The Borough of Chaguanas is the largest (67,433, 2000 census) and fastest-growing^[1][2] town in Trinidad and Tobago. Located in Central Trinidad about 18 km (11 miles) south of Port of Spain, Chaguanas began life as a Convict Depot. It grew in size due to its proximity to the Woodford Lodge sugar refinery. It remained a minor town until the 1980s when it began to grow rapidly. Although it originally drew people for bargain shopping and moderately-priced housing, the growth of the town has seen property values increase dramatically.^[1] Image File history File links Chaguanas. ... Local Government in Trinidad and Tobago is handled through 5 municipalities, 9 Regional Corporations and the Tobago House of Assembly. ... Local Government in Trinidad and Tobago is handled through 5 municipalities, 9 Regional Corporations and the Tobago House of Assembly. ... A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning larger, greater) is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer. ... Dr. Surujrattan Rambachan is a Trinidad and Tobago politician, academic and cultural activist who is the current mayor of Chaguanas. ... The Borough of Chaguanas is the largest (67,000, 2000 census) and fastest-growing town in Trinidad and Tobago. ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ... Population density by country, 2006 Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. ... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... −12 | −11 | −10 | −9:30 | −9 | −8 | −7 | −6 | −5 | −4 | −3:30 | −3 | −2:30 | −2 | −1 | −0:25 | UTC (0) | +0:20 | +0:30 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +3:30 | +4 | +4:30 | +4:51 | +5 | +5:30 | +5:40 | +5:45 | +6 | +6:30 | +7 | +7:20 | +7... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... Ronda, Spain Main street in Bastrop, Texas, a small town A town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... km redirects here. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... Port of Spain, population 49,000 (2000), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the countrys second largest city by population, after San Fernando. ... Two sugar beets - the one on the left has been cultivated to be smoother than the traditional beet, so that it traps less soil. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Chaguanas became a borough in 1990; prior to that it was part of the County of Caroni. The current mayor is Surujrattan Rambachan and the Borough Council is dominated by the United National Congress. Look up Borough in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... The County of Caroni is located on the island of Trinidad, the major island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Dr. Surujrattan Rambachan is a Trinidad and Tobago politician, academic and cultural activist who is the current mayor of Chaguanas. ... The United National Congress (UNC) is one of the two major political organisations in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. ...

History

Chaguanas was named for the Chaguanes Amerindian tribe^[3]. The area was settled by the time of the British conquest of Trinidad in 1797 (see History of Trinidad and Tobago). The town originated on what was then H.E. Robinson's sugar estate adjacent to the Woodford Lodge sugar refinery and the De Verteuil coconut and cocoa estate to the north and east. Construction of the Trinidad Government Railway helped the town grow. Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The history of Trinidad and Tobago begins with the settlements of the islands by Amerindians of South American origins. ... Two sugar beets - the one on the left has been cultivated to be smoother than the traditional beet, so that it traps less soil. ... Last Train to San Fernando - Harris Promenade, San Fernando The Trinidad Government Railway existed between 1876 and December 28, 1968. ...

The Princess Margaret Highway, built by the US military during World War II, joined the Southern Main Road at Chaguanas. Construction of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway extended the highway south to San Fernando. The Uriah Butler Highway is one of the major north-south highways in Trinidad and Tobago. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Southern Main Road is a major road in Trinidad and Tobago running from Curepe in the north through Chaguanas, Couva and San Fernando to Point Fortin in the south. ... The Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway is the major north-south highway in Trinidad and Tobago. ...

In the later twentieth century Chaguanas grew rapidly as a bazaar town. Construction of Lange Park in the early 1980s attracted a middle-class community moving south from Port of Spain and the East-West Corridor and north from San Fernando. Its central location made it attractive to southerners working in north Trinidad and northerners looking for more affordable homes. Edinburgh Gardens and Edinburgh 500 was built by the National Housing Authority. Like many such government-built housing developments, these neighbourhoods added a new Afro-Trinidadian element to Chaguanas' mostly Indo-Trinidadian population. Orchard Gardens was constructed as an upper middle class community. Lange Park gentrified, becoming an increasingly upscale neighbourhood. The East-West Corridor is the peri-urban area of development in north Trinidad stretching from the capital, Port-of-Spain, east to Arima. ... The City of San Fernando is the larger of the two cities, and the second largest municipality in Trinidad and Tobago. ... Afro-Trinidadian refers to people of African descent who are citizens or nationals of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Indo-Trinidadians are people of South Asian descent who are citizens or nationals of Trinidad and Tobago. ...

In October of 1990 Chaguanas was elevated to the status of borough under the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act No. 21 of 1990.^[2] Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ...

