Location

Trinidad and Tobago is a twin island republic which lies roughly between 10°N to 11°N latitude, and 61°W to 62°W longitude. The islands are the two most southerly of the Caribbean archipelago and are located a mere 15 km (9miles) off the Venezuelan East Coast.

Trinidad
The larger of the two islands, Trinidad, has an area of 5,128 square kilometres with three distinct mountain ranges: the Northern, Central and Southern ranges.

The most pronounced is the Northern Range mountains, which stretches for almost 80 km across the entire Northern expanse of the island. It reaches a height of 940 meters in El Cerro Del Aripo - which is representative of the highest point found in Trinidad - and 936 meters in El Tucuche. From the Northern Sea coast and the Caroni Plains to the south, the Northern range rises sharply. It is dissected by a number of rivers, some of which have severely eroded the central section creating elongated north-south valleys.

In contrast, both the Central and Southern Ranges rises gradually from the surrounding plains to a height to just over 300 meters. Of interest is the Southern ranges which possesses a unique topographical feature in that its mass is fragmented into three main peaks called the Trinity Peaks

Encased between these high land areas are the two significant flat areas or plains: the Caroni and the Naparima Plains. The former is mostly flat and lies between the Northern and Central Ranges while the latter is a more undulating expanse between the Central and Southern Ranges.

To the southwestern region of the island a geographical wonder resides in the form of a 42 hectare (104 acre) Pitch Lake which yields large quantities of asphalt.

The island has one natural harbor at Chaguaramas on the western coast, but the entire Gulf-of -Paria provides safe anchorage.

Tobago

The smaller of the two islands, Tobago, lies just 32 km northeast of Trinidad and possess a total area of 300 square kilometers.

It is of volcanic origin and is, in actuality, a single mountain mass which reaches an elevation of 550 meters (1,804 feet) above sea-level at its summit with the south and western parts being mainly flat.

Natural Resources:

Petroleum, natural gas and asphalt

Land Use:

Much of Trinidad‘s considerable agricultural output is derived from the two major plains which are made fertile by deposits of river alluvium and adequate water supply.

A 1993 estimate Trinidad land use as follows:

The Climate of Trinidad and Tobago

As a result of Trinidad and Tobago‘s location, two distinct seasonal climate types are pronounced: Tropical Maritime and Modified Moist equatorial.

Tropical Maritime climate, mostly experienced during the dry season months of January to May, is typified by warm days and cool nights with contributions of rainfall arising out of convective showers owing to daytime heating.

The other climate, Modified Moist Equatorial, usually occurs during the wet season months June to December and is typified by hot humid days and night, low-wind speeds and significant rainfall which may or may not always be convective in nature. It is within this period that equatorial we