Republic of Trinidad&Tobago, - Hayrettin Kağnıcı

We arrived at Port of Spain, the capital of the Republic of Trinidad&Tobago, near the coast of Venezuela in South America, via Suriname, by plane very early in the morning. This is one of the islands closest to the mainland among the Caribbean islands, and as such, it is a logistics, supply and supply center for other island countries.

A little-known and interesting small island country. I am experiencing some surprises on this trip. It is the last week of December, people have already entered the New Year spirit, everywhere is decorated. Modern high-rise buildings, stores, new model cars, shopping areas and plenty of casinos, all are full, the system is working, the economy is turning.

Brief information about the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago;

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, consisting of two large and several small islands at the southeastern end of the Caribbean Sea, gained independence in 1962, has a population of 1.535 million and a total surface area of 5,128 km2. Its capital, Port of Spain, is the country’s third largest city. Its geological surface structure is the continuation of the eastern extensions of the Venezuelan coastal mountains. 75% of the population lives in cities and 25% in rural areas. Although it is estimated that human settlement on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago dates back to 5,000 BC, information on the history of the islands until the Spanish colonial rule that began in the late 15th century is extremely limited. From this date on, Trinidad remained a Spanish colony for over two centuries and came under British rule in 1802. The island of Tobago came under British rule in 1814 after this period in which it changed hands between Spain, the Netherlands, France and England. The islands of Trinidad and Tobago were united under a single administration by the British colonial administration in 1889, and the country’s name began to be mentioned together with the names of the two islands. From the beginning of the 20th century onwards, the islanders began to gain some rights in terms of political representation, after the right to vote in 1924, an internal assembly was established in 1940, and it gained full independence on August 31, 1962.

Although the people speak the indigenous language, the official language of the country is English. French, Spanish and Chinese are other common languages. The rate of Christians in the country is 53% (Catholics 34%, Protestants 19%), and the rate of Muslims is around 10%. 37% of the population has various beliefs.

Trinidad and Tobago, like many Caribbean islands, is not solely dependent on tourism. It has various industrial production potentials, including the production of beer, oils such as margarine, cigarettes, plastics and building materials. There are also lumber mills, textile factories and citrus canneries.

Trinidad and Tobago is a small island country, but it has a rapidly growing economy thanks to its oil and natural gas reserves. The high growth rates achieved especially in the first half of the 2000s made a big leap forward, but then a period of apparent stagnation occurred. The country has a solid financial structure and has low inflation and unemployment rates. With an average annual income per capita exceeding $18,000, Trinidad and Tobago is one of the wealthiest countries on the South American continent. The country, which is considered the financial center of the Caribbean, has more than 400 companies operating in various sectors, including the world’s most important companies, especially Microsoft, BP, IBM and Fujitsu.

The country’s ports also have an important position in maritime trade and are a trade center for the West Indies. The economy of Trinidad and Tobago is the third richest in the Caribbean and the fifth richest economy in the Americas in terms of GDP per capita. Trinidad and Tobago is recognized by the World Bank as a high-income economy.

Economic figures;

1 TTD (Trinidad and Tobago dollar) = 0.15 US dollars.

According to 2023 World Bank data;

Gross Domestic Product: 28.14 billion USD

GDP per capita: 18,332.96 USD

Gross National Income: 34.06 USD

GNI per capita: 22,192 USD

Considering the size of the country, the economic figures seem better than many world countries.

The main resources of Trinidad and Tobago are oil, natural gas and asphalt. The country has an export share of 3.2 billion dollars. The main exported products are oil and oil products, natural gas, chemicals, steel products, grain and grain products, fertilizers, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruits, vegetables and flowers.

The driving force of the country’s economy is oil and natural gas, which provide almost half of the national income and 80% of export revenues. The industrial sector is also developed, and oil, natural gas liquefaction, ammonia, methanol, iron and steel, food processing, cement, cotton and textiles are the main subjects. Agricultural activities are extremely limited in the country and their share in employment and national income is below 5%. The main products grown are cocoa, various vegetables and fruits.

The main products imported from Trinidad and Tobago, which has limited trade with Turkey, are pure ammonia, alcohol, nitrogenous compounds, sand, asphaltite and asphalt rocks.

The country’s foreign trade volume is between 15-20 billion dollars and more than 30% of foreign trade is with the USA.

This small country, which many countries in the world are unaware of, is among the countries with the highest level of welfare in the world with the economy it has created.

We head to the impressive Dattatreya temple, one of its important assets.

The Dattatreya Temple is the largest Hindu temple in the capital city of Port of Spain in Trinidad-Tobago. You’ll feel like you’re in India.

The most striking feature is the brightly painted Hanuman Murti statue, 26 meters high, on top of the main shrine, the Sri Dattatreya Ashram. A powerful symbol of Trinidad’s Hindu community, the statue is noticeable from far away. Hindus from all over the country come here to pray and perform ceremonial prayers by circling around the statue.

