the islands in recent history in September 2004. Hurricane Ivan month went on to devastate the small nations of Grenada and Haiti (among others) before hitting Florida. Trinidad and Tobago are supplied with the North Westerly winds which blow from the north west of the islands to the south east of the islands. As the majority of the population live in Trinidad, this is the location of most major towns and cities. There are three major cities in Trinidad: Port-of-Spain, the capital, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago and Chaguanas, the largest (and fastest growing) of the three. The largest town in Tobago is Scarborough, Tobago. Trinidad is made up of a variety of soil types, the majority being fine sands and heavy clays. The alluvial valleys of the Northern Range and the soils of the ''East-West Corridor'' being the most fertile. The Northern Range consists mainly of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks, mostly andesites and schists. The Northern Lowlands (East-West Corridor and Caroni Plains) consist of Pleistocene or younger soft sands and clays with superficial gravel terraces and river and swamp alluvia. South of this, the Central Range is a folded anticlinal uplift consisting of Cretaceous and Eocene rocks, with Miocene formations along the southern and eastern flanks. The Naparima Plains and the Nariva Swamp form the southern shoulder of this uplift. The Southern Lowlands consist of Miocene and Pliocene sands, clays, and gravels. These overlie petroleum and natural gas deposits, especially north of the Los Bajos Fault. The Southern Range forms the third anticlinal uplift. It consists of several chains of hills, most famous being the Trinity Hills. The rocks consist of sandstones, shales and siltstones and clays formed in the Miocene and uplifted in the Pleistocene. tar sands and mud volcanoes are especially common in this area. Although it is located just off-shore from South America, Trinidad and Tobago is sometimes considered to be part of the North America continent by virtue of its being a Caribbean country. ''See Bicontinental_countries#Countries_both_in_North_America_and_South_America.'' == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Trinidad and Tobago'' Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. A leading performer the past four years has been the booming natural gas sector. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a trade surplus. The year 2002 was marked by solid growth in the oil sector, offset in part by domestic political uncertainty. == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Trinidad and Tobago'' The two predominant ethnic groups are Indo-Trinidadians, the descendants of indentured servants from India (40.3% of the population) and Afro-Trinidadians who descend from African slaves (39.5%). Together the two groups form about 79.8% of the population; most of the remainder are people of mixed descent, with small minorities of Europeans, China, Syrian-Lebanon and Carib languagess (descendants of the indigenous inhabitants, not recognized as a distinct census category). Many different religions are present in Trinidad and Tobago. The largest two are the Roman Catholic Church and Hinduism; the Anglican Church, Islam, Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church are among the smaller faiths. Two Afro-Caribbean syncretic faiths, the Shouter Baptist or Spiritual Baptists and the Orisha faith (formerly called Shangos, a less than complimentary term) are among the fastest growing religious groups, as are a host of American-style Evangelicalism and Fundamentalist Christian churches usually lumped as "Pentecostal" by most Trinidadians (although this designation is often inaccurate). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church (''The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints'') has also expanded its presence in the country since the mid-1980s. English language is the country's only official language, but Hindi is also spoken by some Indo-Trinidadians and widely used in popular music. The main spoken language, Trinidad English is either classified as a dialect of English or as an Creole_language (Trinidadian Creole English). The major spoken language in Tobago is Tobagonian Creole English. Both languages contain African elements; Trinidad English is also influenced by French and by Hindi. These Creole languages are normally spoken in informal situations only, and there is no formalized system of writing (other than proper English). Short-term visitors need not be concerned about learning Creole, as virtually everyone understands English. However, visitors should expect to hear Creole spoken frequently when they are not being directly addressed. Although ''Patois'' (a dialect of Creole_language) was once the most widely spoken language on the island, it is now rarely heard. Due to Trinidad's location on the coast of South America, the country is slowly developing a connection with the Spanish language-speaking peoples, and therefore government regulations now require Spanish to be taught to all high school students while Venezuelans often come to Trinidad and Tobago to learn English. == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Trinidad and Tobago'' Trinidad and Tobago are famous as the birthplace of calypso music, as well as the development of the Steelpan, which is widely claimed to be the only acoustic musical instrument invented during the 20th century. The diverse cultural and religious background allows for many festivities and ceremonies throughout the year. Other indigenous art forms include Soca music (a derivate of calypso), Parang (Venezuelan-influenced Christmas music), Chutney music, and pichakaree (musical forms which blend the music of the Caribbean and India) and the famous Limbo (dance) dance. ===Holidays===
== Miscellaneous topics ==
*Communications in Trinidad and Tobago
*Cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago
*Ecology of Trinidad and Tobago
*Foreign relations of Trinidad and Tobago
*List of birds of Trinidad and Tobago
*list of snakes of Trinidad and Tobago
*List of cities in Trinidad and Tobago
*Military of Trinidad and Tobago
*Music of Trinidad and Tobago
*Religion in Trinidad and Tobago
*Transportation in Trinidad and Tobago
==References==
*Besson, Gerard & Bereton, Bridget. 1992. ''The Book of Trinidad''. Paria Publishing Co. Ltd., Port of Spain. 2nd Edition. ISBN 976-8054-36-0.
