Princes Town is a town within the Princes Town Regional Corporation, located on southern

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 ...

island 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 ...

. The population of the town is 28,335.

History

Founded as the

Amerindian The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...

'' Mission of Savana Grande'', the town was renamed after the 1880 visit by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

's grandsons, Prince Albert and Prince George (later King George V). The Princes each planted a Poui tree (''Tabebuia'' sp.) at the Anglican church in the area, which still survives to this day. The sugar industry that had helped to build the economy of Princes Town was closed in 2003, leaving hundreds of workers on the breadline. With the closure of the industry, there was a decline in activities in the town as well as the surrounding estates. In the area of culture, the early East Indian families brought to Cedar Hill Village, a village on the outskirts of the town centre, the festival of

Ramleela Ramlila (Rāmlīlā) (literally 'Rama's lila or play') is any dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' or secondary literature based on it such as the ''Ramcharitmanas''. It particularly ...

. Cedar Hill is generally regarded as the first village where the cultural practice began. The amphitheatre in which the festival is held ranks among the best in Trinidad for open-air theatrical performances. The lands on which the amphitheatre is located were donated to the Ramleela organisation of Cedar Hill by Usine Ste Madeleine. Every year, thousands of patrons descend on this site to take part in the celebrations. Princes Town still remains the centre of stickfighting, which is part of the Carnival celebrations. Every year on January 20, an observance called Princes Town Day is held in the town under the auspices of the Princes Town Regional Corporation.

Geography

Princes Town is located in south Trinidad, east of

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

, west of Rio Claro and north of

Moruga The village of Moruga lies on the central south coast of Trinidad at the western end of the Trinity Hills. It is in Victoria County, Trinidad and Tobago, and is served by the Princes Town Regional Corporation. The village is close to Trinidad' ...

. Consequently, it serves as a major administrative centre for a substantial area of south Trinidad, and has developed a reputation as a major shopping town for the southern region. Princes Town is also known for the famous Ali family, who set up many established "doubles" institutes, a famed local delicacy. One of the schools in the area is St. Stephen's College, which is administered jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Anglican Board. The school was started in the late 1950s and was known then as Bishop Anstey. St. Stephen's College has the distinction of having an amphitheatre style auditorium, which is fringed at the rear by the main school block in a semicircle fashion. Major landmarks include the Yolande Pompey Recreation Ground.

Climate

Princes Town has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...

and a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

(Köppen classification ''Aw'' and ''Af''). Daily highs are about 33°C while daily lows are about 28°C, and they remain fairly constant throughout the year with very little variance. There is medium precipitation throughout the year, with a dry season from February to April. The weather is also very cloudy, with less than 1500 sunshine hours each year.

Politics

The town of Princes Town is one of the 41 Parliamentary seats that are contested for the General Elections in

. The current Member of Parliament for this constituency is Mr. Barry Shiva Padarath, elected to office in 2015. The growth of the town has since caused it to be one of the constituencies that were split in 2007 to make 41 constituencies for the next general election. Princes Town is also the seat of government for the Princes Town Regional Corporation (local elections), and was formerly the seat of the County of Victoria.

Notable residents

Amy Leong Pang Amy Leong Pang (1908–1989) was a painter from Trinidad and Tobago. Of Chinese descent, Leong Pang was born in Princes Town and sent to school in China; she is known to have painted while there. After her return to Trinidad and Tobago she moved t ...

- painter * Adrian Cola Rienzi (Krishna Deonarine) - politician *

Basdeo Panday Basdeo Panday (; born 25 May 1933) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer, politician, trade unionist, economist, actor, and former civil servant who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001. He was the first ...

- former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, politician, lawyer, and actor

References