Port of Spain

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The City of Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago)
Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Coordinates 10 ° 40 ′ 2 ″  N , 61 ° 30 ′ 19 ″  W Coordinates: 10 ° 40 ′ 2 ″  N , 61 ° 30 ′ 19 ″  W
Motto
"We Gather Strength As We Go Along"
Basic data
Country Trinidad and Tobago

city

Port of Spain
surface 12 km²
Residents 37,074 (2011)
Metropolitan area 548.299
density 3,089.5  Ew. / km²
founding 1560
Website Cityofportofspain.gov.tt (English)
politics
mayor Joel Martinez
Political party PNM
View over the city
View over the city

Port of Spain is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago with 37,074 inhabitants, as an agglomeration 548,299 (2000 census), located on the Gulf of Paria in the northwest of the island of Trinidad . It houses the main port in the country and a technical institute; Asphalt and cocoa exports are of great importance.

location

Port of Spain extends in the northwest of the island of Trinidad over an area of ​​a good 10 km². The Gulf of Paria extends to the southwest. North of the city runs the Northern Range , a low mountain range, in the southern slopes of which the suburbs of Port of Spain extend. In the south, the urban area is bounded by the Caroni Swamp , an extensive swamp and nature reserve. Due to this double restriction of spatial expansion, Port of Spain has grown eastward over the decades, along the southern foothills of the Northern Range. The resulting agglomeration, which extends from Port of Spain in the west to Arima about 25 km further east and is called the East-West Corridor , comprises over 500,000 inhabitants and thus almost a third of the total population of Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago is south of the hurricane belt, and the Gulf of Paria is another weatherproof area within this calmer part of the Caribbean Sea. The port of Port of Spain is therefore an important economic center of the Caribbean and is often visited by sailors and cruise ships.

history

Picadilly Street and Duke Street, 1904 or 1905

Until the middle of the 16th century there was an Indian village called Cumucurapo in the area of ​​today's Port of Spain. Since 1530, the Spanish governor for Trinidad, Don Antonio Sedeño, engaged in several unsuccessful skirmishes with the Indians while attempting to install a permanent settlement on Trinidad. In 1533 Sedeño built a settlement area fortified by palisades near Cumucurapo, but had to give it up a year later after further fighting. In 1560 a fort was built by the Spaniards where the eastern suburbs of Port of Spain are now, which they could hold. This year is considered to be the founding year of Port of Spain, at that time still Puerto de los Hispanioles. For the next 200 years the place existed as a rather poor collection of huts; In 1690, the then governor Don Sebastien de Roteta reported to Madrid that the place had six houses and a church. In 1757 the seat of government was moved from San José de Oruña (today's St. Joseph ) to Port of Spain, which was protected by the seafront by Fort San Andres . From 1784 Governor José María Chacón implemented the Cedula de populacion , an edict of the Spanish Minister José de Gálvez y Gallardo , which allowed the increased settlement of French citizens on Trinidad and thus enabled a significant increase in the population and a rapidly increasing economic performance of the island. In the following years Port of Spain also flourished; In 1786 the population was 3,000. In 1787, Chacón had the St. Ann's River, which until then flowed through the town and regularly caused flooding, diverted so that the river flowed southwards at the foot of the Laventille Hills and thus the eastern border of the urban area marked.

In 1797 Port of Spain was conquered by the British under Ralph Abercromby without a fight, since the last Spanish governor Chacón had no means of defending the city and surrendered it. At the time, Port of Spain consisted of only ten streets, but had over 10,000 inhabitants, the majority of whom were French-speaking. As a result, streets and landmarks were given English names. In 1808, in a devastating fire of unknown cause, almost the entire city was destroyed and its inhabitants were homeless; Fortunately, only two people died. As part of the reconstruction there were landfills in the Gulf of Paria, as a result of which new port facilities were built and, after completion, the Fort San Andres was positioned inland. In 1958 Port of Spain became the capital of the short-lived West Indian Federation . In 1962 the city became the capital of Trinidad and Tobago as part of the independence from Great Britain. At that time the city had over 100,000 inhabitants. Since then, the population has decreased as residential areas have gradually been converted into commercial and industrial zones and settlement shifted to adjacent areas that are not formally part of the capital. Today the core area of ​​Port of Spain has less than 40,000 inhabitants, but the metropolitan area has over 500,000.