*Mendes, John. 1986. ''Cote ce Cote la: Trinidad & Tobago DICTIONARY''. Arima, Trinidad.
*Saith, Radhica and Lyndersay, Mark. 1993. ''Why not a Woman?'' Paria Publishing Co., Ltd., Port of Spain. ISBN 976-8054-42-5.
== External links ==
*[http://www.gov.tt/ Official Government Website]
*[http://www.visittnt.com/ Official Tourism Website]
*[http://www.nalis.gov.tt/NationalAwards-Emblems/National_Emblems2.html National emblems of Trinidad and Tobago]
*[http://www.cso.gov.tt/ Central Statistical Office, Government of Trinidad and Tobago]
*[http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/td.html CIA World Factbook : Trinidad and Tobago]
*[http://www.search.co.tt/ the Trinidad and Tobago Webdirectory]
Caribbean countries
Trinidad and Tobago
CARICOM_member_states
Island nations
ms:Trinidad dan Tobago
zh-min-nan:Trinidad kap Tobago
nds:Trinidad un Tobago
Caribbean countries Members of the Commonwealth of Nations
''An event mentioned in this article is an Template:August 31 selected anniversaries''. ---- == History == The article refers to the union between the colonies in 1889, and calls that entity 'Trinidad and Tobago'. I don't have references or dates to back me up, but the union was not initially a union of equals, and the 'and Tobago' was not used officially for long periods of time. User:Guettarda 17:40, 6 Oct 2004 (UTC) == Question == What is a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago called? A Tobagan? This has always bothered me User:Revmachine21 Officially, Trinidadian or Tobagonian. Unofficially, Trinbagonian, Trini (used for both Trinidadians and Tobagonians). Or, ''Citizen of Trinidad and Tobago'' (One of the ironies of official forms in Trinidad - ''e.g.'', the forms you fill out when entering or leaving the country, don't have room for ''Trinidad and Tobago'' in the "Nationality" section. User:Guettarda 13:47, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::What do you think about adding this info to the article? My thought process isn't unique enough to come up with this question for the first time. The United States page has a gigantic ongoing fight about how to call its citizens. T&T deserves at least as much... :::FYR... added citizenry info Revmachine21 ::::I've heard a new way of pronouncing it that has stuck with me since, the way I've heard was "Trini-bagonian". With the 'i' from "Trini" included and not just shortend to "Trin", has anyone else heard it stated this way? I thought that pronounciation certainly is neat from the common one now used "Trin-bagonian" (which has a definant pause in the name), but "Trini-bagonian" almost rolls off the tongue without a pause. It gives both islands two syllables as well "Trin-ne" "Ba-go" + "nian"... I've stuck to this one since. 'an yes I'm part "Trini". User:CaribDigita 17:15, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC) I'd say one of the defining characteristics of Trinidadian speech is "less is more". Most people say "Tri'idad", "T'bago"...we're lazy speakers (although Creole grammar adds words, so it probably balances out..."wuyyuhgodo?" has as many syllables as "what would you do [about it]"? (not that they really mean the same thing). "Trinbagonian" (4-5 syllables) is too long - "Trinibagonian" adds another one. It might have a better flow to it...on the other hand, if you drop the "n", you'd have "Tree'bagonian" (which in no longer than "Tri'bagonian"...no, wait, "ee" is longer than "ih". Oh well, have to run to class now. User:Guettarda 17:27, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC) == North or South America? == Should Trinidad and Tobago be considered part of North America or South America? It seems that at the moment the country is listed in neither continent. I can see either viewpoint--on the one hand, it's considered part of the West Indies, hence grouped together with Central America, hence part of North America...but it's also clearly not that far away from the coast of South America. The country article itself says North America, but I want to be sure. User:Alfvaen 17:33, Jan 11, 2005 (UTC) :When the reference to "North America" was added by User:23skidoo, I disagreed with the statement, but it is common usage, as you pointed out, to lump the Caribbean into North America, for want of a better "continental" home. I was unable to find a good definition of a continent that could be useful (after all, Europe is only a continent by convention). Including Curaao, Aruba, and Bonaire in North America, but leaving Margarita in South America can only be justified in political terms. User:Guettarda 18:26, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) ::There's always borderline cases whenever things are put into boxes, but somehow none of the Caribbean island nations are considered part of South America. (By the way, Margarita does not take you to Isla Margarita off the coast of Venezuela; that link should probably be fixed to point to Isla Margarita or something in the History of Trinidad and Tobago article.) As far as continents go, they often go via tectonic plates and the like, and I know that in previous geological eras there was a definite sea gap between North and South America. But I don't know where the Caribbean fits in. Certainly it would seem that Trinidad & Tobago would be part of the same plate as South America, but it's also part of that whole arc of islands from the Bahamas on down. Maybe you should try to convince the Trinbagonian(?) government to official change its continental affiliation. :-) User:Alfvaen 19:00, Jan 12, 2005 (UTC) :::The border between the Caribbean plate (it is its own plate) and the South American plate apparently cuts through the middle of Trinidad. As for membership, most Trinidadians (and Tobagonians, I assume) would sooner see themselves in North America than South America...there are only 7 miles of water between Trinidad and Venezuela, but far more Trinidadians have been to the US and Canada than to Venezuela. "The (Spanish) Main"" has always been a somewhat mysterious and distant place, even though you can see it from western Trinidad. :::As for getting the government to do anything - I strongly suspect that I am the wrong person to convince them to do anything (my lack of support for the current People's National Movement government could be guessed easily from my surname)...and in my experience, Patrick Manning (the PM) is far too stubborn to be convinced of anything by anyone. User:Guettarda 19:17, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) :::: I believe at one time the United States