Trinidad, which is about the size of Delaware, and even tinier Tobago, some 30km (20 miles) to the northeast, form a nation popularly known as "T&T." South African Bishop Desmond Tutu once dubbed it "The Rainbow Country," for its abundance of floral growth and the diversity of its population. The islands are the southernmost outposts of the West Indies. Trinidad lies only 11km (6 3/4 miles) from the Paria Peninsula of Venezuela, to which it was physically connected in prehistoric times.

Trinidad -- the birthplace of calypso, steel drum music, and the limbo -- used to be visited only by business travelers in Port-of-Spain. The island was more interested in its oil, natural gas, and steel industries than in its potential for tourism. But that has changed. Trinidad is now a serious vacation destination, with a spruced-up capital and a renovated airport. The island's sophistication and cultural mȳlange, far greater than that of any other island in the southern Caribbean, is also a factor in increased tourism.

Conversely, Tobago, its sibling island, is just as drowsy as ever -- but that's its charm. Through the years, immigrants from almost every corner of the world have come here, and today the island is a fascinating mixture of cultures, races, and creeds.

The Spanish founded Trinidad in 1592 and held it longer than they did any of their other real estate in the Caribbean. The English settled Tobago in 1642 and captured Trinidad in 1797. Both islands remained in British hands until the two-island nation declared its independence in 1962. The British influence remains visible today, apparent through the British dialect and the islanders' fondness for cricket.