Trinidad and Tobago \ , tri-n3-,dad...t3- , ba-go\ officially Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Island country, West Indies. The islands of Trinidad and Tobago—the two southernmost links in the Antilles island
CARIBBEAN
SEA
Charlotteville^;
TOBAGO 0 G«
Plymouth.^ T ^, boroug|l cCjd Scarborough
Galera Point
ATLANTIC OCEAN
VENEZUELA
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chain—lie northeast of Venezuela and northwest of Guyana. Area: 1,980 sq mi (5,128 sq km). Population (2005 est.):
1,298,000. Capitaclass="underline" Port of Spain. The people are mainly of South Asian or Afri¬ can ancestry. Language: English (official). Religions: Christianity (Prot¬ estant, Roman Catholic), Hinduism, Islam. Currency: Trinidad and Tobago dollar. The islands are mostly flat or rolling, with narrow belts of mountainous highlands and luxuriant rain forests. The Caroni Swamp, an important bird sanctuary on Trinidad, supports flamingo, egret, and scar¬ let ibis populations. The country has large reserves of petroleum and natural gas, as well as one of the world’s largest supplies of natural asphalt. Other industries include agriculture, fishing, and tourism. Chief crops include sugarcane, citrus fruits, cocoa, and coffee. It is a republic with two legislative houses; its chief of state is the president, and the head of government is the prime minister. When Christopher Columbus visited Trinidad in 1498, it was inhabited mostly by Arawak Indians, though there were probably some Carib speakers as well; Caribs inhabited Tobago. The islands were settled by the Spanish in the 16th century. In the 17th—18th centuries African slaves were imported for plantation labour to replace the original Indian population, which had been decimated by the impact of slavery and diseases introduced by the Europeans. Trinidad was sur¬ rendered to the British in 1797. The British attempted to settle Tobago in 1721, but the French captured the island in 1781 and transformed it into a sugar-producing colony. The British acquired it in 1802. After slavery ended in the islands (1834-38), immigrants from India were brought in to work the plantations. Trinidad and Tobago were administratively com¬ bined in 1889. Granted limited self-government in 1925, the islands became an independent state within the Commonwealth in 1962 and a
republic in 1976. There occurred some political unrest and in 1990 a failed Muslim-fundamentalist coup against the government.
Trinity, Holy In Christian doctrine, the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one God in three persons. The word Trinity does not appear in the Bible. It is a doctrine formulated in the early church to interpret the way God revealed himself, first to Israel, then in Jesus as Saviour, and finally as Holy Spirit, preserver of the church. The doctrine of the Trinity developed in the early centuries of the church and was explicitly stated at the Council of Nicaea in 325.
Trinity College See University of Dublin
Trintignant \tra n -ten-'ya n \, Jean-Louis (b. Dec. 11, 1930, Piolenc, France) French film actor. After leaving law school to study acting, he made his stage debut in 1951 and his film debut in 1956. He won favour¬ able notice in And God Created Woman (1956) and gained international fame for his role as a race-car driver in A Man and a Woman (1966). Known for his reserved but intense screen persona, he conveyed the psy¬ chic conflicts of repressed characters in My Night at Maud’s (1969), Z (1969), and, most strikingly, The Conformist (1970), among many other films. He worked sparingly in the 1980s and ’90s because of poor health, but his role in Three Colours: Red won him acclaim.
trio sonata Principal chamber music genre of the Baroque era. Despite its name, it requires four performers: two melody instruments and con- tinuo (usually a keyboard instrument and a bass instrument). It arose early in the 17th century as an instrumental version of the Italian vocal-duet ensemble. The two upper instruments, usually violins, generally wove their melodic, quasi-vocal lines high above the accompanying parts. Two standard forms emerged after 1750: the sonata da chiesa, or church sonata, standardized as a four-movement form (in slow-fast-slow-fast order); and the suiTE-like sonata da camera, or chamber sonata. By 1770 the genre had been abandoned in favour of the solo sonata.
