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Trin·i·dad |
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Trinidad |
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Trinidad |
Every year, Trinidad's capital city, Port of Spain, is swept up in a famously festive Carnival celebration. Meanwhile, a short distance away in the Caroni Swamp, Trinidad's national bird, the scarlet ibis, flits about, decked out more brilliantly than any Carnival reveler.
The sixth-largest island in the Caribbean, lying just 11km (6¾ miles) off the Venezuelan coast, Trinidad has such a varied ecosystem—mountainous rainforests, plains, several major river systems, extensive wetlands—that it supports some 400 species of birds, more than 600 species of butterflies, and 97 native mammals, including exotics like the red howler monkey, the ocelot, and the collared peccary (a type of boar). The crown jewel of Trinidad's natural world is the Asa Wright Nature Center (www.asawright.org), a 607-hectare (1,500-acre) wildlife sanctuary located in a former coffee, citrus, and cacao plantation high in the lush rainforest of Trinidad's hilly Northern Range. Day visitors can hike around miles of forest trails, take a guided nature tour, or have a buffet-style luncheon of local cuisine; you can also stay overnight in the Asa Wright Center Lodge, occupying an old plantation house and surrounding cottages. The bird-watching at Asa Wright is unparalleled: The center's 150-plus species list includes such rarely spotted birds as the violaceous trogon, the channel-billed toucan, the copper-rumped hummingbird, purple and green honeycreepers, the silver-beaked tanager, bearded and golden-headed manakins, the bearded bellbird, and a nesting pair of ornate hawk-eagles. Twenty-nine types of bats have also been spotted in the area, as have leaf-cutter and army ants, nine-banded armadillos, iguanas, and tegu lizards. Visitors staying for 3 or more nights are allowed to peek in on the world's most accessible colony of rare, nocturnal oilbirds, which nest by day in a cave on the property.
Trinidad's increasingly threatened wetlands are also favorite destinations for birders. A top site is the Caroni Swamp on the west coast, where the scarlet ibis feasts on a shellfish diet that turns its plumage bright red. During peak season (Oct–Mar), the ibis population can reach 15,000. A boat tour through the swamp's marshes, lagoons, mud flats, and mangrove forests may reveal 190 other bird species, including egrets and herons, as well as tree boas, caimans, silky anteaters, raccoons, oysters, crabs, and 24 varieties of fin-fish. The 1,538 hectare (3,800-acre) Nariva Swamp on Trinidad's southeast coast is the largest wetlands in the Caribbean, a varied mosaic that includes Moriche palms, wild rice, and scattered hardwood forests. Birders can find 171 species here, from the Amazonian parrot and whistling duck to the rarely spotted red-bellied macaw and the endangered seed-eating finch; boating through the swamp, you may spot everything from butterflies and giant snails to opossums, anteaters, porcupines, anacondas, and manatees.
You may also want to visit the Pierre-Point Wildfowl Trust bird sanctuary (Flagstaff Hill, Long Circular Rd (☎ 868/658-4230located; , oddly enough, beside an oil refinery—and, between March and August, make nighttime visits to the beaches along Trinidad's northeast coast to view leatherback turtles laying their eggs.
Rhymes:
Trinidadian |
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Trinidad |
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Trinidad |
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| Nickname: Land of the Hummingbird | |
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 Map of Trinidad and Tobago |
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 Trinidad (Lesser Antilles)
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| Geography | |
| Location | Leeward Islands |
| Coordinates | 10°27′38″N 61°14′55″W / 10.46056°N 61.24861°WCoordinates: 10°27′38″N 61°14′55″W / 10.46056°N 61.24861°W |
| Archipelago | Lesser Antilles |
| Area | 4,748 km2 (1,833.2 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 940 m (3,080 ft) |
| Highest point | El Cerro del Aripo |
| Country | |
| Largest city | San Fernando (pop. 62,000) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 1,252,800 |
| Density | 262.7 /km2 (680.4 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | [mixed] |
Trinidad (Spanish: "Trinity") is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just 11 km (6.8 mi) off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of 4,768 km2 (1,841 sq mi) it is also the fifth largest in the West Indies. Time zone: GMT −4 (Trinidad does not observe DST).
Many believe[who?] the original name for the island in the Arawaks' language was "Iëre" which meant "Land of the Humming Bird". Christopher Columbus renamed it "La Isla de la Trinidad" ("The Island of the Trinity"), fulfilling a vow he had made before setting out on his third voyage of exploration.[1]
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Caribs and Arawaks lived in Trinidad long before Christopher Columbus encountered the islands on his third voyage in 1498. Tobago changed hands between the British, French, Dutch and Courlanders, but eventually ended up in British hands. Trinidad remained Spanish until 1797, but it was largely settled by French colonists. In 1889 the two islands became a single crown colony. Trinidad and Tobago obtained self-governance in 1958 and independence from the British Empire in 1962.
Major landforms include the hills of the Northern, Central and Southern Ranges (Dinah ranges), the Caroni, Nariva and Oropouche Swamps, and the Caroni and Naparima Plains. Major river systems include the Caroni, North and South Oropouche and Ortoire Rivers. Trinidad has two seasons per calander year, the rainy season and the damp season.
Native mammals include the Red Brocket Deer, Collared Peccary, Red Howler Monkey,the Scarlet ibis and the Ocelot. Trinidad has a rich avifauna, including a single endemic species, the Trinidad Piping Guan.amy bally
It is an industrial island with a diversified economy, based to a large extent on oil and natural gas, industry and agriculture.[citation needed] It is one of the leading gas-based export centres in the world, being the leading exporter of ammonia and methanol and among the top five exporters of liquefied natural gas. This has allowed Trinidad to capitalise on the biggest mineral reserves within its territories. In recent times, the production of oil has fallen below 100,000 barrels a day, signifying a steep and perhaps irreversible decline in production.
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Translations:
Trinidad |
 | .tt (abbreviation) |
| Tobago (island of Trinidad and Tobago) |
| floats |
 | What does Trinidad imports? Read answer... |
| What is Trinidad in french? Read answer... |
| Who discovered Trinidad? Read answer... |
 | How does Trinidad\'s environment effect humans in Trinidad? |
| Can you apply for a Trinidad passport if your father was born in Trinidad? |
| What is trinidads language? |
Copyrights:
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 | American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Frommer's 500 Extraordinary Islands. Copyright © 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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Rhymes. Oxford University Press. © 2006, 2007 All rights reserved. Read more | |
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| Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary. Collins Bradford's Crossword Solver's Dictionary © Anne Bradford, 1986, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2008 HarperCollins Publishers All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Trinidad. Read more |
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| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
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