Trinidad and Tobago: Capital, Flag and Fun Facts

About Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is a two-island country at the southern end of the Caribbean, just off the coast of Venezuela. Trinidad is larger and busier, while Tobago is known for quiet beaches and coral reefs. The country is famous for its Carnival, calypso and soca music, and the steelpan drum.

About Port of Spain

Port of Spain lies on the Gulf of Paria on the northwest coast of Trinidad and is the country's main port and business centre. It is the heart of one of the largest Carnivals in the world, centred on the big park called the Queen's Park Savannah.

Fun facts about Trinidad and Tobago

1. The steelpan, a drum made from an oil barrel, was developed in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1930s and 1940s.
2. Pitch Lake in southwest Trinidad is the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world.
3. The bright red scarlet ibis and the cocrico are the national birds of Trinidad and of Tobago, respectively.
4. Tobago's Main Ridge Forest Reserve, protected in 1776, is one of the oldest protected forests in the world.
5. Trinidad lies only about 11 kilometres off the coast of Venezuela at its closest point.
6. Trinidad and Tobago is known as the birthplace of the limbo dance and calypso and soca music.