Tripitaka Uri-'pi-to-koN Pali Tipitaka Collective term for the three major divisions of the Pali canon, the canon of Theravada Buddhism. (The term means “Triple Basket.”) It consists of the Abhidhamma Pitaka, the Sutta Pitaka, and the Vinaya Pitaka, which were transmitted orally by the sangha until they were committed to writing about 500 years after the Buddha’s death. The texts appeared in two languages, Sanskrit and Pali, the Pali version being the better preserved. Sanskrit versions were trans¬ lated into Tibetan, Chinese, and other languages.
Triple Alliance (1882) Secret agreement between Germany, Austria- Hungary, and Italy. It provided that Germany and Austria-Hungary would support Italy if it was attacked by France, that Italy would similarly assist Germany, and that Italy would remain neutral if Austria-Hungary was attacked by Russia. The alliance advanced Otto von Bismarck’s efforts to isolate France. Conflicts between Italy and Austria-Hungary over their interests in the Balkans led Italy to reach an understanding of neutrality with France in 1902, which effectively nullified Italy’s pledge to the mem¬ bers of the Triple Alliance, though the alliance was renewed in 1907 and 1912. See also Austro-German Alliance.
Triple Alliance, War of the or Paraguayan War (1864/65-70) Bloodiest conflict in Latin American history, fought between Paraguay and the allied countries of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. The Para¬ guayan dictator Francisco Solano Lopez (1827-70), objecting to Brazil’s interference in the politics of neighbouring Uruguay, declared war on Brazil in 1864. The next year Argentina organized the Triple Alliance with Brazil and Uruguay. After three years of fighting, the allies annihilated the Paraguayan forces, but Solano Lopez carried on a guerrilla war until he was killed. Paraguay was devastated by the war; its population was reduced by half, and territory covering some 55,000 sq mi (140,000 sq km) was annexed by Brazil and Argentina.
Triple Crown In U.S. horse racing, an unofficial championship attrib¬ uted to a Thoroughbred horse that in a single season wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. First won in 1919 by Sir Barton, it has since been won 10 times, most recently by Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), and Affirmed (1978).
Triple Entente \an-'tant\ (1907) Association between Britain, France, and Russia. It developed from the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1894, the Anglo-French Entente Cordiale of 1904, and the Anglo-Russian Entente of 1907. Formed to settle mutual colonial disputes, the alignment became the nucleus of the Allied Powers in World War I.
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triple jump ► Triton I 1939
triple jump or hop, step, and jump Track-and-field distance jump. It incorporates three distinct, continuous movements: a hop, in which the athlete takes off and lands on the same foot; a step, in which he lands on the other foot; and a jump, in which the athlete lands in any manner, usu¬ ally with both feet together. It has been a modern Olympic event since the first games in 1896.
Tripoli Vtri-p9-le\ Arabic Tarabulus al-Sham Uo-'ra-bo-los- al-'sham\ Seaport city (pop., 1998 est.: 160,000), northwestern Lebanon. Founded c. 700 bc, it became the capital of a federation of three Phoeni¬ cian city-states: Sidon, Tyre, and Arvad. It was controlled by the Seleuc- ids and Romans and taken by the Muslims in the mid-7th century ad. Besieged and partially destroyed by crusaders in the early 12th century, it was rebuilt by the later Crusaders (see Crusades). It was occupied by the Egyptians in the 1830s, the British in 1918, and the British and Free French in 1941. It became part of the Republic of Lebanon in 1946. It has sometimes been a centre of Christian-Muslim conflict during Lebanon’s history. It was also the scene of a siege in 1983 by Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) rebels against PLO leader Yasir ‘Arafat. It is a major port, a commercial and industrial centre, and a popular beach resort. At the terminus of an oil pipeline from Iraq, it is an important oil storage and refining centre.