Trinidad and Tobago At a Glance

Our Landscape

Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) comprises the two most southernly isles of the Caribbean archipelago. Trinidad is separated from the continent of South America by the Gulf of Paria, with 12 kms at its closest point to Venezuela while Tobago is located approximately 36 kms north-east of Trinidad.

Trinidad is mostly flat with the exception of three mountain ranges. The Northern Range runs along the northern coast of the island and is home to the majority of Trinidad’s lush rainforest and a number of wildlife species not found elsewhere in the Caribbean. The Central Range runs diagonally across the island, consisting of undulating to flat land while the Southern Range features rolling hills along the southern coast of the island. It is home to the La Brea Pitch Lake from which asphalt is produced. Tobago is mountainous and dominated by the Main Ridge which runs 29 kms along the spine of the island. The coastline of Tobago contains numerous inlets, bays, beaches and several uninhabited islets as well as narrow coastal plains. The southwestern tip of the island has a coral platform.

Latitude: 10 1/2° N Longitude: 61 1/2° W

Trinidad

Area: 4,828 km2 Length: 81.25 kms Width: 57-73 kms High Point: 940 metres (El Cerro del Aripo)

Tobago

Area: 300 km2 Length: 42 kms Width: 13 kms High Point: 572 metres (Main Ridge)

Natural Resources

The economy of Trinidad and Tobago is heavily dependent on its petroleum and natural gas sector with energy based commodities accounting for between 77-84% of total exports. A Ryder Scott audit published in January 2021 placed the country’s technically recoverable natural gas resources at 10.7TCF whilst the Netherlands Sewell audit published in 2020 placed proven petroleum reserves at 220.1 million barrels and probable reserves at 99.7 million barrels.

Other commodities produced in the country include those derived from the Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Quarrying industries.

Climate

AVG. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES

31.3oC (88.3oF)

T&T lies within the Tropical Monsoon climatic area characterised by relatively even temperatures throughout the year and a pronounced dry season.

The country possesses two distinct seasons – dry; from January to May, AVG. NIGHTTIME TEMPERATURES

DAILY TEMPERATURE

22.7oC (72.9oF) 26.5 oC (79.7oF)

and wet; from June to December. There is a short dry spell in midSeptember called ‘Petit Carême’. As the southernmost islands in the Caribbean, T&T lies just within the Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Formation Basin. However, the usual path of tropical storms and hurricanes results in them typically bypassing the country.

Tobago faces the higher possibility of experiencing inclement weather as a result of such weather systems.