Development of population numbers in the core area
year Pop. annotation
1901 54,100 ---
1946 92,793 Incorporation of St. James (1938)
1960 93,954 ---
1970 73,950 ---
1988 59,200 ---
2000 49,031 ---
2011 37,074 ---
For comparison: metropolitan area
Local authority Residents
Port of Spain 49,031
Diego Martin 105,720
San Juan / Laventille 157.295
Tunapuna / Piarco 203.975
Arima 32,278
total 548.299
Source: 2000 census

structure

Port of Spain
The Queen's Park Savannah , around it clockwise Belmont , Laventille , Uptown, St. James and St. Clair
district location characterization significant institutions
Downtown Location dot dark red.svg Center, entertainment, port facilities Red House , Fort San Andres
Woodbrook Arrow Blue UpperLeft 001.svg Residential area, entertainment, docks Hasely Crawford Stadium , numerous pan yards
Mucurapo Arrow Blue UpperLeft 001.svg residential area Mucurapo Cemetery (graveyard)
St. James Arrow Blue UpperLeft 001.svg Residential area, entertainment US Embassy, Fort George
Newtown Arrow Blue Up 001.svg shops National Museum
St. Clair Arrow Blue Up 001.svg residential area Magnificent Seven
St. Ann's Arrow Blue Up 001.svg residential area Prime Minister's Residence, Botanical Garden
Maraval Arrow Blue Up 001.svg residential area Church of Our Lady of Fatima , Church of Our Lady of Guadeloupe
Cascade Arrow Blue UpperRight 001.svg residential area Hilton Trinidad
Belmont Arrow Blue UpperRight 001.svg residential area Hospital, Memorial Park
Gonzales Arrow Blue Right 001.svg residential area

The division into electoral districts is independent of the division into districts. The constituencies of Port of Spain are:

  • St. James East
  • St. James West
  • Woodbrook
  • Northern Port of Spain
  • Belmont North & West
  • Belmont East
  • Belmont South
  • Southern Port of Spain
  • East Dry River
  • St. Ann's River South
  • St. Ann's River Central
  • St. Ann's River North

politics

Trinidad and Tobago is divided into eleven regions, three boroughs and two independent cities. One of the latter is Port of Spain. The administrative body is the Port of Spain City Corporation. The City Council consists of twelve council members ( councilors ) and four councilors ( aldermen ) together who choose from among its members and the mayor are responsible for legislative and administrative affairs of the city. The council members represent the twelve constituencies of Port of Spains. Since the last election on May 24, 2010, the four councilors (Raymond Tim Kee, Rono Callender, James Chin Ching and Asha Permanand) have been appointed by the PNM, which is nationwide in opposition to the ruling People's Partnership coalition.

Attractions

Fort San Andres , built in 1785 to protect the harbor and now houses a museum, rises on South Quay . Interesting is the 1832 Gothic Revival finished style building of the Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the towering at the east end of Queen Street Jama Masjid , the great Friday mosque , with its graceful minarets .

The Anglican Holy Trinity Cathedral , which was built in 1823 in neo-Gothic style, is located in downtown Woodford Square . The west side of the park is occupied by the Red House , the parliament building built in 1907 in the style of a classic Renaissance palace .

In Frederick Street , the main shopping street, is the National Museum and Art Gallery with exhibits on art, history, archeology and geology of the island and the magnificent carnival costumes .

In the northeast of the city center is the Queen's Park Savannah , a one km² large park, which is only called Savannah in local parlance . In the southern part of the park is the Grand Stand , a large grandstand in front of which the carnival parades as well as various Soca and steelpan competitions are held. On the western edge of the Savannah are the Magnificent Seven , an ensemble of buildings from the early 20th century that stands out for its playful to eccentric architectural style. In these buildings are u. a. the oldest school in the city and the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Trinidad. North of the Savannah are the Botanical Gardens , which were planted in 1820 and are known today for their tropical and subtropical plants from South America and Southeast Asia . Animals that are native to Trinidad live in the neighboring Emperor Valley Zoo .