regarded Trinidad and Tobago as being "North American"?? Case in point, T&T still has an 'area code' and was a part of the former (809) area code. An "Area Code" is mainly the product of the North American telephone system. Otherwise the Caribbean should have country codes just like Guyana, Mexico or much of the rest of the globe? User:CaribDigita 04:06, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC) :''From my User talk:Guettarda page, a good analysis of the whole situation'' - User:Guettarda 17:06, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC) The American (USA) POV: The Caribbean is often considered its own world region as distinct and separate from N.A., S.A. and C.A. although some Caribbean states are obviously part of one or the other. Belize is definately C.A and Guyana is definately S.A. However, from the point of view of The United States of America, the Caribbean has the same Country Code for International Calling and falls within the North America Calling Plan. That is, its country code is "1" and all phone numbers have an "xxx-yyy-zzzz" format where "xxx" is the three-digit "Area Code" --examples; Jamaica: 876, Trindad: 868, ect.-- "yyy" is the three-digit "Local Exchange Code" or city code --example; Mandeville: 962-- and "zzzz" is the "Location Identification Code" --example; 876-962-5555 represents a number in Mandeville, Jamaica. How these are used vary for each set of exchanges. Some areas always require 7-digit dialing while others only require "1+" 7-digit for calls outside of the Local Exchange. Others require 10-digit dialing for all numbers and "1+" 10-digit for those outside the local calling area (which also varies within sets of exchanges and area codes). All require an International Access Number followed by the Country Code, optional Exchange/City Code and "Location Identification Code" --whose format varies in different parts of the world-- to dial outside of the NACP. For this reason, if you use the operator to place an international call from the United States to the Caribbean, you must state that you are calling North America. If not, they will ask you for a country code and when you tell them "1" they will say, "No, the country code for the country you are calling" and if you tell them "876" then they will say that that is an invalid country code. Also, since the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are part of the Caribbean, the U.S.A. tends to put all of the Caribbean in N.A. since these two places are USA teritories and, by association, belong to N.America. Who really cares what the USA thinks. They sometimes call their president the leader of the free world. The Americas POV: On the other hand, the Caribbean is considered a part of the Americas and people have often split the Americas into three distinct parts; North, Central and South, with the Caribbean states being completely excluded from the list of states belonging to any of these regions. For this reason it is often annexed to N.A. since the Greater Antilles lies closest to that area and sometimes to C.A since most of the Caribbean lies withiin the same latitudes as that area and sometimes S.A since the nearest Caribbean island to a mainland is closest to that area or because the Caribbean starts from the Guianas --which is in S.A.-- up through the Windward Islands and Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles and finally to the Greater Antilles. Good luck sorting that out. Iceland and Greenland were both settled by Scandinavian colonists prior to Christopher Columbus and so are considered European or Scandinavian and not part of the Americas. The Geologic POV: There are three plates involved; the North American plate containing North and Central America and with it, Belize, the S. American plate containing South Americar and with it, Guyana and the Caribbean plate containing all of the West Indies except Bahamas, Bermuda and --technically-- Barbados, which are all in the Atlantic Ocean. This, of course, splits Panama across two continents; N. & S. America. Greenland is on the N. American plate and Iceland is split betweeen the N. American and Eurasian plates. Iceland therefore shares the same issue as Panama, being on two continents, as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge divides the island. The Geographic POV: The Americas is actually split into four distinct parts; North, Central and South America and the West Indies --which will include the Bahamas, Barbados and sometimes Bermuda, none of which are in the Caribbean Basin. This also solves the issues of Belize and Guyana which are considered Caribbean --Belize because it lies against the Caribbean Plate and Guyana because it is the homeland of the Caribs-- but not West Indies states since they are not islands (hence, indies). Again, Greenland and Iceland are not considered part of the Americas and are therefore Eurpoean. I believe you want the Geographic POV. --User:Okay Hosein 20:49, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC) == National Anthem == The national anthem is called ''Forged From The Love of Liberty'' here (and in its own article). Anything official I can find only calls it "the national anthem of Trinidad and Tobago" (e.g., [http://www.foreign.gov.tt/NationalSymbols.htm#The National Anthem]. I would never have thought to call it anything else until I came here. Is there an authoritiative source for this name? User:Guettarda 19:59, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Steel pan only instrument developed in the 20th century? == A prior revision of this article stated that the Steelpan was the only instrument invented in the 20th Century. I can think of at least one counterexample -- the Theremin -- and of course Synthesizer in general. So I've taken out that part of the steel pan comment. --User:Neschek — User:Neschek | User talk: Neschek 18:18, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) :from Steelpan: ''The steelpan is the only acoustic instrument that was invented in the 20th century.'' It's widely described as "the only instrument", but that isn't quite true. AFAIK, "only acoustic" is true (as in, non-electronic). User:Guettarda 18:28, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::I can't come up with a counterexample for the revised article, and I appreciate you revising it and putting in the phrase "widely claimed". Thanks much! --User:Neschek — User:Neschek | User talk: Neschek 18:34, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) :::It's one of those phrases you grow up hearing over