Source:Commonwealth
Trinidad and Tobago
History
Until 1888, Trinidad and Tobago were separate territories. Both have a history of repeated invasion and conquest by competing European powers.
Trinidad, named Iere (probably meaning ‘humming bird’) by the Arawak inhabitants, was claimed for the Spanish Crown by Christopher Columbus in 1498. The embattled Spanish colony that developed was raided by the English, Dutch and French through the 17th century. Large-scale importation of African slaves enabled a plantation economy to develop. French Haitians (who were offered incentives by the Spanish Crown) swelled the settler population.
In 1797, the island surrendered to a British expedition and became a British Crown colony in 1802. Slaves were emancipated in 1834, free trade adopted in 1846, and more than 150,000 immigrants from India, China and Madeira brought in between 1845 and 1917. These indentured labourers came on short contracts, after which they were free to return home or buy plots of land. The Indians worked mainly on the sugar plantations of the Caroni and Naparima plains and introduced the cultivation of rice there.
Tobago’s name derives from the Carib word Tavaco, the pipe in which the Amerindians smoked tobacco leaves, and was inhabited by Caribs at the time of Columbus’s visit in 1498. These people had all been killed by 1632 when 300 Dutch settlers arrived. Further Dutch and French settlers followed. Tobago changed hands more frequently between 1650 and 1814 than any other Caribbean territory – ownership shifting from a settler (Cornelius Lampsius, declared owner and Baron of Tobago by Louis XIV of France) to the Duke of Courland, to a company of London merchants, to neutral status in 1748, to the English Crown by the Treaty of Paris of 1763.
Even then, Tobago was fought over. The French captured it in 1781; the British took it back in 1793; the French regained it through the Treaty of Amiens (1802), but it was returned to the British in 1814. Despite these battles, Tobago was prosperous until its sugar industry was weakened by the abolition of slavery, a hurricane, the decline of West Indian sugar in general and the Belmanna riots. No longer viable as a separate colony, it was amalgamated with the larger island of Trinidad in 1888.
The Spanish constitution was retained after Trinidad became a British Crown colony in 1802. The Governor was assisted by a council of advice and a cabildo elected by the taxpayers. The council of advice evolved into the nominated legislative council and the cabildo became Port of Spain’s town council. When Tobago was amalgamated with Trinidad in 1888, the laws of Trinidad were extended to the smaller island and, after a period, the revenues of the two islands were merged and Tobago’s debt to Trinidad cancelled. Tobago was administered by a commissioner (later a warden) appointed by the colony’s Governor.
In the 1920s, the labour movement organised trade unions, and pressure increased for greater local democracy and then independence. A new constitution brought a limited form of electoral representation to Trinidad for the first time (Tobago had had elections before). But only seven of the 25 members were elected, and high property and language qualifications limited the vote. This did not satisfy the growing demand for political expression, which led to the 1937 labour disturbances, an increase in the number of elected members in 1941 and, in 1945, universal adult suffrage.
In 1950, the constitution was redrawn, providing for a legislative council of 26 members, 18 of them elected; a policy-making executive council of nine (five elected by the legislative council), and a rudimentary ministerial system. Further constitutional changes followed, and by 1959, the legislative council had more elected members and an elected Speaker, and the ministerial system had developed into a cabinet elected from the legislative council. The Governor’s powers were circumscribed: he did not normally chair cabinet meetings, and had to act in accordance with the cabinet’s advice.
The 1956 elections gave the majority to the People’s National Movement (PNM), led by Dr Eric Williams. Williams instituted further constitutional talks with the UK in 1959–60, resulting in full internal self-government and a bicameral legislature (nominated Senate and elected House of Representatives). The general election of 1961 was again won by the PNM, which implemented the new constitution.
In 1958 Trinidad and Tobago became a co-founder of the Federation of the West Indies, which aimed to become an independent country, but Jamaica withdrew in 1961, and Trinidad and Tobago also decided to seek its own independence. Further constitutional talks with the UK began, and a draft constitution was drawn up after much consultation. The country became independent in August 1962, and a republic in 1976
Trinidad, named Iere (probably meaning ‘humming bird’) by the Arawak inhabitants, was claimed for the Spanish Crown by Christopher Columbus in 1498. The embattled Spanish colony that developed was raided by the English, Dutch and French through the 17th century. Large-scale importation of African slaves enabled a plantation economy to develop. French Haitians (who were offered incentives by the Spanish Crown) swelled the settler population.
In 1797, the island surrendered to a British expedition and became a British Crown colony in 1802. Slaves were emancipated in 1834, free trade adopted in 1846, and more than 150,000 immigrants from India, China and Madeira brought in between 1845 and 1917. These indentured labourers came on short contracts, after which they were free to return home or buy plots of land. The Indians worked mainly on the sugar plantations of the Caroni and Naparima plains and introduced the cultivation of rice there.
Tobago’s name derives from the Carib word Tavaco, the pipe in which the Amerindians smoked tobacco leaves, and was inhabited by Caribs at the time of Columbus’s visit in 1498. These people had all been killed by 1632 when 300 Dutch settlers arrived. Further Dutch and French settlers followed. Tobago changed hands more frequently between 1650 and 1814 than any other Caribbean territory – ownership shifting from a settler (Cornelius Lampsius, declared owner and Baron of Tobago by Louis XIV of France) to the Duke of Courland, to a company of London merchants, to neutral status in 1748, to the English Crown by the Treaty of Paris of 1763.
Even then, Tobago was fought over. The French captured it in 1781; the British took it back in 1793; the French regained it through the Treaty of Amiens (1802), but it was returned to the British in 1814. Despite these battles, Tobago was prosperous until its sugar industry was weakened by the abolition of slavery, a hurricane, the decline of West Indian sugar in general and the Belmanna riots. No longer viable as a separate colony, it was amalgamated with the larger island of Trinidad in 1888.
