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Trinidad and Tobago
The oil-rich southern islands, birthplace of Carnival and steelpan
Trinidad and Tobago anchors the southern end of the Caribbean, just off the Venezuelan coast, and stands apart from its neighbors as an industrial, oil-and-gas powerhouse rather than a beach-tourism economy. Its 1.4 million people form one of the region's most cosmopolitan societies, blending African, Indian, European, Chinese, and Middle Eastern heritage. This is the birthplace of the steelpan, calypso, soca, and a Carnival so spectacular it has been exported around the world.
Geologically a fragment of South America rather than a true Caribbean island, Trinidad has a continental flora and fauna and a Northern Range rising to El Cerro del Aripo at 940 meters. The famous Pitch Lake at La Brea is the world's largest natural asphalt deposit. Smaller Tobago is greener and more tourist-oriented, with rainforest and reefs. The climate is tropical and lies largely south of the main hurricane track.
A Spanish then British colony where indentured Indian labor followed emancipation, the twin-island state became independent in 1962 and a republic in 1976. Petroleum and natural gas, along with petrochemicals, dominate the economy, making it among the wealthiest and most industrialized Caribbean nations. Diversifying beyond energy, managing crime, and sustaining its famed cultural exports define its present.