Spanning in the southernmost part of the Caribbean, the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago is an island country sharing maritime borders with Grenada to the northwest, Barbados to the northeast, and Venezuela to the west and south. The terrain of Trinidad & Tobago consists of mountains and plains. It also has access to beaches, large swamps, and other major bodies of water.
The island is considered a high-economy country by the World Bank. Unlike other countries and territories in the Caribbean that depend on tourism, Trinidad & Tobago’s economy relies on petroleum and petrochemicals, with its fossil-fuel wealth coming from natural gas and oil reserves.
The Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago is the authorized body to issue Trinidad & Tobago dollars for circulation in the country. The bank introduced banknotes on December 14, 1964, in $1, $5, $10, and $20 denominations, and subsequently, the $50 and $100 on June 6, 1977. These notes feature on their obverse design the country’s emblem, a local place, and a national bird. Their reverse design depicts the Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago. In 2002, new notes with more anti-counterfeit features were released. Commemorative issues for the country’s Golden Jubilee of Independence were introduced in 2012.
In 2019, polymer versions of the $100 note were introduced and on October 27, 2020, the $5, $10, and $20 denominations were switched to the polymer. Finally, on February 15, 2021, $1 banknotes in polymer substrate were also released. Just like earlier issues, these notes bear the national emblem on the front side and the central bank building on the back.