and over - but of course there was always the counterexample of the synthesiser. As a "true" instrument, as something that produces music through vibrations, I think it's the only totally new ''type'' of insrtument. Anyway, someone phrased it well on the steelpan page, but with no expertice of my own I can only honestly say "widely claimed" (at least by us Trinis). I suppose there must be a PhD or two that address that question - when I have the time I suppose I'll have to try and track down some evidence one way or the other. User:Guettarda 18:59, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Map choice == Since the discussion is going on off-page, I thought it should be copied here. (User:Guettarda 18:49, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC)) (''from User talk:Kelisi'') I like the new map. Thanks for adding it. User:Guettarda 21:43, 17 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Please stop adding these ugly maps. The colors are way too strong. User:Cantus…User talk:Cantus 22:49, Mar 24, 2005 (UTC) The colors on your maps ''are'' pretty bright. Also, the text on them is pretty small, when they're reduced to the ~300px size that is generally used for illustrations. User:Wwoods 17:24, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::I see no reason for your replacement of perfectly good maps with your amateurish looking ones. User:Jooler :::C'mon - the CIA maps suck. Maybe Kelisi's map isn't perfect, but it's no worse than that old one. User:Guettarda 18:47, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC) To User:Jooler: You made a mistake in your edit summary - don't you mean reverting to ''uglier'' map? :) (Never thought we'd make it big time enough to have a revert war. Cool!) User:Guettarda 19:06, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC) To User:Jooler: Can you please refer me to the place in the policy which says that these CIA maps are "house-style"? Also, why is less information better than more information? Thanks. User:Guettarda 17:06, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::This debate continues at Talk: Panama
{| |- ! Template Preview ! What to type ! Also consider |- | || || |- | style="font-size: 80%;" colspan="3" | ''See more country templates on:'' Wikipedia:Country referencing templates |} Trinidad_and_Tobago
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Trinidad and Tobago
The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a nation located in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela. It is an archipelago consisting of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and 21 smaller islands, the most important being Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande (or Gasparee), Little Tobago and St Giles Is. The larger and more populated island is Trinidad, while the island of Tobago is smaller (303 square kilometres; about 6% of the total area) and less populous (50,000 people; 4% of the total population). Citizens are officially called ''Trinidadians'' or ''Tobagonians'' or ''Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago'', but are informally referred to as ''Trinis'' or ''Trinbagonians''. Capital city Port-of-Spain is currently a leading candidate to serve as the headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA-ALCA). {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+Republic of Trinidad and Tobago |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" | align="center" width="140px" | | align="center" width="140px" rowspan="2" height="135px" | |- | align="center" width="140px" | (Flag of Trinidad and Tobago) |- |} |- | align=center style="vertical-align: top;" colspan=2 | ''List of state mottos: Together we aspire, together we achieve'' |- | align=center colspan=2 style="background: #ffffff;" | |- | Official language | English language |- | Capital | Port-of-Spain |- | President of Trinidad and Tobago | George Richards |- | Prime minister | Patrick Manning |- | Area
- Total
- % water | List of countries by area
1 E9 m
Negligible |- | Population
- Total (2000)
- Population density | List of countries by population
1,262,366
215/km² |- | Independence | 31 August 1962 |- | Currency | Trinidad and Tobago dollar |- | Time zone | Coordinated Universal Time - 4 |- | National anthem | ''Forged From The Love of Liberty'' |- | Top-level domain | .tt |- | List of country calling codes | 1-868 |} == History == ''Main article: History of Trinidad and Tobago'', History of the Caribbean Prior to European contact, the island of Trinidad was occupied by various Amerindian tribes including the Arawak-speaking Nepoya and Suppoya and the Carib speaking Yao. Tobago was inhabited by Island Caribs (Kalinago). The aboriginal name for Trinidad was Kairi or Iere which is usually said to mean ''The Land of the Hummingbird'', although others have reported that it simply meant ''island''. Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Trinidad on July 31, 1498 and named it Trinidad after the Trinity; Tobago was named ''Bella Forma'' by him, but this later became Tobago (probably derived from tobacco). The Spain settled on Trinidad, while Tobago frequently changed hands between the European sea powers, but the settlements on both islands were small and underdeveloped. The changing of hands of the European powers was mainly to keep Tobago free of pirates. After changing hands between the Kingdom of Great Britain, France, Netherlands and Courlanders, Britain consolidated its hold on both islands during the Napoleonic Wars, and they were combined into the colony of Trinidad and Tobago in 1889. Because of the colonial struggles, English, Spanish, and French List of cities in Trinidad and Tobago are all common in the country. African slaves and Indian, China, Portugal and free African indentured servants were imported to supply labour in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Immigration from Barbados and the Lesser Antilles and from Syria and Lebanon also impacted on the ethnic make-up of the country. Although originally a sugar cane colony, cacao dominated the economy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. After the collapse of the cacao crop (due to disease and the Great Depression) petroleum increasingly came to dominate the economy. The Depression and the rise of the oil economy led to changes in the social structure. The presence of US Destroyers for Bases Agreement in Chaguaramas and Cumuto in Trinidad during World War II profoundly changed the character of society. In the post-war period, the wave of decolonisation