Trinidad and Tobago Shaded Relief PCL Texas Annotated

On the island 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 Southern Range is a discontinuous chain of low hills along the southern coast, reaching their highest altitude in the high

Trinity Hills The Trinity Hills are a range of hills in southeastern Trinidad. According to legend, it is after these hills that Christopher Columbus named the island of Trinidad. Columbus had promised to name the next land he discovered after the ''Holy Trinit ...

of the southeast. According to legend, the sight of the three neighboring hilltops of the then unnamed Trinity Hills, led to

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

, on his third voyage to the New World, to name the island, "La Trinidad" (as a form of devotion to his notion of god as the

Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

). The broad lowland area on the west between the Southern Range and the

Central Range Central Range, Central Mountains, or Central Mountain Range may refer to several ranges of mountains, including: * Central Range, New Guinea * Central Range, Taiwan * Central Range, Trinidad and Tobago * Central Range, Venezuela See also * Cent ...

is the

Naparima Plain On the island of Trinidad, the Naparima Plain is a broad lowland area on the west between the Central Range and the Southern Range (see map); the lowland area on the east is the Nariva Plain. To the north of the Central Range is the Caroni Plain. ...

; the lowland area on the east is the

Nariva Plain On the island of Trinidad, the Nariva Plain is a lowland area on the east between the Central Range and the Southern Range; the lowland area on the west is the Naparima Plain. To the north of the Central Range is the Caroni Plain. The lowland a ...

. The

Oropuche River Oropouche or Oropuche can refer to: * Cumaca Cave * Oropouche (constituency), a constituency in the parliament of Trinidad and Tobago *Oropouche fever * Oropouche River * Oropouche West (constituency), a constituency in the parliament of Trinidad an ...

flows through the Naparima Plain and drains into the Oropuche Lagoon, a swampy area, on the

Gulf of Paria The Gulf of Paria ( ; es, Golfo de Paria) is a shallow (180 m at its deepest) semi-enclosed inland sea located between the island of Trinidad (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and the east coast of Venezuela. It separates the two countries ...

coast, whereas the 31-mile long

Ortoire River The Ortoire River is a river in Trinidad and Tobago. It forms the boundary between Nariva County and Mayaro County in east Trinidad. At over in length, it is one of Trinidad's longest rivers and is navigable by very small crafts for at least ...

flows through the Nariva Plain and drains into the

Nariva Swamp The Nariva Swamp is the largest freshwater wetland in Trinidad and Tobago and has been designated a ''Wetland of International Importance'' under the Ramsar Convention. The swamp is located on the east coast of Trinidad, immediately inland from ...

on the Atlantic Ocean coast. The Southern region of the island has sandy and less fertile soil. The Southern Range, particularly its Western and Central parts, consists of unconsolidated segments. The

wildlife reserve and sanctuary is located in the southern range and is rich in wildlife.

Howler monkeys Howler monkeys (genus ''Alouatta'', monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropics and are among the largest of the platyrrhines along with the muriquis (''Brachyteles''), the spider monkeys (''Ateles' ...

white-fronted capuchin White-fronted capuchin can refer to any of a number of species of gracile capuchin monkey which used to be considered as the single species ''Cebus albifrons''. White-fronted capuchins are found in seven different countries in South America: Bol ...

monkeys,

Red brocket deer The red brocket (''Mazama americana'') is a species of brocket deer from forests in South America, ranging from northern Argentina to Colombia and the Guianas. It also occurs on the Caribbean island of Trinidad (it also occurred on the island of ...

and the elusive

Ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southwes ...

can be seen here. The Lagon Bouffe mud volcano, one of Trinidad's largest mud volcanos is located here. Trinity Hills is the highest point in the Southern Range, at 325 meters.Kenny, Julian S.
Views from the Ridge: Exploring the Natural History of Trinidad and Tobago
'. Port of Spain: Prospect Press, 2000. p. 13

Notes

References

* {{coord, 10, 07, N, 61, 20, W, display=title, region:TT_type:mountain_source:GNS-enwiki Mountain ranges of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad (island) Mountain ranges of South America