Geography

Chaguanas is low-lying and is just upstream from the Caroni Swamp. The Caparo River runs through the town. The Caroni Swamp is the largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago. ... A list of the major rivers in Trinidad and Tobago Arima River Aripo River Arouca River Black River Caparo River Cano Venturo River Caroni River Cascade River Caura River Chaguaramas River Cipero River Couva River Cuesa River Diego Martin River Guanapo River Guaracara River Honda River La Horquette River Madame...

Climate

Chaguanas has a lowland seasonal tropical climate with a wet season lasting from June to December and a dry season lasting from January to May. The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... A wet season or rainy season is a season in which the average rainfall in a region is significantly increased. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Urban structure

Chaguanas is bounded to the north by Munroe Road, to the east by the Gandia River, to the south by the Honda River and to the west by the Gulf of Paria. The Gulf of Paria (Golfo de Paria in Spanish) is a shallow inland sea between the island of Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and the east coast of Venezuela. ...

The town is bisected by the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway and Uriah Butler Highway. The Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway is the major north-south highway in Trinidad and Tobago. ... The Uriah Butler Highway is one of the major north-south highways in Trinidad and Tobago. ...

Chaguanas consists of the following main population centres

• Downtown Chaguanas - the original core town of Chaguanas and modern central business district; lies west of the Solomon Hochoy Highway.
• Montrose - primarily commercial district east of the Solomon Hochoy Highway.
• Edinburgh Gardens - south of Montrose.
• Lange Park - north of Montrose and south of Endeavour.
• Felicity - lies north and west of the downtown, east and south of the Caroni Swamp.
• Orchard Gardens - north of the downtown
• Endeavour - northeast of Orchard Gardens, north of Lange Park.
• Enterprise - east of Endeavour and north of Longdenville
• Longdenville - east of Montrose.
• Cunupia - population centre to the northeast Chaguanas, north of Enterprise.
• Carlsen Field - a former U.S. airbase to the south of Chaguanas, this area of the town is still predominantly agricultural.

Governance

The Chaguanas Borough Council consists of 8 elected councillors and two aldermen. The electoral districts are as follows:

Economy

Chaguanas developed as a market town and still attracts bargain shoppers. Retail development expanded with the construction of three malls in the downtown in the 1980s (Mid-Centre Mall, Centre City and Centre Pointe Mall). More recently, construction of Price Plaza in Endeavour expanded upscale retail opportunities. Price Plaza includes the Costco-Price Club warehouse-style store Price Smart, plus TGIFridays restaurant, SuperPharm (a very large drug store by Trinidad standards), and many other retail outlets.

Chaguanas has developed into a financial centre. The Hindu Credit Union, one of the major credit unions in Trinidad and Tobago, is based in Chaguanas. In addition, the Unit Trust Corporation, Sagicor and Republic Bank of Trinidad and Tobago all have major corporate offices in Chaguanas. A credit union is a co-operative financial institution that is owned, controlled and administered by its members. ...

The dissolution of the state-owned sugar company, Caroni (1975) Limited, had a profound effect on Chaguanas, since this company was a major employer.

Demographics

Chaguanas has grown rapidly from a small village to the largest town in Trinidad and Tobago. Chaguanas has historically been considered an Indo-Trinidadian town, but as it has grown it has become more multi-racial. Longdenville is a historically Afro-Trinidadian village which has been absorbed into the growing town of Chaguanas. Edinburgh Gardens and associated residential developments are also largely Afro-Trinidadian.

Education

There are several secondary schools in Chaguanas. Presentation College Chaguanas, which serves a large catchment over central Trinidad, ranks among the top boys' secondary schools in the country. Also among one of the prestigious primary schools in Trinidad is the Chaguanas Government Primary School, which consistently ranks in the top three schools every year. Presentation College, Chaguanas is a Roman Catholic secondary school in Eleanor Street, Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago. ...

Several private technical and secretarial schools operate in Chaguanas. These include Trinizuela Secretarial and Technical College, Upper Level Educational Institute and Omardeen School of Accounting.

Culture and entertainment

Chaguanas hosts the Divali Nagar site. The Nobel Prize-winning author, V. S. Naipaul was born in Chaguanas. Divali Nagar (Village of Lights) is an annual exposition of Hindu culture (broadly) and Indo-Trinidadian culture (specifically), it is associated with the celebration of Divali in Trinidad and Tobago. ... Nobel Prize medal. ... Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, T.C. (born August 17, 1932, in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago), better known as V. S. Naipaul, is a Trinidadian-born British writer of Indo-Trinidadian ethnicity and Bhumihar Brahmin heritage from Gorakhpur in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. ...

