<P> Historian E.L. Joseph claimed that Trinidad's Amerindian name was Cairi or "Land of the Humming Bird", derived from the Arawak name for hummingbird, ierèttê or yerettê . However, Boomert claims that neither cairi nor caeri means hummingbird and tukusi or tucuchi does . Others have reported that kairi and iere simply mean 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 may have given it its Spanish name (cabaco, tavaco, tobacco) and possibly its Amerindian names of Aloubaéra (black conch) and Urupaina (big snail), although the English pronunciation is / təˈbeɪɡoʊ /, rhyming with lumbago, sago, and "may go". </P> <P> Trinidad and Tobago are islands situated between 10 ° 2' and 11 ° 12' N latitude and 60 ° 30' and 61 ° 56' W longitude . At the closest point, Trinidad is just 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Venezuelan territory . Covering an area of 5,128 km (1,980 sq mi), the country consists of the two main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous smaller landforms, including Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande (or Gasparee), Little Tobago, and St. Giles Island . </P> <P> Trinidad is 4,768 km (1,841 sq mi) in area (comprising 93.0% of the country's total area) with an average length of 80 km (50 mi) and an average width of 59 kilometres (37 mi). Tobago has an area of about 300 km (120 sq mi), or 5.8% of the country's area, is 41 km (25 mi) long and 12 km (7.5 mi) at its greatest width . Trinidad and Tobago lie on the continental shelf of South America, and are thus geologically considered to lie entirely in South America . </P> <P> The terrain of the islands is a mixture of mountains and plains . The highest point in the country is found on the Northern Range at El Cerro del Aripo, which is 940 metres (3,080 ft) above sea level . </P>

Is trinidad and tobago part of south america