There are good views of Port of Spain from the green hills of the hinterland. The 200 meter high viewpoint on Lady Chancellor Road is easily accessible. In the north-west, the English Fort George , built in 1804, towers 340 meters high above Port of Spain. On a clear day you can see the mountains of Venezuela from here .

gallery

Culture

religion

The dominance of Christianity in Trinidad and Tobago is particularly pronounced in Port of Spain. While 55% of Trinidadians across the country profess various forms of Christianity, this is 75% in Port of Spain.

religion pendant proportion of
Roman Catholic Church 14194 39.5%
Anglicanism 4476 12.5%
Pentecostal Movement 2861 8.0%
Spiritual Shouter Baptism 2708 7.5%
Islam 948 2.6%
Seventh-day Adventists 913 2.5%
Jehovah's Witnesses 633 1.8%
Orisha 583 1.6%
Hinduism 520 1.4%
Methodism 417 1.2%
Presbyterianism 228 0.6%
other Baptists 208 0.6%
Rastafarian 195 0.5%
Moravian Church 92 0.3%
other 1616 4.5%
no 974 2.7%
no information 4347 12.1%

Museums

Port of Spain is the center of the country in most cultural areas and accordingly has the most museums. The most important museum in the country is the National Museum and Art Gallery with over 10,000 exhibits, including a permanent exhibition with works by Michel-Jean Cazabon . The National Museum has two branches in Port of Spain:

  • The Museum of the City of Port of Spain in Fort San Andres shows the history and development of the city.
  • The Museum of the Police Service in the Downtown district shows the history of the Port of Spain police.

The Money Museum in Independence Square, run by the central bank, shows the history of the Trinidad and Tobago dollar and previous Trinidadian currencies. House of Angostura , the largest rum producer in Trinidad and maker of Angostura bitters, operates the Angostura Museum and Barcant Butterfly Collection, which covers the company's history and butterflies.

Music, theater, cinemas

The Little Carib Theater in the Woodbrook district, founded in 1947, is the only dance theater in the Caribbean and gives international guest performances. The Queen's Hall in the St. Ann's district is a multi-purpose hall built in 1959 with a capacity of 780 spectators, which is used for concerts, theater performances and various other events including sporting events. The National Academy for Performing Arts opened in 2009 and has 1500 seats. Port of Spain has two multiplex cinemas run by the local MovieTowne chain and IMAX Corporation . Independent cinemas that had existed in Port of Spain since the early 20th century had to close over time; the last independent cinema, the Globe Cinema, ceased regular operations in 2013 and now serves as the venue for the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival and the VS Bocas Poetry Slam.

carnival

Carnival is competitive in Trinidad. Both the carnival parades and the soca and calypso songs composed especially for the parades are assessed in competitions. The competitions take place in Port of Spain, end in Queen's Park Savannah and are televised. The panorama competition took place in the Savannah until 2005 when it was relocated to San Fernando .

Sports

The most popular sports are cricket and soccer ; international stadiums for this are the Queen's Park Oval and Hasely Crawford Stadium . Amateur sports are often practiced in Queen's Park Savannah.

Economy and Infrastructure

economy

Port of Spain is home to the financial industry, which is considered the leader in the Caribbean. Two of the largest banks in the Caribbean, Republic Bank and Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago , have their corporate headquarters in Port of Spain. The same applies to companies that are active in the oil and natural gas industry, which is very important for Trinidad, for example Atlantic LNG , Baker Hughes , BGTT ( British Gas ), BHP Billiton , BPTT , EOG Resources , Fluor Corporation and Repsol YPF are based in Port of Spain. The main port in the country is that of Port of Spain; Most of the containers are handled here, the ferries to San Fernando and Tobago start there, and there is a terminal for cruise ships. An economic factor that should not be neglected is public administration; Government, all ministries and most of the national authorities are based in the city.

traffic

Rail and bus transport

From 1876 until its abolition in 1968, Port of Spain was the starting point for the Trinidadian railway network. Since then, long-distance public transport has been limited to buses that run from the central bus station in Port of Spain along the coast south to Point Fortin and through the East-West Corridor to Sangre Grande . In the city center, public transport is handled by privately operated minibuses and taxis.

Road traffic

Trinidad's population is concentrated from Port of Spain along the coast to the south and along the east-west corridor to the east. The two largest highways in the country, the Churchill Roosevelt Highway to the east and the Uriah Butler Highway to the south, begin at the gates of Port of Spains. Both highways are notoriously congested, as are most of the city's major thoroughfares.

Air traffic

The Piarco International Airport is located 27 kilometers southeast of the city.

