FACTOID # 53: If you thought Antarctica was inhospitable, think again - its land area is only ninety-eight percent ice. Reassuringly, the other 2% is categorised as "barren rock".
 
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Encyclopedia > San Fernando Hill

San Fernando Hill has existed in San Fernando since its founding. However, its size was reduced by more than a third as a result of unrestricted quarrying in the 1970s.


San Fernando Hill (officially known as Naparima Hill) lies at the centre of the city of San Fernando in Trinidad and Tobago. The hill, an outcrop of limestone is the highest point in the Naparima Plains. It originally supported semi-evergreen forest, but this was largely replaced by cultivated species prior to the devastation of the Hill by quarrying.


Quarrying on the Hill was not a new phenomenon, but the increase in demand for limestone aggregate (for construction) during the oil boom of the 1970s led to an expansion of quarrying to the point where it appeared that the entire Hill would be removed. Protests by citizens' groups led to a halt to quarrying and the Hill was included in the National Parks and Protected Areas plan of 1980. The Forestry Division took over management of the Hill and have since constructed a visitor centre and recreation area on the Hill. Several World War II-era bunkers also exist on the Hill, but they are not readily accessible to the public.


'The Hill' holds a special place in the hearts of San Fernandians, and gives the town its character. Since the town sits on the flanks of this hill and its neighbour, Alexander Hill, San Fernando is famously a town of steep streets, some of which should be driven only by the brave or foolhardy. During the late 1980s the then mayor of San Fernando, Dr. Romesh Mootoo suggested that the City Hall be removed to the Hill, calling it the Acropolis of the Caribbean. Nothing came of these plans, however. With the development of the Hill as a recreation area, the burgess of San Fernando and surrounding have re-connected with the Hill.


Based on the Masters research of Tyrone Kalpee, (now of bp), an innovative plan for the restoration of the bare-rock surface of the formerly quarried areas (which make up about 3/4 of the Hill) was developed based on Leucaena leucocephala, a fast-growing leguminous tree species. The Forestry Division incorporated Kalpee's plans its restoration plan for the Hill, and as a result many areas support relatively lush vegetation.


  Results from FactBites:
 
TriniNetwork.com - 'The San Fernando Hill' - In the dream of a world mountain. (3599 words)
The San Fernando Hill is located in the centre of the city of San Fernando, which lies on the southwest coast of Trinidad about thirty (30) miles from Port of Spain.
In most places up the Hill the panoramic view is visible only through a frame of branches; and, while the bare pinnacles remain to tell the tale of an accusing past, their starkness is softened by the contrast of the foliage.
San Fernando gravel was also used for the network of roads in the canefields and Caroni Limited had a quarry on the Hill.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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