Moving Forward, Now as One Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1962

Over the years, Trinidad and Tobago were under the rule of a number of colonial powers. First came the Spaniards, following Christopher Columbus's initial landing on Trinidad in 1498. The British attempted to take control, with Sir Walter Raleigh leading an attack, but when he went on his way in search of El Dorado, Spanish rule was restored. Or at least, they took over the task of fighting with the natives for control. There was little serious settlement, just the maintenance of Spanish presence, but they did manage to exterminate most of the indigenous people by 1777, when French settlers arrived. Their numbers swelled due to migration of French planters from other Caribbean islands during the upheaval around the time of the French Revolution. In 1797 a British force captured Trinidad without a fight, and it became a British crown colony (in which most people spoke French, and Spanish laws were in place).

Meanwhile, over on Tobago, the process of colonisation was a bit different. Starting in 1620, the British, Dutch and Latvians all attempted to establish colonies on the island. In 1654 the Dutch gained a foothold, and they were joined by French settlers. The plantation economy that was established meant that African slaves soon outnumbered Europeans. French, British and Dutch all fought for control, as can still be seen from the abundance of forts they built. The island changed hands over 30 times, with the longest periods of stable control being by the British (1762-1781) and French (1781-1793), followed by the British again.

British control of the two islands continued until they became part of the West Indies Federation in 1958. This short-lived political entity dissolved in 1962, and the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act 1962 granted the country independence on 31 August of that year. It officially established its government as a republic on 1 August 1976.

Answer: dedication

The current flag, designed by Carlisle Chang, was adopted by the independence committee in 1962. The colours were chosen to represent courage (the red field), dedication (the black stripe) and purity and equality (the white bands).

Carlisle Chang was also co-designer of the nation's Coat of Arms, along with George Bailey. It has a much more complex design (ships, birds, and more), but its central shield features the red, white and black, with the same symbolism as on the flag.

Answer: True

While the Arawak name, and its meaning, are disputed, nevertheless Trinidad and Tobago is often called "The Land of the Hummingbird", due to the presence of nearly twenty different species of the bird on the islands. They are not, however, the national bird - the scarlet ibis and the corico have that honour. All three types of bird appear on the national coat of arms, along with three gold ships representing the ships of Christopher Columbus in his first voyage, when he named the island of Trinidad in reference to the Holy Trinity, possible because he landed at the foot of the three hills (also depicted on the coat of arms) now known as Trinity Hills.

Answer: Northeast

If you know that Trinidad is by far the larger of the two islands, the map makes it clear that Tobago is located to the northeast of Trinidad, at a distance of about 32 km. Trinidad and Tobago is the southernmost of the Caribbean nations, lying a mere 11 km off the coast of Venezuela, on the mainland of South America.

While its name indicates the two largest islands, there are over twenty smaller islands in the country. They include the Bocas Islands, located between Trinidad and Venezuela in a region known as the Bocas del Dragón (Dragons' Mouth) and the Five Islands, a group of six islands located in the bay on the west side of Trinidad.

Answer: Gulf of Paria

The Gulf of Paria was once known as the Gulf of the Whale, a name given by Christopher Columbus. Unfortunately, whaling eliminated them in the area by the end of the 19th century. The gulf lies between Trinidad and Venezuela, separated from the Caribbean on its north by a strait known as the Dragon's Mouth, and from the Atlantic Ocean on its south by a strait known as the Serpent's Mouth. It sounds as if there is a significant amount of perilous water in the region, which may be one of the reasons why the Gulf of Paria has also been called the Sad Gulf by Spanish cartographers.

The Gulf of Paria is a shallow area that provides some of the best fishing in the Caribbean. Since it is also a major oil field, there are conflicts between the interests of the two major groups with a vested interest in the area.

Answer: Port of Spain

Chaguanas is the largest municipality on the island of Trinidad, due to its proximity to a large sugar refinery. Next comes San Fernando, often called the industrial capital because it is located in an area with oil refineries, metalworks, and other heavy industries.

The third largest municipality is Port of Spain, which has been the nation's capital since 1757. It is the financial centre of the country, and home to Trinidad's only airport along with its largest container shipping port. As well as some lovely beaches!

Answer: English

The colonial history of the country included periods of time under the rule of all four of the nations responsible for these languages being spoken, but the English were there the longest, and most recently. They left behind a local dialect known as Trinidadian and Tobagonian Standard English, with some unique vocabulary and a definite sing-song intonation. Each of the two main islands also has developed a creole language (one which incorporates elements from multiple languages) which are more widely spoken. Both Trinidadian Creole and Tobagonian Creole show influences from African languages (especially Yoruba), as well as the various colonial powers and a variety of Asian languages.

Answer: Global warming

The chart shows the average temperature in Port of Spain each year between 1900 and 2020. The zero point was set as the average temperature in the thirty year period 1971-2000l. Temperatures lower than that are blue, and the bar is below the midline; higher temperatures are red, and the bar rises above the midline. (More information about the data can be found at the source for this image.) The trend is pretty obvious! Global warming is a concern for island nations, which face an uncertain future if sea levels rise. Even tropical islands where tourists expect the chance to enjoy warm weather.

Answer: June to December

As expected for a tropical maritime climate, there are two basic seasons, dry (January to May) and wet (June to December). Unlike many Caribbean nations, Trinidad and Tobago is not in the standard hurricane path, but hurricanes are always a possibility in season. Hurricane Flora caused significant damage when it hit in September of 1963.

Answer: False

Quite the opposite! Trinidad and Tobago, especially on Trinidad, is one of the most industrialised (and wealthiest) nations in the Caribbean. Trinidad shares the oil fields off the coast of Venezuela, and petroleum exports are a major contributor to the economy.

In 2011 the OECD reclassified Trinidad and Tobago as a developed, rather than developing, nation. That said, tourism does still play a role, more on Tobago than on Trinidad, and the government is working on increasing the nation's profile in attracting international visitors to diversify the economy .