Q 01/05

What is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago?

A) Port of Spain

B) Scarborough

C) San Fernando

D) Chaguanas

Answer · why

A) Port of Spain

The Spanish moved the capital there from San José in 1757 after pirate raids. Chaguanas is now the most populous municipality.

Q 02/05

Trinidad lies about 11 km off the coast of which South American country?

A) Brazil

B) Colombia

C) Venezuela

D) Guyana

Answer · why

C) Venezuela

The islands sit on the South American continental shelf, so their wildlife, from howler monkeys to anacondas, is more Venezuelan than Caribbean.

Q 03/05

In which year did Trinidad and Tobago gain independence from Britain?

A) 1966

B) 1976

C) 1970

D) 1962

Answer · why

D) 1962

Independence Day is 31 August. The country became a republic in 1976, replacing the governor-general with a president.

Q 04/05

Which instrument, invented in Trinidad in the 1930s and 40s, is its national instrument?

A) The banjo

B) The steelpan

C) The marimba

D) The tabla

Answer · why

B) The steelpan

It evolved from Carnival's tamboo-bamboo bands using oil drums. The UN declared 11 August World Steelpan Day in 2023.

Q 05/05

Which dance, in which performers bend backwards under a bar, originated at wakes in Trinidad?

A) The tango

B) The limbo

C) The samba

D) The merengue

Answer · why

B) The limbo

Julia Edwards, the 'First Lady of Limbo', popularised it in the 1950s through films. Calypso, soca and chutney music were born on the islands too.