Castara village beach looking south, Tobago

Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean Sea, northeast of the island of Trinidad and south of Grenada. Its name is believed to derive from tobacco. Download high resolution version (1566x1058, 561 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1566x1058, 561 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Castara is a picturesque seaside village on the Windward (northeast) coast of the island of Tobago, the smaller of the two islands in the twin-island Republic of agriculture, with tourism playing an increasingly important role since the 1990s. ... Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea is a tropical body of water adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean and southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ... Trinidad (Spanish, Trinity) is the largest and most populous of the 23 islands which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Species N. glauca N. longiflora N. rustica N. sylvestris N. tabacum Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005 Tobacco (, L.) refers to a genus of broad-leafed plants of the nightshade family indigenous to North and South America, or to the dried and cured leaves of such plants. ...

Geography

Tobago has a land area of 300 km² (116 mi²), and is approximately 42 kilometres long and 10 kilometres 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 of Tobago is Scarborough, with a population of about 17,000. While Trinidad is multiethnic, the population of Tobago is overwhelmingly Afro-Tobagonian, although with a growing proportion of Indo-Trinidadians and Europeans (predominantly Germans and Scandinavians). Between 1990 and 2000 the population of Tobago grew by 11.28%, making it one of the fasting growing areas of the country. To help compare different orders of magnitude and geographical regions, we list here areas between 100 km² and 1000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ, describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... Trinidad (Spanish, Trinity) is the largest and most populous of the 23 islands which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Scarborough, Tobago is the largest town on Tobago, one of the two islands of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and contains more than half of the population of the island. ... Trinidad (Spanish, Trinity) is the largest and most populous of the 23 islands which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Multiethnic societies, in contrast to nationalistic societies, integrate different ethnic groups irrespective of differences in culture, race, and history under a common social identity larger than one nation in the conventional sense. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ... Indo-Trinidadians are people of South Asian descent who are citizens or nationals of Trinidad and Tobago. ... This article is about the continent. ... Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe named after the Scandinavian Peninsula. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

History

See also History of Trinidad and Tobago, Courland colonization of the Americas

Tobago was inhabited by Island Caribs at the time of European contact. The island later changed hands between the French, Dutch, British and Courlanders. The island was finally ceded to the British in 1814. 1833 - 1889 it was part of the British Windward Islands colony Both Trinidad and Tobago were originally settled by Amerindians of South American origins. ... The Duchy of Courland was the smallest nation to colonize the Americas with a short-lived colony in Tobago during the 1654–1659, and again 1660–1689. ... This article is about the Island Carib, who lived on the islands of the Caribbean. ... coat of arms of Courland Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme, German: Kurland, Polish: Kurlandia, Latin: Curonia / Couronia) is a historical Baltic province now part of Latvia. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Originally a very wealthy sugar colony, Tobago's economy collapsed after the abolition of slavery. In 1888 Tobago was annexed to Trinidad. Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ... This article is about the abolition of slavery. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... Trinidad (Spanish, Trinity) is the largest and most populous of the 23 islands which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago. ...

Diving

Inside The 'Maverick Wreck'

Tobago is most famous for its diving. It boasts the best dive sites in the Caribbean and the best place to Drift Dive in the world. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 413 KB) Summary I took picture. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 413 KB) Summary I took picture. ...

The island has 3 wrecks located around its shores, but the best one is the 'Maverick Ferry' that used to travel bettween Trinadad and Tobago. The ferry is 350 feet long and has been sunk in 30 meters/100 feet just off Rocky Point, Mt. Irvine. The top of the wreck is at 15 meters/50 feet. The wreck had an abundance of marine life, including a 4 foot Jew Fish, which is a member of the grouper family. The wreck was purpose sunk for divers and so all the doors and windows were taken out.

The island is home to many species of tropical fish, rays, sharks and turtles.

The island has many dive centers locatated on it. But the best two (both 5 star PADI dive centers) are World Of Watersports and Undersea Tobago

When Drift Diving on the Atlantic, don't forget to go to Speyside to see the largest brain coral in the world.

Climate

The climate is tropical, and the islands lie 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. The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of the earths surface. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Main Ridge is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. ...

Economy and Tourism

Pigeon Point, Tobago

The principal economic forces in Tobago are tourism and government spending. Conventional beach and water-sports tourism is largely focussed in the south-east around the airport and the coastal strip. However ecotourism is growing in significance and much of this is focussed on the large area of protected forest in the centre and north of the main island and also on Little Tobago, a small island off the north east tip of the main island. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 2785 KB) Pidgeon Point in Tobago. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 2785 KB) Pidgeon Point in Tobago. ... Tourist redirects here; for the album by Athlete, see Tourist (album) For the Roxette album, see Tourism (album) Tourism is the act of travel for the purpose of recreation and business, and the provision of services for this act. ... Ecotourism means ecological tourism, where ecological has both environmental and social connotations. ... Little Tobago is a small island off the northeastern coast of Tobago, and part of the republic of Trinidad and Tobago. ...

