Geography of Trinidad and Tobago

Template:Short description Template:Infobox country geography

Map of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic republic in the southern Caribbean between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela. They are southeasterly islands of the Lesser Antilles, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande (or Gasparee), Little Tobago, and St. Giles Island. Trinidad is Template:Convert off the northeast coast of Venezuela and Template:Convert south of the Grenadines.Template:Citation needed The island measures Template:Convert in area (comprising 93.0% of the country's total area) with an average length of Template:Convert and an average width of Template:Convert.Template:Citation needed The island appears rectangular in shape with three projecting peninsular corners.<ref name="IotCC">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Tobago is Template:Convert northeast of Trinidad and measures about Template:Convert in area, or 5.8% of the country's area, Template:Convert in length and Template:Convert at its greatest width.Template:Citation needed The island is cigar-shaped in appearance, with a northeast–southwest alignment.

Physical geography

Trinidad is traversed by three distinct mountain ranges that are a continuation of the Venezuelan coastal cordillera.<ref name="IotCC" /> The Northern Range, an outlier of the Andes Mountains of Venezuela, consists of rugged hills that parallel the coast.<ref name="IotCC" /> This range rises into two peaks.<ref name="IotCC" /> The highest, El Cerro del Aripo, is Template:Convert high; the other, El Tucuche, reaches Template:Convert.<ref name="IotCC" /> The Central Range extends diagonally across the island and is a low-lying range with swampy areas rising to rolling hills; its maximum elevation is Template:Convert.<ref name="IotCC" /> The Caroni Plain, composed of alluvial sediment, extends southward, separating the Northern Range and Central Range.<ref name="IotCC" /> The Southern Range consists of a broken line of hills with a maximum elevation of Template:Convert.<ref name="IotCC" />

There are numerous rivers and streams on the island of Trinidad; the most significant are the Ortoire River, Template:Convert long, which extends eastward into the Atlantic, and the Template:Convert-long Caroni River, reaching westward into the Gulf of Paria.<ref name="IotCC" /> Most of the soils of Trinidad are fertile, with the exception of the sandy and unstable terrain found in the southern part of the island.<ref name="IotCC" />

Tobago is mountainous and dominated by the Main Ridge, which is Template:Convert long with elevations up to 550 meters.<ref name="IotCC" /> There are deep, fertile valleys running north and south of the Main Ridge.<ref name="IotCC" /> The southwestern tip of the island has a coral platform.<ref name="IotCC" /> Although Tobago is volcanic in origin, there are no active volcanoes.<ref name="IotCC" /> Forestation covers 43% of the island.<ref name="IotCC" /> There are numerous rivers and streams, but flooding and erosion are less severe than in Trinidad.<ref name="IotCC" /> The coastline is indented with numerous bays, beaches, and narrow coastal plains.<ref name="IotCC" />

Tobago has several small satellite islands.<ref name="IotCC" /> The largest of these, Little Tobago, is starfish-shaped, hilly, and Template:Convert.<ref name="IotCC" />

Because it was once part of continental South America, Trinidad has an assortment of tropical vegetation and wildlife considerably more varied than that of most Caribbean islands.<ref name="IotCC" /> Tobago has a generally similar but less varied assortment.<ref name="IotCC" />

Geology

Template:Main Geologically, the islands are not part of the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc.<ref name="IotCC" /> Rather, Trinidad was once part of the South American mainland and is situated on its continental shelf, and Tobago is part of a sunken island arc chain related to the Pacific-derived Caribbean Plate.<ref name="IotCC" /> The islands are separated from the continent of South America by the Gulf of Paria; Bocas del Dragón, a Template:Convert-wide northern passage; and Serpent's Mouth, a Template:Convert-wide southern passage.<ref name="IotCC" />

The Northern Range consists mainly of Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous metamorphic rocks.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Northern Lowlands (East–West Corridor and Caroni Plains) consist of younger shallow marine clastic sediments.Template:Citation needed South of this, the Central Range fold and thrust belt consists of Cretaceous and Eocene sedimentary rocks, with Miocene formations along the southern and eastern flanks.Template:Citation needed The Naparima Plains and the Nariva Swamp form the southern shoulder of this uplift.Template:Citation needed