Bicycle traffic

With the exception of a 3.7-kilometer-long lane around the inner-city recreational area Queen's Park Savannah , which opened in 2015, there are no bike paths in Port of Spain.

Public facilities

Port of Spain has three government hospitals, of which the Port of Spain General Hospital is the leader in the treatment of major trauma in the southern Caribbean and also a teaching hospital for the University of the West Indies . In addition, there are three private clinics in Port of Spain and a total of 16 local health centers in the metropolitan area.

education

Trinidad's premier educational institution, the University of the West Indies campus in St. Augustine , is 15 kilometers east of Port of Spain. Some of the most important secondary schools in the country are in the city, such as St Joseph's Convent founded in 1836, Queen's Royal College founded in 1859 , St Mary's College founded in 1863, and Fatima College founded in 1945.

Water supply

The state Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) is responsible for the water supply of Port of Spain. Much of the water used by the city comes from the reservoir at Caroni-Arena Dam 40 kilometers southeast of the city.

climate

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Port of Spain
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 30.5 31.2 31.5 32.2 32.0 31.0 31.3 31.7 31.9 31.6 31.2 30.4 O 31.4
Min. Temperature (° C) 20.5 20.6 21.2 21.9 23.0 22.9 22.5 22.5 22.5 22.4 22.1 21.3 O 22nd
Precipitation ( mm ) 71 43 34 51 117 252 266 250 203 199 228 156 Σ 1,870
Hours of sunshine ( h / d ) 7.8 8.2 8.0 7.9 7.5 6.1 6.6 6.9 6.6 6.7 6.6 6.9 O 7.1
Rainy days ( d ) 12 9 4th 6th 10 19th 21st 19th 17th 16 17th 15th Σ 165
Water temperature (° C) 27 26th 26th 27 27 27 28 28 29 29 27 27 O 27.3
Humidity ( % ) 81 80 77 77 79 84 84 84 84 85 86 84 O 82.1
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
30.5
20.5
31.2
20.6
31.5
21.2
32.2
21.9
32.0
23.0
31.0
22.9
31.3
22.5
31.7
22.5
31.9
22.5
31.6
22.4
31.2
22.1
30.4
21.3
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
N
i
e
d
e
r
s
c
h
l
a
g
71
43
34
51
117
252
266
250
203
199
228
156
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Source: wetterkontor.de

Personalities

Twin cities

Source:

literature

  • Michael Anthony: Historic Landmarks of Port of Spain . Macmillan Caribbean, Oxford 2008, ISBN 978-0-333-97555-8 .

Web links

Commons : Port of Spain  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Evelin Seeliger-Mander: Trinidad and Tobago. Reise Know-How Verlag, 3rd edition 2004, p. 65
  2. ^ Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
  3. ^ Caribbean History Archives: Don Antonio and the Amerindians. Retrieved December 10, 2016 .
  4. ^ Caribbean History Archives: Nothing much has changed in 200 years. Retrieved December 10, 2016 .
  5. ^ Olga J. Mavrogordato: Voices in the Street . Inprint Caribbean, Port of Spain 1977, pp. 31 .
  6. Michael Anthony: Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago . Scarecrow Press, London 1997, ISBN 0-8108-3173-2 , pp. 447 .
  7. ^ Anthony, Historical Dictionary, p. 267.
  8. Trinidad and Tobago 2011 Population and Housing Census, p. 5
  9. 2011 census
  10. ^ RepeatingIslands.com: Little Carib Theater Brings Caribbean Dance to London. Retrieved August 1, 2020 .
  11. Angelo Bissessarsingh: Trinidad's first cinema . In: Trinidad Guardian . 2nd February 2014.
  12. The-Report.com: Port of Spain: International financial center. Retrieved November 15, 2019 .
  13. EnergyGuideTT.com: Oil & Gas Companies. Retrieved November 24, 2019 .
  14. PTSC.co.tt: About Us ( Memento from April 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  15. Wired868.com: Traffic in Trinidad: the bad, the worse and how to fix it. Retrieved November 24, 2019 .
  16. ^ Motorists not aware of cycling lane . In: Trinidad Guardian . March 11, 2015.
  17. WASA.gov.tt: About Us. Retrieved November 24, 2019 .
  18. CityofPortofSpain.gov.tt: Listing of Twinning Cities. Retrieved February 3, 2020 .