NIE ACTIVITY

GEOGRAPHY
CONNECTIONS
This year-long series is presented in collaboration
with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance.

Trinidad Take
LOCATION: 0° 40’ N
CITY/COUNTRY VIEW latitude, 61° 31’ W longitude.

Nicole Utecht,
University of New Haven
Would you like to
experience the biggest
party in the world
complete with pulsating
music, vibrant costumes,
cultural cuisines, festive
dancing, and exciting
activities? Lucky for
you, you don’t need an
invitation to this major
bash; all you need is an
airplane ticket to the
island nation of Trinidad.
Each year, Trinidad hosts
what is known to be one
of the biggest and most festive cultural parties in the world: Carnival, to celebrate the
diversity of culture that exists in the nation. So let’s take a trip to Trinidad and get the
party started. Although famous for Carnival, the small island nation has much more to
offer. Trinidad is actually a part of a duel island nation alongside the island of Tobago;
however, Trinidad is the largest of the two and contains the capital city of the nation:
Port-of-Spain. Natives resided on the island until Christopher Columbus discovered it in
1498, making it the earliest settled part of the Caribbean. Trinidad became controlled
by Spain until 1797 when Britain claimed control. Finally, in 1962 Trinidad and Tobago
became an independent nation. The island is about 1,863 square miles, just smaller
than the state of Delaware, with a warm and sunny climate year round. The island
is surrounded by beautiful beaches with extensive coral reefs, but contains hill and
mountain ranges in the mainland. The Northern Range Mountains are a continuation of
the mountains of the Paria Peninsula in Venezuela and contain peaks that rise above
3,000 feet. Also found in the mainland of Trinidad are rivers, swamplands, waterfalls, an
abundant plant life, a wide range of animal species, and asphalt deposits.
5
PLACE: Trinidad is the most
southern island in the Caribbean,
located about seven miles off of the North
Eastern coast of Venezuela and between the
North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT
INTERACTION: Due to illegal hunting and
pollution, Trinidad has set up a number of animal
sanctuaries and forest reserves to preserve the island’s
plant and animal life.
MOVEMENT: The island has a developed system of
highways and main local roads; however, there is heavy
congestion in urban areas such as Port of Spain.
REGION: The population stands at about 1.2 million
people. The majority of the population is comprised of
African and Indian descent.
MAPPING ACTIVITY
Trinidad is involved in trading with other countries and
exports goods such as petroleum products, natural
gas, ammonia, steel products, sugar, cocoa, coffee,
vegetables, and flowers. Some of the countries that
it exports to are the United States, Chile, Brazil,
Argentina, and Spain. The major port where goods are
exported and imported is the capital, Port of Spain.
Use the maps of Trinidad and the Caribbean’s major
ports to answer the following questions:
A port is a town or city containing a harbor where
ships import and export goods during trade.
• What do you notice about the location or placement
of these ports?
• Do you think the port locations were chosen
strategically?
• Why might the ports be placed where they are?
• Research the factors that go into choosing a port
location.

DID • Due to the cultural diversity

on the island, Trinidad hosts

YOU festivals and holidays such as

Holi, Easter, Eid-ul-fitr, Carnival,
KNOW? Shouter Baptist Liberation Day,
Emancipation day, Hosay, Divali,
and Arrival day.
• The official language of Trinidad is English, but due
to the various cultures existing on the island, Spanish,
Hindi, Chinese, and French Patois are all spoken there.
• A favorite sport of Trinidad is cricket. Cricket matches
Community Connections/ Using the News in Queen’s Park Oval are a popular attraction for many
people on the island, whether they are playing or
watching.
Violence in schools has been a major issue in today’s society. To help prevent and
combat violence in schools, the Minister of National Security for Trinidad and Tobago • The currency is in the form of the Trinidad and Tobago
announced that police will be more utilized to patrol and monitor preschools, primary dollar. U.S. currency is also widely accepted, even more
schools, and secondary schools throughout the country. In addition, these officers will than the Euro.
visit schools and engage students through discussions and lectures.
Read the full article here:
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,224581.html
• Do you think this is a good strategy for preventing and combating the violence in
schools? Why or why not?
• What benefits might this strategy provide? What problems might the government or
schools face in trying to do this?

Online Resources:
http://www.gotrinidadandtobago.com/ Common Core
http://www.britannica.com/place/Trinidad-and-Tobago#toc54799 Curricular For students who are blind, learning
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/td.html
Connections disabled or print challenged,
http://www.mapsofworld.com/trinidad-and-tobago/ visit CRIS Radio at
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/caribb/tt.htm CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.7 http://www.chrisradio.org and click
Kids On-Demand for a free audio
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,224581.html CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2 version of Geography Connections.