THE CARIBBEAN TRINIDAD and TOBAGO

Trinidad's first settlers, about, 5000 years ago, were Othroid people from the north coast of South America, then the Saladoid people, then the Barrancoid people, and eventually the Arawak and Caribs. The island, which sits in the southern Caribbean close to its sister island of Tobago, had already been doing just fine on its own for thousands of years before Columbus dropped by and told the people that all of a sudden they were living in Spanish territory. Horribly, the Arawak and Carib people, who met their end shortly after the Spanish came to town. Trinidad remained Spanish colony until 1802 and a British colony until independence in 1962.

On the whole Trinidad has been much less an agricultural power than many of its Caribbean neighbors. Instead it became an industrial center, focusing on petroleum and petrochemicals.  Unlike most of its neighbors, therefore, it has generally remained on solid economic ground. Whenever oil booms, Trinidad's economy will most likely boom with it.