that swept the British Empire led to the formation of the West Indies Federation in 1958 as a vehicle for independence. The Federation dissolved after the withdrawal of Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago elected for independence in 1962. In 1976 the country severed its links with the British monarchy and became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. Petroleum, petrochemicals and natural gas continue to be the backbone of the economy. Tourism is the mainstay of the economy of Tobago, although it has declined in the environment after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most prosperous nations in the Caribbean, although less so than it was during the "oil boom" between 1973 and 1983. == Politics == ''Main article: Politics of Trinidad and Tobago'' The Head of State of Trinidad and Tobago is the president, currently Professor Emeritus George Richards. The President is elected by an Electoral College consisting of the full membership of both houses of Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. The parliament consists of two chambers, the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago (31 seats) and the House of Representatives of Trinidad and Tobago (36 seats). The members of the Senate are appointed by the president. The 16 Government Senators are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, the 6 Opposition Senators are appointed on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and the 9 Independent Senators are appointed by the President to represent other sectors of civil society. The 36 members of the House of Representatives are elected by the people for a maximum of five years. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. The President is obligated to appoint the person who in his opinion has the most support in the House of Representatives to this post; this has generally been the leader of the party which won the most seats in the previous election (except in the case of the Elections in Trinidad and Tobago#2001 General Elections). Since December 24 2001, the governing party has been the People's National Movement led by Patrick Manning; the Parliamentary opposition party is the United National Congress led by Basdeo Panday. Trinidad and Tobago is an active member of the Caribbean_Community. == Regional Corporations and Municipalities == ''Main article: Regional Corporations and Municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago'' The local government bodies consist of nine Regional Corporations and five municipality in Trinidad and the Tobago House of Assembly in Tobago. The five towns with municipality-status are: * The Borough of Arima * The Borough of Chaguanas * The City of Port-of-Spain * The Borough of Point Fortin * The City of San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago The nine Regional Corporations are: * Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo Regional Corporation * Diego Martin Regional Corporation * Penal-Debe Regional Corporation * Princes Town Regional Corporation * Rio Claro, Trinidad and Tobago-Mayaro Regional Corporation * San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago-Laventille Regional Corporation * Sangre Grande Regional Corporation * Siparia Regional Corporation * Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation Local government in Tobago is handled by the Tobago House of Assembly Historically, Trinidad was divided into eight county, and these counties were subdivided into Wards. Tobago was adminstered as a Ward of County Saint David. * Caroni (Trinidad and Tobago) * Mayaro * Nariva * Saint Andrew, Trinidad and Tobago * Saint David, Trinidad and Tobago * Saint George, Trinidad and Tobago * Saint Patrick, Trinidad and Tobago * Victoria, Trinidad and Tobago Prior to reform of the system in the early 1990s these counties functioned as the administrative bodies for Local Government with the following modifications: *Saint George was divided into Saint George East, Saint George West, the City of Port of Spain and the Royal Charter Borough of Arima. *The Borough (City after 1988) of San Fernando was separate from County Victoria. *After 1980 the Borough of Point Fortin was separated from the County Saint Patrick. *Saint Andrew and Saint David were combined under a single County Council. *Nariva and Mayaro were combined under a single County Council. *Since its establishment in 1980 the Tobago House of Assembly has gradually assumed many of the roles of the central government, in addition to those of local government. Counties and Wards still play a role in revenue collection by the government. == Geography == ''Main article: Geography of Trinidad and Tobago'' The terrain of the islands is a mixture of mountains and plains. The highest point in the country is found on the Northern Range at El Cerro del Aripo which is situated at 940 m above sea level. The climate is tropical. There are two seasons annually. The dry season, for the first six months of the year, and the rainy season, in the second half of the year. The rainy season is also known as the hurricane season; however unlike most of the other Caribbean islands, Trinidad and Tobago have frequently escaped the wrath of major devastating hurricanes, including Hurricane Ivan, the most powerful storm to pass close to the islands in recent history in September 2004. Hurricane Ivan month went on to devastate the small nations of Grenada and Haiti (among others) before hitting Florida. Trinidad and Tobago are supplied with the North Westerly winds which blow from the north west of the islands to the south east of the islands. As the majority of the population live in Trinidad, this is the location of most major towns and cities. There are three major cities in Trinidad: Port-of-Spain, the capital, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago and Chaguanas, the largest (and fastest growing) of the three. The largest town in Tobago is Scarborough, Tobago. Trinidad is made up of a variety of soil types, the majority being fine sands and heavy clays. The alluvial valleys of the Northern Range and the soils of the ''East-West Corridor'' being the most fertile. The Northern Range consists mainly of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks, mostly andesites and schists. The Northern Lowlands (East-West Corridor and Caroni Plains) consist of Pleistocene or younger soft sands and clays with superficial gravel terraces and river and swamp alluvia. South of this, the Central Range is a folded anticlinal uplift consisting