Trinidad and Tobago
Department of State publication. Background notes series 1989: 1-7
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 1049-5517 PMID: 12178003 Document Number: 425823
Trinidad and Tobago lie at the southernmost end of the Lesser Antilles chain in the Caribbean Sea. The population of the country mainly includes people of African and East Indian origin, all of whom speak English. Columbus visited Trinidad in 1498. Spain colonized the island in 1592 and ruled it until the British captured it in 1797. Tobago has been ruled by Holland, France, and England. In 1888, the 2 islands formed a single colony. In 1962, 1 year after the collapse of the autonomous Federation of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago gained full independence and joined the Commonwealth. IN 1976, the nation adopted a constitution establishing a republican government with a president as chief of state, a cabinet who exercises general direction and control of the government, and a prime minister who leads the cabinet and who is responsible to the bicameral parliament. The judicial authority lies with the Court of Appeal. The People's National Movement emerged in 1956 under Dr. Williams and remained in power from independence until 5 years after the death of Prime Minister Williams in 1981. Elected in 1986, A.N.R. Robinson of the National Alliance for Reconstruction is the Prime Minister. Petroleum products provide the basis for the nation's economy. This 2 island nation ranked 3rd highest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere in the early 1980s due to the 1974-1982 petroleum boom. Since 1982, however, the economy has been in a recession. The country maintains its most extensive ties with its Caribbean neighbors and major North American and European trading partners. It is a key member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), and also a member of the UN and the Organization of American States. Trinidad and Tobago continue cordial diplomatic relations with the United States.