The Southern Lowlands consist of Miocene and Pliocene sands, clays, and gravels.Template:Citation needed These overlie oil and natural gas deposits, especially north of the Los Bajos Fault.Template:Citation needed The Southern Range forms the third anticlinal uplift.Template:Citation needed It consists of several chains of hills, most famous being the Trinity Hills.Template:Citation needed The rocks consist of sandstones, shales, siltstones and clays formed in the Miocene and uplifted in the Pleistocene.Template:Citation needed Oil sands and mud volcanoes are especially common in this area.Template:Citation needed

Political geography

File:Regional corporations and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago.svg

Regional corporations and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad is split into 14 regional corporations and municipalities, consisting of 9 regions and 5 municipalities, which have a limited level of autonomy.Template:Citation needed The various councils are made up of a mixture of elected and appointed members. Elections are due to be held every three years with the last elections held in 2019.Template:Citation needed The island of Tobago is administered by the Tobago House of Assembly.Template:Citation needed

Climate

File:Koppen-Geiger Map Caribbean present.svg

Köppen climate map of the islands of the West Indies, with the climate of Trinidad and Tobago visible in the southeast corner.

The country lies in the tropics, enjoying a generally pleasant maritime tropical climate influenced by the northeast trade winds.<ref name="IotCC" /> In Trinidad the annual mean temperature is Template:Convert, and the average maximum temperature is Template:Convert.<ref name="IotCC" /> The highest temperature ever was 37.8 degrees Celsius. The lowest (coldest felt) temperature recorded in Trinidad was Template:Convert in January 1964.Template:Citation needed The humidity is high, particularly during the rainy season, when it averages 85 to 87%.<ref name="IotCC" /> The island receives an average of Template:Convert of rainfall per year, usually concentrated in the months of June through December, when brief, intense showers frequently occur.<ref name="IotCC" /> Precipitation is highest in the Northern Range, which may receive as much as Template:Convert.<ref name="IotCC" /> During the dry season, drought plagues the island's central interior.<ref name="IotCC" /> Tobago's climate is similar to Trinidad's but slightly cooler.<ref name="IotCC" /> Its rainy season extends from June to December; the annual rainfall is Template:Convert.<ref name="IotCC" /> The islands lie outside the hurricane belt;<ref name="IotCC" /><ref name="CIA Factbook">Template:Cite web</ref> despite this, Hurricane Flora damaged Tobago in 1963. The hurricane killed 18 people on Tobago and caused $30:million in crop and property damages (1963 USD).<ref name="Flora">Template:Cite web</ref> Tropical Storm Alma hit Trinidad in 1974, causing damage before reaching full strength.<ref name="IotCC" /> Wind gusts reached 91 mph (147 km/h) at the Savonette gas field during the storm.<ref>Template:Cite report</ref>

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Statistics

File:Trinidad and Tobago (orthographic projection).svg

File:TrinidadAndTobago2021OSM.png

Enlargeable comprehensive map

Area:
total: 5,128 km²<ref name="CIA Factbook" />
land: 5,128 km²<ref name="CIA Factbook" />
water: negligible<ref name="CIA Factbook" />

Coastline: 362 km<ref name="CIA Factbook" />

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: Template:Convert<ref name="CIA Factbook" />
continental shelf: Template:Convert or to the outer edge of the continental margin<ref name="CIA Factbook" />
exclusive economic zone: Template:Convert<ref name="CIA Factbook" />
territorial sea: Template:Convert<ref name="CIA Factbook" />

Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains<ref name="CIA Factbook" />

Extreme points:

Northernmost point: Marble Island, Tobago Template:Citation needed

Southernmost point: Icacos, Siparia region, Trinidad Island Template:Citation needed

Westernmost point: Icacos, Siparia region, Trinidad Island Template:Citation needed

Easternmost point: Easternmost tip of Little Tobago, Tobago Template:Citation needed

Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 mTemplate:Citation needed

Highest point: El Cerro del Aripo, Trinidad 940 mTemplate:Citation needed

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, asphalt<ref name="CIA Factbook" />

Land use:
arable land: 4.9%
permanent crops: 4.3%

permanent pasture: 1.4%

forest: 44%
other: 45.4% (2018 est.)<ref name="CIA Factbook" />