The Spanish constitution was retained after Trinidad became a British Crown colony in 1802. The Governor was assisted by a council of advice and a cabildo elected by the taxpayers. The council of advice evolved into the nominated legislative council and the cabildo became Port of Spain’s town council. When Tobago was amalgamated with Trinidad in 1888, the laws of Trinidad were extended to the smaller island and, after a period, the revenues of the two islands were merged and Tobago’s debt to Trinidad cancelled. Tobago was administered by a commissioner (later a warden) appointed by the colony’s Governor.
In the 1920s, the labour movement organised trade unions, and pressure increased for greater local democracy and then independence. A new constitution brought a limited form of electoral representation to Trinidad for the first time (Tobago had had elections before). But only seven of the 25 members were elected, and high property and language qualifications limited the vote. This did not satisfy the growing demand for political expression, which led to the 1937 labour disturbances, an increase in the number of elected members in 1941 and, in 1945, universal adult suffrage.
In 1950, the constitution was redrawn, providing for a legislative council of 26 members, 18 of them elected; a policy-making executive council of nine (five elected by the legislative council), and a rudimentary ministerial system. Further constitutional changes followed, and by 1959, the legislative council had more elected members and an elected Speaker, and the ministerial system had developed into a cabinet elected from the legislative council. The Governor’s powers were circumscribed: he did not normally chair cabinet meetings, and had to act in accordance with the cabinet’s advice.
The 1956 elections gave the majority to the People’s National Movement (PNM), led by Dr Eric Williams. Williams instituted further constitutional talks with the UK in 1959–60, resulting in full internal self-government and a bicameral legislature (nominated Senate and elected House of Representatives). The general election of 1961 was again won by the PNM, which implemented the new constitution.
In 1958 Trinidad and Tobago became a co-founder of the Federation of the West Indies, which aimed to become an independent country, but Jamaica withdrew in 1961, and Trinidad and Tobago also decided to seek its own independence. Further constitutional talks with the UK began, and a draft constitution was drawn up after much consultation. The country became independent in August 1962, and a republic in 1976
Geography & Climate
Tobago has a land area of 300 km² (116 mi²), and is approximately 42
kilometres (26 Miles) long and 10 kilometres (6 miles) wide. It is located at
latitude 11° 9' N, longitude 60° 40' W, slightly north of Trinidad. The
population is 54,084 (2000). The capital is Scarborough, with a population of
about 17,000. While Trinidad is multiethnic, the population of Tobago is
primarily of African descent, although with a growing proportion of Trinidadians
of East Indian descent and Europeans (predominantly British, Germans and
Scandinavians). Between 1990 and 2000, the population of Tobago grew by 11.28
percent, making it one of the fastest growing areas of the country.
Tobago is primarily hilly and of volcanic origin. The southwest of the
island is flat and consists largely of coralline limestone. The hilly spine of
the island, the Main Ridge. The highest point in Tobago is the 550 metre (1804
ft) Pigeon Peak near Speyside.
Tobago is divided into seven parishes - Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint
George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Patrick and Saint Paul.
The climate is tropical, and the island lies just south of the Atlantic
hurricane belt. Average rainfall varies between 3800 mm on the Main Ridge to
less than 1250 mm in the south-west of the island. There are two seasons: a wet
season between June and December, and a dry season between January and May
Economy & Tourism
Tobago's economy is tightly linked with Trinidad and is based on
liquefied natural gas (LNG); petrochemicals, and steel. The principal economic
forces specific to Tobago are tourism and government spending. Conventional
beach and water-sports tourism is largely focussed in the south-west around the
airport and the coastal strip; however, ecotourism is growing in significance, and
much of it is focussed on the large area of protected forest in the centre and
north of the main island and on Little Tobago, a small island off the north
east tip of the main island.
Tourism is concentrated in the southwest of the island; around Crown
Point, Store Bay, Pigeon Point and Buccoo Reef. This area has large expanses of
sand and is dominated by low-key resort type developments. Tobago has many
idyllic beaches around its coastline, especially those at Castara, Bloody Bay,
and Englishman's Bay.
Tobago is linked to the world through the Crown Point International
Airport and the Scarborough harbour. Domestic flights connect Tobago with
Trinidad, and international flights connect with the Caribbean, USA and Europe.
There is also a daily fast ferry service between Port of Spain and Scarborough.
The island of Tobago is also thought to be the island that the story Robinson
Crusoe was written about. This island was also the filming location for the
Walt Disney movie The Swiss Family Robinson.
Ecology
The Tobago Forest Reserve; or the Main Ridge Reserve claims to be the
oldest protected forests in the Western world. It was designated as a protected
Crown reserve on April 17, 1776 following representations by Soame Jenyns a
Member of Parliament in Britain who had the responsibility for the development
of Tobago. It has remained a protected area ever since.
This forested area has great biodiversity including many species of
birds, mammals, frogs, (nonpoisonous) snakes, butterflies and other
invertebrates. It is one of the most approachable areas of rainforest, since it
is relatively small and there are government-appointed guides who provide an
authoritative guiding service through the forest at a reasonable cost. The
guides are knowledgeable about the plants and the animals, and can call down
rare and exotic birds from the canopy by imitating their calls.
Little Tobago, the small neighbouring island, supports some of the best
dry forest remaining in Tobago. Little Tobago and St. Giles Island are
important seabird nesting colonies, with Red-billed Tropicbird, Magnificent
Frigatebird and Audubon's Shearwater amongst others.
I love Tobago. Great read!
ReplyDeletethanks... I learnt something about the islands myself while doing the research for the Blog
ReplyDelete