The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is a country in the southern Caribbean Sea, situated 11 kilometres (7 mi) off the coast of Venezuela. It lies between 10° 2' and 11°12'N. Lat., and 60°30' and 61°56' W Long. The average length of Trinidad is 80 kilometres (50 mi) and its average width is 59 kilometres (37 mi). Tobago is 41 kilometres (25½ mi) long and 12 kilometres (7½ mi) at its greatest width.

The country is an archipelagic state[1] consisting of two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and 21 smaller islands with a total area of 5,128 square kilometres (1,979 sq mi). The estimated population for July, 2006 is 1,065,842. The larger and more populated island is Trinidad, while Tobago is smaller (303 km² or 116 sq mi; about 6% of the total area) and less populous (50,000 people; or 5% of the total population). Citizens are officially called Trinidadians or Tobagonians or Citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, but Trinidadians are informally referred to as Trinis and both Trinidadians and Tobagonians are called Trinbagonians. Unlike most of the English-speaking Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago is a primarily industrialised country whose economy is based on petroleum and petrochemicals. People of African and Indian descent make up almost 80% of the population, while the remainder are mostly mixed race with small Euro-Trinidadian/European, Sino-Trinidadian/Chinese and Arab-Trinidadian/Syrian-Lebanese minorities.

Trinidad and Tobago is famous for its pre-Lenten Carnival and as the birthplace of steelpan, calypso and limbo. The capital city Port of Spain, with population in the metro area of about 350,000 residents, is currently a leading candidate, along with Miami, to serve as the headquarters of the Permanent Secretariat of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA-ALCA).

The country consists 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 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 metres (3,085 ft) 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 wet season in the second half of the year. Winds are predominantlly from the northeast and are dominated by the Northeast Trade winds. 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.

As the majority of the population live in Trinidad, this is the location of most major towns and cities. There are three major municipalities in Trinidad: Port of Spain, the capital, San Fernando, and Chaguanas. Of these three, Chaguanas is the fastest growing. The largest town in Tobago is Scarborough.

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.

Although it is located just off-shore from South America, Trinidad and Tobago is often considered to be part of the North American continent by virtue of its being a Caribbean country.

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