Tobago 162070 224515443 2008-07-09T05:21:06Z 71.205.170.70 /* History */ {{Infobox Country |native_name = ''Tobago'' |conventional_long_name = |common_name = |image_flag = Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg |image_coat = THAseal.gif |image_map = Trinidad and Tobago-CIA WFB Map.png |national_motto = ''Pulchrior Evenit'' {{spaces|2}}<small>([[Latin]])<br/>"she becomes more beautiful"{{smallsup|1}}</small> |national_anthem = ''[[Forged From The Love of Liberty]]'' |official_languages = [[English language|English]], [[Tobagonian Creole English|Tobago Creole]] |capital = [[Scarborough, Tobago|Scarborough]] |latd=|latm=|latNS= |longd= |longm= |longEW= |largest_city = |government_type = autonomous island of [[Trinidad and Tobago]] |leader_title1 = [[President of Trinidad and Tobago]] |leader_name1 = [[George Maxwell Richards]] |leader_title2 = [[Chief Secretary]] |leader_name2 = [[Orville London]] |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |area_rank = |area_magnitude = |area_km2 = 300 |area_sq_mi = 116 |percent_water = |population_estimate = 54,000 |population_estimate_rank = |population_estimate_year = 2000 |population_census = |population_census_year = |population_density_km2 = |population_density_rank = |GDP_PPP = |GDP_PPP_rank = |GDP_PPP_year = |GDP_PPP_per_capita = |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = |sovereignty_type = |established_event1 = |established_date1 = |HDI = |HDI_rank = |HDI_year = |HDI_category = |currency = [[Trinidad and Tobago dollar]] |currency_code = TTD |country_code = |time_zone = |utc_offset = -4 |time_zone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |cctld = [[.tt]] |calling_code = 1-868 }} '''Tobago''' is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the [[Trinidad and Tobago|Republic of Trinidad and Tobago]]. It is located in the southern [[Caribbean Sea]], northeast of the island of [[Trinidad]] and southeast of [[Grenada]]. The island lies outside the [[hurricane belt]]. ==Geography== Tobago has a land area of [[1 E8 m²|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, Tobago|Scarborough]], with a population of about 17,000. While Trinidad is [[Multiethnic society|multiethnic]], the population of Tobago is primarily [[African|Afro-Tobagonian]], although with a growing proportion of [[Indo-Trinidadian]]s and Europeans (predominantly [[Germany|German]]s and [[Scandinavia]]ns). 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.<ref>[http://islands.unep.ch/IWX.htm#Tobago United Nations Earthwatch]</ref> The southwest of the island is flat and consists largely of [[coral]]line [[limestone]]. The hilly spine of the island, the [[Main Ridge]]. The highest point in Tobago is the 550 [[metre]] (1804 [[foot|ft]]) [[Pigeon Peak]] near [[Speyside, Tobago|Speyside]].<ref name=Anthony>{{cite book | author=[[Michael Anthony (author)|Anthony, Michael]] | title=Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago | publisher=Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Md., and London | year=2001 |id=ISBN 0-8108-3173-2}}</ref> Tobago is divided into seven parishes - [[Saint Andrew Parish, Tobago|Saint Andrew]], [[Saint David Parish, Tobago|Saint David]], [[Saint George Parish, Tobago|Saint George]], [[Saint John Parish, Tobago|Saint John]], [[Saint Mary Parish, Tobago|Saint Mary]], [[Saint Patrick Parish, Tobago|Saint Patrick]] and [[Saint Paul ParishTobago|Saint Paul]]. ==History== {{Seealso|History of Trinidad and Tobago|Courland colonisation of the Americas}} [[Image:Tobago_WI_Charlotteville.JPG|left|300px|thumb|Charlotteville Village seen from Fort Cambelton]] At the time of European contact, Tobago was inhabited by [[Caribs|Island Caribs]]. According to the earliest English-language source cited in the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]],'' it bore a name that has become the English word ''[[tobacco]].'' The first European visitors appear to have been English adventurers in [[1580]] and in [[1608]]; James I claimed Tobago for England. The first European settlers were Dutchmen who formed a short-lived settlement at New Walcheren or modern Plymouth. The island changed hands at least 22 times altogether between the [[France|French]], [[Netherlands|Dutch]], [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[Courland]]ers (the [[Duchy of Courland]], at that time a [[fief]] of [[Poland]], located in present-day [[Latvia]]), however Courland's inhabitants and the settlers were primarily peoples of [[Germans|German]] and [[Latvian]] origin<ref>Grīns A., ''Tobāgo''. - Valters un Rapa, Rīga, 1934.</ref>, it was also controlled at times by various [[pirate]] groups. It was finally ceded to the British in 1814 at the [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|Treaty of Paris]]. From 1833 to 1889, it was part of the British [[Windward Islands]] colony. Originally a [[sugar cane|sugar]] colony, Tobago's economy collapsed after the [[abolition of slavery]]. In 1889, Tobago was made a Ward of Trinidad, and remained one until [[1 August]] [[1962]], when Trinidad and Tobago became an independent [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] country and together became a [[republic]] in 1976.