The artworks in the temple were designed by architects, craftsmen and masons under the supervision of inspectors from India. The largest Hanuman Murti statue built outside India was built in 2001, and the temple was built in 2003. Like other Hindu temples, it is very colorful and ornate. It is worth walking around the temple to see the craftsmanship.

We came across a wedding in the temple, traditional clothes, rituals that the bride and groom follow due to religious customs, what we didn’t understand much but were said, good wishes and prayers to the god they believe in for the sake of wishes. We watched for a while, it was clear it would take a long time, we wished everyone good wishes, wished them happiness, continued to wander around the temple.

Let’s get to know the city better;

Wide, clean and smooth roads, multi-storey tall and modern buildings, buildings restored by staying true to the historical texture and really respectful and friendly people. Plenty of extremely well-maintained and huge parks.

People of all colors from the darkest black race to the white race live together. We are going to the falls at westmall shopping mall, let’s see if the preparations for the beginning of the year are complete. Everyone is buying something, so we bought something too. Everywhere is decorated, very nice, clean, well-maintained and a place with branded products, people are after shopping.

In Port of Spain, we are going to Fort George, a former British military fort that serves as a museum today. It is the highest place in the city with a wide area. You can see the bay of Port of Spain and the whole city. Magnificent view.

It was built in 805 under the direction of Governor Sir Thomas Hislop to strengthen the peninsula’s defense against possible naval attacks during the British colonial rule. Due to its strategic and dominant position, it was not subject to a major attack, so the castle’s cannons were never fired in combat.

Fort George Castle is not only of historical importance, but also a perfect vantage point to watch the magnificent views of the Port of Spain Peninsula, the bay and the Caribbean Sea. Although it has never seen military action, the castle’s cannons and ramparts are well preserved and shed light on the past. Another meaning of the castle is that it is a symbol of the country’s colonial heritage.

The city is laid out in geometric patterns with parks and squares. In the center of the city, the Gothic-style Holy Trinity Cathedral and Queen’s Park, the city’s largest open space and a popular place for recreation, are perhaps one of the largest botanical parks. This is one of the important places in Port of Spain. Seven magnificent large structures spread over a wide area on the street attract attention. All are well-maintained, all have different architectures, obviously special structures. We learned who lives here.

The President’s House, Whitehall, which houses the Prime Minister’s office, the house of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Port of Spain, the Knowsley Building, which houses some government ministries, the Anglican All Saints Church, the neo-Renaissance Red House, which was rebuilt in 1906 and houses Parliament and government offices, and several other buildings of historical and architectural interest. All have different architectural styles and are worth seeing.

We saw them at the airport when we first arrived, barrels with sunken tops and different shapes, I didn’t quite understand. Then we saw them in other places. We are in a backstreet of the city, we fell into a market, a typical street market where traditional vegetables, fruits, clothing and many other things are sold. People in colorful clothes, in all colors. Right here we came to the place where these barrels with sunken tops are, we are curious about what they are. The traditional musical instrument of this place is “stell pan”. We are in the backstreets, these are more characteristic areas, a place like a big warehouse where steel pan materials are stored, there are a lot of barrels with sunken tops, they are played with drumsticks like drums. At first glance it seems like the same sound will come out of all of them. It is not, the sunken forms on them must be made very consciously in different ways, each one has a different tone. When more than one of them plays together at the same time, it becomes quite music. When I look at it on the internet, it seems like there are some serious concerts, it seems a bit too loud, but let’s say to those who are interested, enjoy listening.

We continue from the street market where locals shop, there are tropical fruits, vegetables, everything.

There are huge parks on our way, very well-maintained.

Now we are on our way back, the airport is a 3-hour drive. We are driving through forests with landscapes, small squares, wonderful views from observation hills.

We came to the observation hill where we can see Maracas Beach and the whole coast from the hill. Trinidad is a very small island in the Pacific Ocean, tropical climate, everywhere is green. Lush green bays, the beauty of the Caribbean Sea, it is impossible not to be impressed. We are at the closest place to the Venezuelan coast.

We are on the beach with a beautiful sand, the sea is wavy but everyone is in the sea. Crazy music, a colorful bar-cafe-like place, it is very famous, we are eating hamburgers made of shark, I have had the opportunity to eat shark meat in different ways many times in the past, but this was really nice. It was our last pleasure with a cold beer, before boarding the plane.

After all this, we can come here for a longer time. Tropical climate but one of the calm and beautiful countries to live in.

Best Regards

Hayrettin Kağnıcı

December 2024We arrived at Port of Spain, the capital of the Republic of Trinidad&Tobago, near the coast of Venezuela in South America, via Suriname, by plane very early in the morning. This is one of the islands closest to the mainland among the Caribbean islands, and as such, it is a logistics, supply and supply center for other island countries.