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 resort type developments. Tobago also has very many idyllic beaches around its coast line especially those at Castara, Bloody Bay and Englishman's Bay. Castara is a picturesque seaside village on the Windward (northeast) coast of the island of Tobago, the smaller of the two islands in the twin-island Republic of agriculture, with tourism playing an increasingly important role since the 1990s. ... Englishmans Bay is a secluded beach on the leeward coast of Tobago, between Castara and Parlatuvier. ...

Tobago is linked to the world through the airport at Crown Point, and the Scarborough harbour. Domestic flights connect Tobago with Trinidad, and international flights connect with the Caribbean and Europe. There is also a daily fast ferry service between Port of Spain and Scarborough.

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. April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... This article is about the year 1776. ... Soame Jenyns (1 January 1704 - 18 December 1787) was an English writer. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ...

This forested area has great biodiversity including many species of birds, mammals, frog and (non-poisonous) snakes. It is also one of the most approachable area of rain-forest since it is relatively small and there are Government appointed guides who provide an authoritative guiding service through the forest at very reasonable cost. The guides are very knowledgeable about the plants and the animals and can call down rare and exotic birds from the canopy by imitating their calls. Rainforests are the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity or biological diversity is the diversity of life. ... 468 species of birds have been recorded on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. ...

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. Trinidad and Tobago dry forests are tropical dry forests located primarily in western and southern parts of the island of Trinidad, in southern parts of the island of Tobago and on smaller offshore islands including Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande, Little Tobago and St. ... Seabirds are birds that spend much of their lives, outside the breeding season at least, at sea. ... Binomial name Phaethon aethereus Linnaeus, 1758 The Red-billed Tropicbird, Phaethon aethereus, is a tropicbird, one of three closely related seabirds of tropical oceans. ... Binomial name Fregata magnificens Mathews, 1914 The Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) was sometimes previously known as Man OWar, reflecting its rakish lines, speed, and aerial piracy of other birds. ... Binomial name Puffinus lherminieri ( Lesson, 1839) The Audubons Shearwater, Puffinus lherminieri is a common seabird of the tropics from the family Procellariidae. ...

Red-billed Tropicbird on Little Tobago

Tobago is also a popular diving location since it is the most southerly of the Caribbean island with coral communities. Trinidad, which is further south has no significant coral because of low salinity and high silt content which result from its position close in the mouth of Venezuela's River Orinoco. Diving on Tobago tends to be centred at Speyside, almost diametrically across the island from the airport. Red-billed Tropicbird, my photo from Little Tobago Island, released to wikipedia File links The following pages link to this file: Tobago Red-billed Tropicbird ... Red-billed Tropicbird, my photo from Little Tobago Island, released to wikipedia File links The following pages link to this file: Tobago Red-billed Tropicbird ... Subclasses Alcyonaria Zoantharia See text for orders. ... Trinidad (Spanish, Trinity) is the largest and most populous of the 23 islands which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. ... With a length of 2,141 km, the Orinoco is one of the largest rivers of South America. ... SCUBA is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. ... Speyside is a town in northern Tobago. ...

Government

Local Government functions in Tobago are handled by the Tobago House of Assembly. The current Chief Secretary of the THA is Orville London. The People's National Movement controls 11 seats in the Assembly, while the Democratic Action Congress controls the other seat. The Tobago House of Assembly is the local government body responsible for the island of Tobago within the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. ... the term General Secretary (alternatively First Secretary) denotes a leader of various unions, parties or associations. ... The Peoples National Movement is the ruling conservative political party in Trinidad and Tobago. ... The Democratic Action Congress (DAC) was a political party in Trinidad and Tobago founded by A.N.R. Robinson from the Action Commission of Democratic Citizens (ACDC) in 1971. ...

Hurricane Flora

Although Tobago lies to the south of the hurricane belt, it was nevertheless struck by Hurricane Flora on September 30, 1963. The effects of the hurricane were so severe that they changed the face of Tobago's economy. The hurricane laid waste to the plantations of banana, coconut and cacao, which largely sustained the economy. It also wreaked considerable damage to the largely pristine tropical rainforest that makes up a large proportion of the interior of the northern half of the island. Subsequently, many of the plantations were abandoned and the economy changed direction away from cash crop agriculture towards tourism. Hurricane Flora blasted through the Caribbean in September and October, 1963. ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... Template:C20YearInnTopic 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Species Hybrid origin; see text A banana plant is a herb in the genus, Musa, which because of its size and structure, is often mistaken for a tree. ... Binomial name Cocos nucifera L. The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). ... Binomial name Theobroma cacao L. For the town in French Guiana see Cacao, French Guiana Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is a small (4–8 m tall) evergreen tree in the family Sterculiaceae (alternatively Malvaceae), native to tropical South America, but now cultivated throughout the tropics. ...

External links

• WorldStatesmen- Trinidad and Tobago

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