Scenery/attractions

The Lion House, birthplace of Nobel-prize winning author V.S. Naipaul is located in Chaguanas. This is generally assumed to be the model for Hanuman House in Naipaul's A House for Mr Biswas, with Chaguanas as the model for Aruacas. A House for Mr Biswas is a 1961 novel by V. S. Naipaul, significant as Naipauls first work to achieve acclaim worldwide. ...

The Caroni Swamp, the largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago, is located just north and west of the town. The swamp is a popular tourist attraction and roosting ground for the Scarlet Ibis, national bird of Trinidad and Tobago. Above and below water view at the edge of the mangal. ... Binomial name Eudocimus ruber Linnaeus, 1758 Range The Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a species of ibis that occurs in tropical South America and Trinidad and Tobago. ...

The Divali Nagar site, located in northern Chaguanas, is a major attraction in the period just before Divali. The village of Felicity, on the eastern end of Chaguanas, is famous for its elaborate Divali celebrations. Diwali, also called Deepavali, is a major Indian festival that is very significant in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. ...

Media

HCU Communications Limited is based in Chaguanas. It operates a radio station (Bollywood Masala 101.1 FM), and plans to launch a television station (WIN TV) in late 2006 or early 2007. As HCU Publications, it also publishes three weekly newspapers, The Probe, Uhuru and Bollywood Today. WIN TV is a television station in Trinidad and Tobago. ...

Sports

The main sporting venue in Chaguanas is the Central Regional Indoor Sport Arena Hall at Saith Park. Smaller recreation grounds and cricket pitches are scattered around the Chaguanas area, but no larger sporting venues are located within the town. Chaguanas cemented its place in cricket when Ramlal Bajnath, founder of Bajnath's Sports Centre setup formal cricket leagues in the region to draw attention to the area's talent.

Infrastructure

Health

The Chaguanas District Hospital is located in downtown Chaguanas. A private hospital, Health Net Limited, is located in Endeavour, and Sajeevan Medical Complex on Ramsaran Street.

Transport

Chaguanas is an important transportation hub. Buses, taxis and maxi-taxis connect Chaguanas with Port of Spain, San Fernando, Curepe and Couva, and smaller settlements around central Trinidad. Port of Spain, population 49,000 (2000), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the countrys second largest city by population, after San Fernando. ... The City of San Fernando is the larger of the two cities, and the second largest municipality in Trinidad and Tobago. ... Curepe is a town in the East-West Corridor of Trinidad and Tobago. ... Couva is a town in west-central Trinidad, south of Chaguanas and north of Claxton Bay and San Fernando. ...

As a village which grew spontaneously into a large town, Chaguanas is plagued by traffic problems.

Utilities

Electric generation is handled by Powergen, while electrical distribution is handled by the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC). Powergen has one natural gas fired generation plants at Point Lisas, Penal and Wrightson Road in Port of Spain. Additional power can be supplied from power generation facilities controlled by Inncogen at Point Lisas. The Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) is the sole provider of electricity in Trinidad and Tobago. ... Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane but including significant quantities of ethane, butane, propane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, helium and hydrogen sulfide. ... Point Lisas is the site of the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and the Port of Point Lisas, both of which are managed by Plipdeco (the Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Company). ... Penal (originally Peñal) is a town in southern Trinidad. ... Wrightson Road links from downtown Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago with the Audrey Jeffers Highway. ...

Telecommunications are regulated by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT). It has been working to de-monopolise the industry, granting several new licenses in 2005. Fixed-line telephone service is a monopoly controlled by Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT). Licenses have been granted for competition in this area, but start-up is a while away. Wireless telephony is currently controlled by TSTT, but licenses have been granted for two private companies, Digicel and Laqtel to offer wireless service in competition with TSTT. Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (generally known as TSTT) is the largest telephone and Internet service provider in Trinidad and Tobago. ... Digicel is the leading mobile phone network provider in the Caribbean region. ... Laqtel, Ltd. ...

Water and sewerage are under the purview of the Water and Sewerage Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (WASA). The Water and Sewerage Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (WASA) is the sole water and sewerage provider in Trinidad and Tobago. ...

References

Local Government in Trinidad and Tobago
Regional Corporations - Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo - Diego Martin - Penal-Debe - Princes Town - Rio Claro-Mayaro - San Juan-Laventille - Sangre Grande - Siparia - Tunapuna-Piarco
Boroughs and Cities - Borough of Arima - Borough of Chaguanas - City of Port of Spain - Borough of Point Fortin - City of San Fernando
Tobago House of Assembly
Counties (historic) - Caroni - Mayaro - Nariva - Saint Andrew - Saint David - Saint George - Saint Patrick - Victoria