Wikijunior:South America/Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is a small island country in South America. It consists of two main islands named Trinidad and Tobago. It is home to 1.4 million people. The capital is the city of Port of Spain. Although the city with the most people in the country is San Fernando. The city of San Fernando has 48 thousand people! An interesting fact about the city is that it is at a rather low elevation, only 1m (3ft) above sea level! Unlike most other countries in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago's economy is supported by industry, not tourism.

History

Christopher Columbus discovered Trinidad for the European world in 1498. But Indigenous peoples lived on the island for centuries before that. Scientists don't know exactly when these people got there though.

Geography

Trinidad and Tobago is made up of two main islands, Tobago and Trinidad, and many smaller islands. The north side of Trinidad is mountainous, and contains the highest point on the island (El Cerro del Aripo) which is 940 metres (3,080 ft) above sea level! The rest of Trinidad is relatively flat. The island of Tobago is mountainous in the center, and more flat near the coast. There are multiple coral reefs off the coast of Tobago as well!

State symbols

The national sport of Trinidad and Tobago is cricket.

The national flower of Trinidad and Tobago is the chaconia flower.

The national birds of Trinidad and Tobago are the cocrico and the scarlet ibis, a beautiful pink bird.