TRINIDAD', an island belonging to Great Britain, and the most southerly of the West India islands, being in lat. 11° north. It is about 50 m. long, varying in breadth from 30 to 35 in., and the area amounts to 1755 sq. miles. It is separated from the mainland (Venezuela) by the gulf of Paria, and the extreme points on the w. coast are only 13 and 9 m. respectively from it. The Dragon's Mouth entrance, to the n., is the deepest channel to the harbor; and the southern, or Ser pent's Mouth, is shallow, owing to the deposits brought down by the Orinoco. The gulf itself is shoaling up from the same cause. The aspect of the island of Trinidad is different from that of the Caribbean islands generally: the mountains are not so lofty, and they extend in an e. and w. direction along the northern coast, clothed with stately forests, and their margins fringed with overhanging mangroves, dipping into the sea. From the double-peaked mountain called Tamana, are seen the lovely and fertile valleys and plains with which the other part of the island abounds. The island has several good harbors, and some tolerably large rivers.
The chief town, Port of Spain, is one of the finest towns in the West Indies. It was originally built of wood, but was burned down in 1808, and the town has since been re built of the good stone procured in the neighborhood. The streets are long, wide, well paved, clean, and shaded with trees. There is another town called San Fernando, with two or three pretty villages.
A remarkable phenomenon is a pitch lake near the village of La Brea, composed of ° bituminous matter floating on the surface of fresh water, about 3 m. in circumference, and 80 ft. above the sea. The mineralogy of the island is but little known, The soil is very rich and productive. The climate is hot and moist; the thermometer ranges from 75° to 85°, sometimes 90'; and the rain-fall is about 75 inches.
The most important products arc cocoa, sugar, rum. molasses, coffee. cotton, arrow root, cocoa-nut, oil, hides, etc. The value of the exports in '75 was £1,625,082; im ports. £1,507,794. The pop. of the island in '71 was 109,638, being an increase of 25,200 over that shown by the census of '61; occasioned principally by the voluntary immigration from the neighboring colonies and from India. Trinidad is a crown colony, ruled by a governor, an executive council of 3, and a legislative council of 13 members. Various Christian denominations are represented in Trinidad. The first railroad in Trin idad, extending from Port of Spain to Arima, a distance of 16 m., was opened for traffic in '76.
Trinidad was first discovered by Columbus in 1498, and thus named by him because three mountain summits were first seen from the mast-head when discovered; but no permanent establishment was founded there until 1532 by the Spaniards. In 1783, it first fell into the hands of the British, who were confirmed in possession of it in 1802.