Caroni River
| Caroni River | ||
 Caroni River, painting by Michel-Jean Cazabon |
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| Data | ||
| location | Trinidad and Tobago | |
| River system | Caroni River | |
| source | Union of Arima River and Cumuto River at Guanapo 10 ° 35 ′ 28 ″ N , 61 ° 14 ′ 13 ″ W |
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| muzzle | At Port of Spain in the Gulf of Paria coordinates: 10 ° 37 '24 " N , 61 ° 30' 3" W 10 ° 37 '24 " N , 61 ° 30' 3" W |
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| Mouth height |
0 m
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| length | 40 km | |
| Catchment area | 600 km² | |
| Left tributaries | 6th | |
| Right tributaries | 12 | |
At 40 km, the Caroni River is the second longest river in the Caribbean island state of Trinidad and Tobago .
etymology
The name "Caroni" is of Indian origin; it comes from Arawak and simply means "water".
course
The Caroni River flows from east to west through the Caroni Plain , a low-lying plain which runs through half the island and runs between the Northern Range in the north and the Central Range in the south; Rivers from both low mountain ranges drain into the Caroni River. At Guanapo, near the point where the regions Sangre Grande , Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo and Tunapuna-Piarco meet, the Arima River, coming from the northeast, and the Cumuto River, coming from the southeast, join to form the Caroni River. The river flows in a westerly direction along the East-West Corridor , the densely populated metropolitan area of Port of Spains, where a third of all residents of Trinidad and Tobago live. The Guanapo River, coming from the north, flows into the river at La Horquetta. South of Carapo, the Caroni River passes the plantation of ICGT, International Cocoa Genebank Trinidad, a facility of Bioversity International , CACAONET and the FAO Trust. At Piarco the river passes the Piarco International Airport. South of San Juan, the San Juan River flows into the Caroni River from the north. One kilometer to the west, the river flows into the Caroni Swamp , the second largest wetland in Trinidad. About two kilometers south of Laventille , the Caroni River flows into the Gulf of Paria . There is no delta or even different mouths.
Islands
The only island in the Caroni River is in the Caroni Swamp, about 2.5 km from the mouth. The river divides here; the two arms thus created flow around the island in a north-westerly and south-westerly direction, only to reunite after about 350 m. The island has the shape of an equilateral triangle tilted to the left by about 30 ° and has an area of about 260 m². The island is nameless.
fauna
There are around 190 species of birds in the Caroni Swamp, including around 20 that are considered endangered. A large colony of scarlet ibis , the national bird of Trinidad, has its night camp there. The Caroni Water Treatment Plant near Piarco forms a habitat for herons , red-fronted jacaras, Vanellus chilensis, pygmy sultans and other wading birds ; in addition, magpie water tyrant, sulfur tyrant and caiman occur there. The fish stocks of the Caroni River are reduced due to the high water pollution. The Cascadura, a thorn catfish , occurs in significant numbers and is angled as a food fish.
Economic use
The Caroni River is used for drinking water. In 2003, 40% of the treated drinking water in Trinidad came from the Caroni River; The withdrawal station is the Caroni Water Treatment Plant in the small town of Piarco, where the polluted river water is treated in two three-hectare basins. Despite the degree of pollution, the river is commercially fished to a small extent, and fishing is also a popular leisure activity. The Caroni Swamp is used for oyster farming, fishing and hunting, and ecotourism also plays a role. The Caroni Plain is extremely fertile land, but agricultural use has declined sharply due to the settlement along the east-west corridor.
history
The Caroni River was important for the settlement of Trinidad by Europeans as the Spaniards followed its course inward in 1592 to found the first permanent settlement of European origin in the interior: St. Joseph , then San José de Oruña, capital of Trinidad from 1592 to 1783 In 1690 a road was built along the Caroni River, but most of the goods traffic took place on the river. With the construction of the Trinidad Government Railway in 1876, the river's importance as a transport route for goods disappeared. Since the legalization of Hindu cremation ceremonies in 1936, the ashes of deceased Trinidadian Hindu beliefs have been scattered in the Caroni River - Hindus now make up 20% of the population of Trinidad.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Land Cover Changes in the Caroni Swamp, Trinidad from 1942-2007. (DOC; 5.1 MB) Intiture of Marine Affairs, accessed January 19, 2019 .
- ↑ Amerindian Languages in Trinidad and Tobago, St. Augustine News, a publication from the University of the West Indies. Retrieved June 14, 2015 .
- ↑ Trinidad Guardian, December 26, 2014, available online
- ^ Overview of the Water and Sewerage Authority. Retrieved June 5, 2015 .
- ↑ Trinidad Guardian of April 22, 2003, available online ( Memento of June 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Trinidad Guardian, November 17, 2013, available online