of Cretaceous and Eocene rocks, with Miocene formations along the southern and eastern flanks. The Naparima Plains and the Nariva Swamp form the southern shoulder of this uplift. The Southern Lowlands consist of Miocene and Pliocene sands, clays, and gravels. These overlie petroleum and natural gas deposits, especially north of the Los Bajos Fault. The Southern Range forms the third anticlinal uplift. It consists of several chains of hills, most famous being the Trinity Hills. The rocks consist of sandstones, shales and siltstones and clays formed in the Miocene and uplifted in the Pleistocene. tar sands and mud volcanoes are especially common in this area. Although it is located just off-shore from South America, Trinidad and Tobago is sometimes considered to be part of the North America continent by virtue of its being a Caribbean country. ''See Bicontinental_countries#Countries_both_in_North_America_and_South_America.'' == Economy == ''Main article: Economy of Trinidad and Tobago'' Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. A leading performer the past four years has been the booming natural gas sector. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a trade surplus. The year 2002 was marked by solid growth in the oil sector, offset in part by domestic political uncertainty. == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Trinidad and Tobago'' The two predominant ethnic groups are Indo-Trinidadians, the descendants of indentured servants from India (40.3% of the population) and Afro-Trinidadians who descend from African slaves (39.5%). Together the two groups form about 79.8% of the population; most of the remainder are people of mixed descent, with small minorities of Europeans, China, Syrian-Lebanon and Carib languagess (descendants of the indigenous inhabitants, not recognized as a distinct census category). Many different religions are present in Trinidad and Tobago. The largest two are the Roman Catholic Church and Hinduism; the Anglican Church, Islam, Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church are among the smaller faiths. Two Afro-Caribbean syncretic faiths, the Shouter Baptist or Spiritual Baptists and the Orisha faith (formerly called Shangos, a less than complimentary term) are among the fastest growing religious groups, as are a host of American-style Evangelicalism and Fundamentalist Christian churches usually lumped as "Pentecostal" by most Trinidadians (although this designation is often inaccurate). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church (''The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints'') has also expanded its presence in the country since the mid-1980s. English language is the country's only official language, but Hindi is also spoken by some Indo-Trinidadians and widely used in popular music. The main spoken language, Trinidad English is either classified as a dialect of English or as an Creole_language (Trinidadian Creole English). The major spoken language in Tobago is Tobagonian Creole English. Both languages contain African elements; Trinidad English is also influenced by French and by Hindi. These Creole languages are normally spoken in informal situations only, and there is no formalized system of writing (other than proper English). Short-term visitors need not be concerned about learning Creole, as virtually everyone understands English. However, visitors should expect to hear Creole spoken frequently when they are not being directly addressed. Although ''Patois'' (a dialect of Creole_language) was once the most widely spoken language on the island, it is now rarely heard. Due to Trinidad's location on the coast of South America, the country is slowly developing a connection with the Spanish language-speaking peoples, and therefore government regulations now require Spanish to be taught to all high school students while Venezuelans often come to Trinidad and Tobago to learn English. == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Trinidad and Tobago'' Trinidad and Tobago are famous as the birthplace of calypso music, as well as the development of the Steelpan, which is widely claimed to be the only acoustic musical instrument invented during the 20th century. The diverse cultural and religious background allows for many festivities and ceremonies throughout the year. Other indigenous art forms include Soca music (a derivate of calypso), Parang (Venezuelan-influenced Christmas music), Chutney music, and pichakaree (musical forms which blend the music of the Caribbean and India) and the famous Limbo (dance) dance. ===Holidays===
| Date | English Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | |
| Variable | Carnival | Monday and Tuesday immediately preceding Ash Wednesday |
| Variable | Eid-ul-Fitr | |
| Variable | Easter | Good Friday and Easter Monday |
| March 30 | Spiritual Baptist Shouter Liberation Day | First country in the world to recognize the Spiritual Baptist faith with a national holiday |
| Variable | Corpus Christi | |
| May 30 | Indian Arrival Day | |
| June 19 | Labour Day | |
| August 1 | Emancipation Day | |
| August 31 | Independence Day | |
| September 24 | Republic Day | |
| Variable | Diwali | The Hindu festival of lights |
| December 25 | Christmas | |
| December 26 | Boxing Day |
Trinidad and Tobago
Caribbean countries Members of the Commonwealth of Nations
Trinidad and Tobago
''An event mentioned in this article is an Template:August 31 selected anniversaries''. ---- == History == The article refers to the union between the colonies in 1889, and calls that entity 'Trinidad and Tobago'. I don't have references or dates to back me up, but the union was not initially a union of equals, and the 'and Tobago' was not used officially for long periods of time. User:Guettarda 17:40, 6 Oct 2004 (UTC) == Question == What is a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago called? A Tobagan? This has always bothered me User:Revmachine21 Officially, Trinidadian or Tobagonian. Unofficially, Trinbagonian, Trini (used for both Trinidadians and Tobagonians). Or, ''Citizen of Trinidad and Tobago'' (One of the ironies of official forms in Trinidad - ''e.g.'', the forms you fill out when entering or leaving the country, don't have room for ''Trinidad and Tobago'' in the "Nationality" section. User:Guettarda 13:47, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC) ::What do you think about adding this info to the article? My thought process isn't unique enough to come up with this question for the first time. The United States page has a gigantic ongoing fight about how to call its citizens. T&T deserves at least as much... :::FYR... added citizenry info Revmachine21 ::::I've heard a new way of pronouncing it that has stuck with me since, the way I've heard was "Trini-bagonian". With the 'i' from "Trini" included and not just shortend to "Trin", has anyone else heard it stated this way? I thought that pronounciation certainly is neat from the common one now used "Trin-bagonian" (which has a definant pause in the name), but "Trini-bagonian" almost rolls off the tongue without a pause. It gives both islands two syllables as well "Trin-ne" "Ba-go" + "nian"... I've stuck to this one since. 