Manzanilla Beach, Trinidad and Tobago
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Manzanilla Beach is a beach in
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
. Located on the east coast of
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
, the larger island, the beach sits directly on the Manzanilla Bay adjoined to the larger north
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
.


Etymology

The word ''manzanilla'' is the
diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...
form of the Spanish word for
apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
, ''manzana''. The beach was so named by early Spanish settlers, who encountered what they thought were apple trees with small fruit. They were in fact the
manchineel The manchineel tree (''Hippomane mancinella'') is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Its native range stretches from tropical southern North America to northern South America. The name "manchineel" (sometimes spel ...
tree, bearing toxic fruit that closely resembles apples. The name of the area was still maintained even after the arrival of the British in 1797.


History

Largely uninhabited until 1822, Manzanilla beach saw new settlers when Governor Ralph Woodford brought soldiers of the West India Regiment in the area. The reason for this settlement was twofold: firstly, because the regiment was composed mainly of Black soldiers and wished to avoid the incidence of runaway slaves hiding among the Black soldiers and secondly, the Governor wished to promote the development of a roadway from
Arima Arima, officially The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima is the easternmost and second largest in area of the three boroughs of Trinidad and Tobago. It is geographically adjacent to Sangre Grande and Arouca at the south central foothills of th ...
to the east coast. These soldiers were each given sixteen acres of land which they developed with their families by growing rice and ground provisions. These agricultural productions were so large that wastage was a common feature of their lands and also because of the infrequency that the round-island steamer collected their produce. These soldiers were underpaid and slighted by their employer, the government at the time. In fact, in an attempt to ameliorate conditions, the government used the soldier's own retirement pension to provide better facilities for the village. By 1839, the village consisted only of one medical officer, one police officer, a superintendent and a Mico Charity School for the village children. In 1841, three years after the
abolition of slavery Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...
in 1838, the Governor at the time, Sir Henry MacLeod had sent Reverend J.H. Hamilton on a mission to report about the situation in Manzanilla. The Reverend, although more concerned about his proselytizing ambitions, did report that there were about five Mandingo priests and a horrible track between Arima and Manzanilla. The residents of the area later developed cocoa and coffee and by 1898, the problem of transport of goods was solved with the introduction of the railway to neighboring
Sangre Grande Sangre Grande is the largest town in northeastern Trinidad and Tobago. It is located east of Arima and southwest of the village of Toco. It is the seat of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation and capital of the region. Overview and history ...
. As a result of an agreement between
Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...
and President
Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
, Manzanilla village served as a base of operations in the Caribbean for American soldiers in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in 1942. The area was established as a training camp for the army, where
American soldiers ''American Soldiers'' is a 2005 war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20 ...
trained in
jungle warfare Jungle warfare is a term used to cover the special techniques needed for military units to survive and fight in jungle terrain. It has been the topic of extensive study by military strategists, and was an important part of the planning for bo ...
before being deployed in the region.


Tourism

As one of the most sparsely populated areas on the island, Manzanilla has become a choice tourism destination for visitors seeking a quieter and less commercial beach experience. There are a few resorts, such as the Coconut Cove, that cater to tourists visiting the region for leisure. Despite its appeal as an attraction, Manzanilla is infamous for its consistently rough waters and dangerous undercurrents during high tide. The beach is also known as a hatching site of the local
leatherback sea turtle The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weight ...
. Due to the abundance of these nests, Manzanilla beach has caught the attention of eco-tourists as a destination for turtle-watching.


References

{{reflist Beaches of Trinidad and Tobago