Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several smaller islets. The capital city is Port of Spain, while its largest and most populous municipality is Chaguanas. Despite its proximity to South America, being on its continental shelf, Trinidad and Tobago is generally considered to be part of the Caribbean.

Trinidad and Tobago is located 11 kilometres (6 nautical miles) northeast off the coast of Venezuela, 130 kilometres (70 nautical miles) south of Grenada, and 288 kilometres (155 nautical miles) southwest of Barbados. Indigenous peoples inhabited Trinidad for centuries prior to Spanish colonization, following the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1498. Spanish governor José María Chacón surrendered the island to a British fleet under Sir Ralph Abercromby's command in 1797. Trinidad and Tobago were ceded to Britain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens as separate states and unified in 1889. Trinidad and Tobago obtained independence in 1962, and became a republic in 1976.

Unlike most Caribbean countries and territories, which rely heavily on tourism, the economy is primarily industrial, based on large reserves of oil and gas. The country sees fewer hurricanes than most of the Caribbean because it is farther south.

Trinidad and Tobago is well known for its African and Indian Caribbean cultures, reflected in its large and famous Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, Hosay, and Diwali celebrations, as well as being the birthplace of the steelpan, the limbo, and musical styles such as calypso, soca, rapso, chutney music, and chutney soca.

Historian E. L. Joseph claimed that Trinidad's Indigenous name was Cairi or "Land of the Humming Bird", derived from the Arawak name for hummingbird, ierèttê or yerettê. However, other authors dispute this etymology with some claiming that cairi does not mean hummingbird (tukusi or tucuchi being suggested as the correct word) and some claiming that kairi, or iere, simply means island. Christopher Columbus renamed it "La Isla de la Trinidad" ("The Island of the Trinity"), fulfilling a vow made before setting out on his third voyage of exploration. Tobago's cigar-like shape, or the use of tobacco by the native people, may have given it its Spanish name (cabaco, tavaco, tobacco) and possibly some of its other Indigenous names, such as Aloubaéra (black conch) and Urupaina (big snail), although the English pronunciation is /təˈbeɪɡoʊ/. Indo-Trinidadians called the island Chinidat or Chinidad which translated to the "land of sugar". The usage of the term goes back to the 19th century when recruiters in India would call the island Chinidat as a way of luring workers into indentureship on the sugar plantations.

The islands that make up modern-day Trinidad and Tobago lie at the southern end of the Lesser Antilles group. The islands lie close to the continent of South America, separated by the Gulf of Paria.

Trinidad and Tobago were originally settled by Indigenous peoples migrating from South America. The earliest known settlement is at Banwari Trace in southwestern Trinidad, dating back to approximately 5000 BCE, making it the oldest pre-Columbian archaeological site in the Caribbean. The site has yielded artifacts and the remains of "Banwari Man," the oldest human skeleton found in the region.

At the time of European contact, Trinidad was inhabited by various Indigenous groups, including Arawakan-speaking peoples such as the Nepoya and Suppoya, and Cariban-speaking groups like the Yao. Tobago was primarily occupied by the Island Caribs