Trinidad & Tobago & Eastern Caribbean Cruising, International Travel Map

Located just north of Venezuela, Trinidad is the most southerly of the Caribbean islands and has a history very different from the rest of the Caribbean. It was first settled by the Spanish, after displacing the native residents, and became a British possession only in 1797. More northerly Tobago has a more interesting history, changing hands 30 times in various wars to determine which European power would dominate the region. Nowadays, both islands look to tourism as a major source of revenue, but neither island has seriously developed its resort potential. Most visitors arrive via cruise ship, and this largely means spending a day in Port-of-Spain, the capital. One of the unique attractions of Trinidad is a pool of hot asphalt, first discovered by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1595, and has been caulking ships ever since. Tobago, once a major tobacco-growing island, is now a quiet, respectable community based in Scarborough, the capital, and Plymouth. The two islands were annexed to each other by Britin in 1889. The country has been independent since 1962. Side 2 of the map is a very interesting rendering of the entire Eastern Caribbean region, and is particularly noteworthy for showing the boundaries of various island nations. Some are still colonies or ‘overseas territories’ and others are very well-known touristic havens. One is apparently contested between Haiti and the USA (tiny, uninhabited Navassa Island). St. Croix’s boundaries are apparently completely separate from the US Virgin Islands, to which it is attached. Anguilla is little visited, whereas neighbouring St. Maarten is one of the region’s most popular cruse destinations. There are two islands called Bonaire, one in little-visited St, Eustatius, and the other off the coast of Venezuela in the Dutch Antilles. Martinique and Guadeloupe, both French to the core, are separated by English-speaking Dominica. Antigua is joined to distant Barbuda, whereas nearby Montserrat remains a British colony. Scale: 1:135.000