<ref>''The New Trinidad & Tobago'' - from the original by Jos. A. De Suze (1846-1941), Collins, 1965. Reprint 1972, pp. 164-18.</ref> The island of Tobago is also thought to be the island that the story ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]'' was written about.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} However, the book is probably based on the experiences of [[Alexander Selkirk]], who was marooned in the Pacific's [[Juan Fernandez Islands]]. This island was also the filming location for the [[Walt Disney]] movie ''[[The Swiss Family Robinson]]''. The climate is tropical, and the island lies just south of the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] [[hurricane]] belt. Average rainfall varies between 3800 [[millimetre|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 and tourism== {{main|Economy of Trinidad and Tobago}} [[Image:Boccoo2-2005.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Pigeon Point, Tobago]] 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-east 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 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 and Europe. There is also a daily fast ferry service between Port of Spain and Scarborough. ==Environmental problems== Coral reefs have been damaged recently by silt and mud runoff during construction of a road along the north east coast. There has also been damage to the reef in [[Charlotteville]] village caused by sealing the road at Flagstaff Hill and diverting more silty water down the stream from Flagstaff down to Charlotteville. ==Diving== [[Image:Maverick-wreck.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Inside The 'Maverick Wreck']] [[Image:Hawksbill Turtle 2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A [[Hawksbill Turtle]] seen at Mount Irvine]] 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 [[Orinoco|River Orinoco]]. [[Scuba diving]] on Tobago tends to be centred at [[Speyside, Trinidad and Tobago|Speyside]], almost diametrically across the island from the airport. The island has some of the best diving sites in the Caribbean. There are three wrecks located around its shores, but the one usually considered the best is the ''Maverick Ferry'', which used to travel between Trinidad and Tobago. The ferry is 350 feet long and has been sunk in 30 metres/100 feet just off Rocky Point, Mt. Irvine. The top of the wreck is at 15 metres/50 feet. The wreck has an abundance of marine life, including a 4-foot [[jewfish]], a member of the [[grouper]] family. The wreck was purposely sunk for divers, and so all the doors and windows were removed. The waters around the island are home to many species of tropical fish, [[Batoidea|rays]], [[shark]]s, and [[turtle]]s. ==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 [[Kingdom of Great Britain|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 [[List of birds of Trinidad and Tobago|birds]], mammals, frogs, (nonpoisonous) snakes, [[List_of_Butterflies_of_Tobago|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 [[Trinidad and Tobago dry forests|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. [[Image:0017trpoicbird.JPG|thumb|300px|right|Red-billed Tropicbird on [[Little Tobago]]]] ==Government== Local Government functions in Tobago are handled by the [[Tobago House of Assembly]]. The current [[Chief secretary|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 DAC has been the traditional party of Tobagonian autonomy, while some islanders have even supported full independence from Trinidad. [http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/sk&n/conference/papers/RRPremdas.html] ==Hurricanes== 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 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 toward tourism. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan, although less severe than Flora, did cause significant damage. ==References== <div class="references-small" style="column-count:2;-moz-column-count:2;"> <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> <references/> </div> ==External links== {{commons|Tobago}} {{wiktionary}} *[http://www.tha.gov.tt/ Tobago House of Assembly] *[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Trinidad.html#Tobago WorldStatesmen] - Trinidad and Tobago *[http://www.gov.tt Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago] *[http://www.nalis.gov.tt National Library and Information System Authority of Trinidad and Tobago] {{Islands of Trinidad and Tobago}} [[Category:Tobago| ]] [[Category:Islands of Trinidad and Tobago]] [[Category:Former British colonies]] [[Category:Former Dutch colonies]] [[Category:Former colonies of France]] [[ar:توباغو]] [[ca:Tobago]] [[da:Tobago]] [[de:Tobago]] [[et:Tobago]] [[es:Tobago]] [[eo:Tobago]] [[eu:Tobago]] [[fr:Tobago]] [[gd:Tobago]] [[gl:Tobago]] [[ko:토바고 섬]] [[id:Tobago]] [[it:Tobago]] [[ku:Tobago]] [[lv:Tobāgo]] [[nl:Tobago]] [[ja:トバゴ島]] [[no:Tobago]] [[pl:Tobago]] [[pt:Tobago]] [[ru:Тобаго]] [[fi:Tobago]] [[sv:Tobago]]