Trinidad and Tobago Travel Guide

Trinidad and Tobago — Country and Tourist Information

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Country Facts

Location: Southern Caribbean, off Venezuelan coast.
Language: The official language is English. French, Spanish, Hindi and Chinese are also spoken.
Area: Total: 5,128 sq km (1,980 sq miles). Trinidad: 4,828 sq km (1,864 sq miles). Tobago: 300 sq km (116 sq miles).
Time Zone: GMT - 4.
Electricity: 110/220 volts AC, 60Hz. US pattern twin plus earth plugs are standard, though variations may be found.
Population: 1.3 million (UN estimate 2006).
Population Density: 253.5 per sq km.
Capital City: Port of Spain. Population: 52,000 (UN estimate 2006).
Government: Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1962.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Patrick Manning since 2002.
Head of State: President Maxwell Richards since 2003.
Religion: 30% Roman Catholic, 29% other Christian denominations, 24% Hindu, 11% Anglican, and 6% Muslim.

Recent History

In the election of December 2000, the Asian United National Congress (UNC) came out on top with a small majority, under the leadership of Basdeo Panday. Panday continued as prime minister but his government was brought down by a serious corruption scandal (the UNC has been persistently dogged by such allegations) after less than a year. At the December 2001 poll, the UNC and Patrick Manning’s People’s National Movement (PNM) were tied on 18 seats each. After 12 months of almost paralyzed government, the country went to the polls once again, in October 2002. This time, the PNM, with Patrick Manning still at the helm, was returned with a small working majority.

Tobago was granted full internal self-government by the national government in 1987.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +1 868. The international dialing code is +868. There are no area codes. In Tobago, international telephone calls can be made from the national communications provider, TSTT. Many public phone booths take phonecards which can be bought from local shops and TSTT.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is available in most of Trinidad and Tobago. Main networks are Telecommunications Services of Trinidad & Tobago (TSTT) AND Digicel.

Internet

There are numerous internet cafés on the islands. Piarco International Airport, as well as Rituals Coffee Shops across the country, have Wi-Fi access, as well as an increasing number of other locations. Rates in internet cafes start at around TT$6; access in libraries is free.

Media

The government generally respects press freedom, which is enshrined in the constitution. There are five free-to-air TV channels (NCC, CCN TV6 (privately run and dominating the national ratings), Gayelle, CNC3 and C-TV. Another seven stations are available by cable. There are 39 radio stations (37 FM; 2 AM). Three leading daily newspapers are published: the Expres, the Guardian and Newsday.

Post

The main post office is on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. Airmail to Western Europe takes up to two weeks; incoming mail can take much longer. The main post office in Tobago is in Market Square, Scarborough.Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1300-1630.

Press

English-language dailies include Newsday, The Trinidad Guardian and Trinidad & Tobago Express. Dailies and numerous weekly publications such as The Bomb and The Punch. Tobago News is the island's own weekly paper.

Radio

Trinidad Broadcasting Company operates Radio Trinidad, Sangeet 106.1 FM and several other stations. Radio 90.5 broadcasts Indian music. Ebony 104 broadcasts Creole music and culture. Other stations include WEFM and i95.5 FM.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
30 Mar Spiritual Baptist Shouters’ Liberation Day
22 Apr Good Friday
25 Apr Easter Monday
30 May Indian Arrival Day
19 Jun Labor Day
23 Jun Corpus Christi
1 Aug Emancipation Day
30 Aug - 31 Aug Eid ul Fitr
31 Aug Independence Day
24 Sep Republic Day
26 Oct Divali
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
30 Mar Spiritual Baptist Shouters’ Liberation Day
6 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday
30 May Indian Arrival Day
7 Jun Corpus Christi
19 Jun Labor Day
1 Aug Emancipation Day
19 Aug Eid ul Fitr
31 Aug Independence Day
24 Sep Republic Day
13 Nov Divali
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day
Hindu festivals are declared according to local astronomical observations and variations may occur. Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. The actual dates are determined one to two weeks beforehand. When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday will be observed on the Monday following immediately. When two public holidays fall on the same date the following date is also given as a public holiday (www.gov.tt).

Contact Information

High Commission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the UK

42 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8NT, UK
Tel: (020) 7245 9351.
Website: www.immigration.gov.tt
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700; Mon-Fri 1000-1400 (visa applications).