'an yes I'm part "Trini". User:CaribDigita 17:15, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC) I'd say one of the defining characteristics of Trinidadian speech is "less is more". Most people say "Tri'idad", "T'bago"...we're lazy speakers (although Creole grammar adds words, so it probably balances out..."wuyyuhgodo?" has as many syllables as "what would you do [about it]"? (not that they really mean the same thing). "Trinbagonian" (4-5 syllables) is too long - "Trinibagonian" adds another one. It might have a better flow to it...on the other hand, if you drop the "n", you'd have "Tree'bagonian" (which in no longer than "Tri'bagonian"...no, wait, "ee" is longer than "ih". Oh well, have to run to class now. User:Guettarda 17:27, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC) == North or South America? == Should Trinidad and Tobago be considered part of North America or South America? It seems that at the moment the country is listed in neither continent. I can see either viewpoint--on the one hand, it's considered part of the West Indies, hence grouped together with Central America, hence part of North America...but it's also clearly not that far away from the coast of South America. The country article itself says North America, but I want to be sure. User:Alfvaen 17:33, Jan 11, 2005 (UTC) :When the reference to "North America" was added by User:23skidoo, I disagreed with the statement, but it is common usage, as you pointed out, to lump the Caribbean into North America, for want of a better "continental" home. I was unable to find a good definition of a continent that could be useful (after all, Europe is only a continent by convention). Including Curaao, Aruba, and Bonaire in North America, but leaving Margarita in South America can only be justified in political terms. User:Guettarda 18:26, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) ::There's always borderline cases whenever things are put into boxes, but somehow none of the Caribbean island nations are considered part of South America. (By the way, Margarita does not take you to Isla Margarita off the coast of Venezuela; that link should probably be fixed to point to Isla Margarita or something in the History of Trinidad and Tobago article.) As far as continents go, they often go via tectonic plates and the like, and I know that in previous geological eras there was a definite sea gap between North and South America. But I don't know where the Caribbean fits in. Certainly it would seem that Trinidad & Tobago would be part of the same plate as South America, but it's also part of that whole arc of islands from the Bahamas on down. Maybe you should try to convince the Trinbagonian(?) government to official change its continental affiliation. :-) User:Alfvaen 19:00, Jan 12, 2005 (UTC) :::The border between the Caribbean plate (it is its own plate) and the South American plate apparently cuts through the middle of Trinidad. As for membership, most Trinidadians (and Tobagonians, I assume) would sooner see themselves in North America than South America...there are only 7 miles of water between Trinidad and Venezuela, but far more Trinidadians have been to the US and Canada than to Venezuela. "The (Spanish) Main"" has always been a somewhat mysterious and distant place, even though you can see it from western Trinidad. :::As for getting the government to do anything - I strongly suspect that I am the wrong person to convince them to do anything (my lack of support for the current People's National Movement government could be guessed easily from my surname)...and in my experience, Patrick Manning (the PM) is far too stubborn to be convinced of anything by anyone. User:Guettarda 19:17, 12 Jan 2005 (UTC) :::: I believe at one time the United States regarded Trinidad and Tobago as being "North American"?? Case in point, T&T still has an 'area code' and was a part of the former (809) area code. An "Area Code" is mainly the product of the North American telephone system. Otherwise the Caribbean should have country codes just like Guyana, Mexico or much of the rest of the globe? User:CaribDigita 04:06, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC) :''From my User talk:Guettarda page, a good analysis of the whole situation'' - User:Guettarda 17:06, 9 Feb 2005 (UTC) The American (USA) POV: The Caribbean is often considered its own world region as distinct and separate from N.A., S.A. and C.A. although some Caribbean states are obviously part of one or the other. Belize is definately C.A and Guyana is definately S.A. However, from the point of view of The United States of America, the Caribbean has the same Country Code for International Calling and falls within the North America Calling Plan. That is, its country code is "1" and all phone numbers have an "xxx-yyy-zzzz" format where "xxx" is the three-digit "Area Code" --examples; Jamaica: 876, Trindad: 868, ect.-- "yyy" is the three-digit "Local Exchange Code" or city code --example; Mandeville: 962-- and "zzzz" is the "Location Identification Code" --example; 876-962-5555 represents a number in Mandeville, Jamaica. How these are used vary for each set of exchanges. Some areas always require 7-digit dialing while others only require "1+" 7-digit for calls outside of the Local Exchange. Others require 10-digit dialing for all numbers and "1+" 10-digit for those outside the local calling area (which also varies within sets of exchanges and area codes). All require an International Access Number followed by the Country Code, optional Exchange/City Code and "Location Identification Code" --whose format varies in different parts of the world-- to dial outside of the NACP. For this reason, if you use the operator to place an international call from the United States to the Caribbean, you must state that you are calling North America. If not, they will ask you for a country code and when you tell