The republic of Trinidad and Tobago is the most southerly of the Caribbean island chain. Trinidad lies 11 km off the north-east coast of Venezuela. This island has a total land area of 4 828 km2. Tobago lies 32 km northeast of Trinidad and has an area of 300 km2.
Agricultural land represents 26 percent of the total land area of the two islands. Some 75 000 ha of land is arable and an additional 47 000 ha are under permanent crops. Eleven thousand hectares (11 000 ha) are under permanent pasture and 235 000 ha under forest and woodland.
In 1998, the population of Trinidad and Tobago was estimated at 1 318 000 with an annual growth rate ranging between 0.77 and 0.84 percent over the period 1995 - 1998. Ninety-five percent of the population lives on the island of Trinidad. The percentage rural to urban population declined from 40.5 percent in 1994 to 36.7 percent in 1998.
Since the 1970s the country's economy has been - and continues to be - dominated by the petroleum sector. The agricultural sector contributes 2.4 percent to GDP and employs 10.6 percent of the labour force. Sugar, cocoa beans, coffee and citrus are the main agricultural products. Agricultural exports constitute 8 percent of total exports from the country.
Trinidad and Tobago enjoys a warm, humid tropical climate. Average temperature is 26oC with a little daily variation. Temperatures on Tobago are somewhat lower than on Trinidad, with a marked decrease of about 4oC in the Main Ridge area.
The mean annual rainfall for Trinidad is 2 200 mm (75 year mean 1911 - 85) and for Tobago the reported mean is 1 900 mm (30 year mean 1956 - 85). There is considerable spatial variation in rainfall with averages ranging from 1200 mm to 3800 mm in Trinidad and between 1 200 and 2 800 mm in Tobago.
Rainfall pattern is seasonal with a dry season from January to May and a wet season from June to December. Approximately 70 - 80 percent of annual rainfall occurs during the wet season. July to September also marks the hurricane season, although these two islands are not considered to be in the hurricane's path. A secondary dry season or Petit Carême occurs during September and October.
Groundwater is found throughout most of Trinidad. About two-thirds of Trinidad's current water supply is taken from aquifers.
Large-scale development of surface water has been limited to four rivers in Trinidad and Tobago. These are the Caroni and Oropuche Rivers in the Northern Range, the Navet River in the Central Range in Trinidad, and the Hillsborough River in Tobago which is the principal source of supply for Scarborough and southwest Tobago.
There are five surface water impoundment reservoirs (four in Trinidad and one in Tobago) with a combined capacity of 75 million m3. The largest of these reservoirs is the Arena dam from the Caroni river system, with a capacity of 46.6 million m3. Private individuals have constructed and operate small impoundment reservoirs, mainly in south Trinidad, but no data are available for these reservoirs.
The report presented at the workshop dealt only with the water resources of the country. A more comprehensive report on the state of land, water and plant nutrient resources are available at the following website : http://www.tidco.co.tt/uwigeospatial/trinidad/home.htm
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Ronald
Bryce |
