Trinidad and Tobago is an island nation in the southeastern Caribbean. The country has 1.2 million inhabitants and is the size of 2 or 3 Dutch provinces. See Trinidad and Tobago population density. The capital is Port of Spain.

According to ABBREVIATIONFINDER, the country consists of the main island of Trinidad and the smaller island of Tobago, located off the coast of Venezuela. The shortest distance to Venezuela is only 15 kilometers. The country is slightly eccentric from the rest of the Caribbean. To the north is Grenada, to the northeast is Barbados. The capital, Port of Spain, is located on the island of Tobago, as are most of the other larger towns such as Arouca, Arima, San Fernando, and Sangre Grande. The main town on the island of Tobago is Scarborough. The country is not as mountainous as many other Caribbean countries, although there are low mountain ranges in the north of Trinidad and on the island of Tobago.

The country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1962, and has been a fast-growing country ever since, based on oil exports and tourism. Income is quite high at $19,800 per capita. The tourist industry is not as big as most other Caribbean islands, probably because Trinidad and Tobago is further outside the mainstream islands.

Road Network

The road network in Trinidad is well developed, and better than most countries in the region. Traffic drives on the left. There is one longer highway in Trinidad, the highway from Port of Spain to San Fernando (Uriah Butler Highway & Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway). There is also a 2×2 bypass of Port of Spain, which is about 25 kilometers long, but has a few level crossings near the center. The Port of Spain conurbation is intertwined with those of Arouca and Arima, and has a strong east-west orientation, so most major roads also run east-west. There is also a 2×2 road north from Port of Spain. Because the north is mountainous, there are fewer roads here. The roads in the flat interior of Trinidad have strong forms of ribbon development. Although Trinidad is only 15 kilometers from Venezuela, there are no fixed connections. This is partly because that part of Venezuela is sparsely populated.

The road network on the island of Tobago is less developed, but the population density is also lower. A good bypass runs through Scarborough, connecting all the villages on the island to Scarborough. There is a daily ferry service between Port of Spain and Scarborough, which takes 2.5 to 3 hours one way.

Road numbering

There is no road numbering in Trinidad and Tobago, characteristic of British ex-colonies. The roads have names.

Signage

Little is known about signage in Trinidad and Tobago. Since the country became independent from the United Kingdom early on, it is doubtful to what extent the signage is based on the British model.