them "1" they will say, "No, the country code for the country you are calling" and if you tell them "876" then they will say that that is an invalid country code. Also, since the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are part of the Caribbean, the U.S.A. tends to put all of the Caribbean in N.A. since these two places are USA teritories and, by association, belong to N.America. Who really cares what the USA thinks. They sometimes call their president the leader of the free world. The Americas POV: On the other hand, the Caribbean is considered a part of the Americas and people have often split the Americas into three distinct parts; North, Central and South, with the Caribbean states being completely excluded from the list of states belonging to any of these regions. For this reason it is often annexed to N.A. since the Greater Antilles lies closest to that area and sometimes to C.A since most of the Caribbean lies withiin the same latitudes as that area and sometimes S.A since the nearest Caribbean island to a mainland is closest to that area or because the Caribbean starts from the Guianas --which is in S.A.-- up through the Windward Islands and Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles and finally to the Greater Antilles. Good luck sorting that out. Iceland and Greenland were both settled by Scandinavian colonists prior to Christopher Columbus and so are considered European or Scandinavian and not part of the Americas. The Geologic POV: There are three plates involved; the North American plate containing North and Central America and with it, Belize, the S. American plate containing South Americar and with it, Guyana and the Caribbean plate containing all of the West Indies except Bahamas, Bermuda and --technically-- Barbados, which are all in the Atlantic Ocean. This, of course, splits Panama across two continents; N. & S. America. Greenland is on the N. American plate and Iceland is split betweeen the N. American and Eurasian plates. Iceland therefore shares the same issue as Panama, being on two continents, as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge divides the island. The Geographic POV: The Americas is actually split into four distinct parts; North, Central and South America and the West Indies --which will include the Bahamas, Barbados and sometimes Bermuda, none of which are in the Caribbean Basin. This also solves the issues of Belize and Guyana which are considered Caribbean --Belize because it lies against the Caribbean Plate and Guyana because it is the homeland of the Caribs-- but not West Indies states since they are not islands (hence, indies). Again, Greenland and Iceland are not considered part of the Americas and are therefore Eurpoean. I believe you want the Geographic POV. --User:Okay Hosein 20:49, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC) == National Anthem == The national anthem is called ''Forged From The Love of Liberty'' here (and in its own article). Anything official I can find only calls it "the national anthem of Trinidad and Tobago" (e.g., [http://www.foreign.gov.tt/NationalSymbols.htm#The National Anthem]. I would never have thought to call it anything else until I came here. Is there an authoritiative source for this name? User:Guettarda 19:59, 2 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Steel pan only instrument developed in the 20th century? == A prior revision of this article stated that the Steelpan was the only instrument invented in the 20th Century. I can think of at least one counterexample -- the Theremin -- and of course Synthesizer in general. So I've taken out that part of the steel pan comment. --User:Neschek — User:Neschek | User talk: Neschek 18:18, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) :from Steelpan: ''The steelpan is the only acoustic instrument that was invented in the 20th century.'' It's widely described as "the only instrument", but that isn't quite true. AFAIK, "only acoustic" is true (as in, non-electronic). User:Guettarda 18:28, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::I can't come up with a counterexample for the revised article, and I appreciate you revising it and putting in the phrase "widely claimed". Thanks much! --User:Neschek — User:Neschek | User talk: Neschek 18:34, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) :::It's one of those phrases you grow up hearing over and over - but of course there was always the counterexample of the synthesiser. As a "true" instrument, as something that produces music through vibrations, I think it's the only totally new ''type'' of insrtument. Anyway, someone phrased it well on the steelpan page, but with no expertice of my own I can only honestly say "widely claimed" (at least by us Trinis). I suppose there must be a PhD or two that address that question - when I have the time I suppose I'll have to try and track down some evidence one way or the other. User:Guettarda 18:59, 9 Mar 2005 (UTC) == Map choice == Since the discussion is going on off-page, I thought it should be copied here. (User:Guettarda 18:49, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC)) (''from User talk:Kelisi'') I like the new map. Thanks for adding it. User:Guettarda 21:43, 17 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Please stop adding these ugly maps. The colors are way too strong. User:Cantus…User talk:Cantus 22:49, Mar 24, 2005 (UTC) The colors on your maps ''are'' pretty bright. Also, the text on them is pretty small, when they're reduced to the ~300px size that is generally used for illustrations. User:Wwoods 17:24, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::I see no reason for your replacement of perfectly good maps with your amateurish looking ones. User:Jooler :::C'mon - the CIA maps suck. Maybe Kelisi's map isn't perfect, but it's no worse than that old one. User:Guettarda 18:47, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC) To User:Jooler: You made a mistake in your edit summary - don't you mean reverting to ''uglier'' map? :) (Never thought we'd make it big time enough to have a revert war. Cool!) User:Guettarda 19:06, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC) To User:Jooler: Can you please refer me to the place in the policy which says that these CIA maps are "house-style"? Also, why is less information better than more information? Thanks. User:Guettarda 17:06, 28 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::This debate continues at Talk: Panama
Trinidad and Tobago
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