The Caroni River is the largest river 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 ...
, running for
from its origins in the
Northern Range 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 ...
, through the northern lowlands of the
Caroni Plains
On the island of Trinidad in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the Caroni Plain is a lowland area between the Northern Range and the Central Range. The lowland areas to the south of the Central Range are the Naparima Plain on the west and ...
and enters 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 ...
at the
Caroni Swamp.
The Caroni and its tributaries drain into one of the most densely populated parts of Trinidad, the
East–West Corridor
The East–West Corridor is the built-up area of north Trinidad stretching from the capital, Port of Spain, east to Arima. The term was coined by economist and political philosopher Lloyd Best, after gleaning the works of a technocrat named ...
, and also provides most of its drinking water through the
Caroni–Arena Dam
The Caroni–Arena Dam is the largest dam in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the Arena Forest Reserve, south of Arima, in the eastern Caroni Plains
On the island of Trinidad in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the Caroni Plain is a lo ...
. Point and non-point
pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, th ...
is thus a major concern, as is the
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...
of its watershed on the southern slopes of the
Northern Range. The banks of the Caroni River are one of the two main sites for
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
cremations.
The River is known to have strong currents and occasionally floods during heavy rainfall, devastating crops, livestock, fields, and farms in the Caroni area.
Course
The Caroni River originates as the
Aripo River in the Northern Range and drains west into the mangrove wetlands of the Caroni Swamp.
Major tributaries
Twelve tributaries join the Caroni River from the
Northern Range: the San Juan River, the Saint Joseph River, the Tunapuna River, the
Tacarigua River
The Tacarigua River (commonly known as the Caura River) is a river on the island of Trinidad. It originates in the Northern Range and drains into the Caura Valley. It passes through the town of Tacarigua in the East–West Corridor before joinin ...
, the Arouca River, the Oropuna River, the Mausica River, the Carapo River, the Arima River, the Guanapo River, El Mamo River, and the Aripo River. A further six tributaries drain the
Central Range: the Tumpuna River, the Talparo River, the Cumuto River, the Guatapajaro River and two rivers which bear the name Arena.
Catchment basin
The
catchment basin of the Caroni River covers about in north Trinidad
and occupies three of the five major physiographic units that make up the island of Trinidad: the Northern Range, the Northern Basin (or
Caroni Plain), and the Central Range.
The wider Caroni River basin, which includes the Caroni River and other smaller rivers that drain into the
Caroni Swamp, covers 22% of the land area of the island of Trinidad.
History
A
shell midden
A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and eco ...
along the San Juan River provides the oldest evidence of human habitation within the drainage basin of the Caroni River. These first Trinidadians belonged to the
Ortoiroid people, who were
hunters and gatherers
A traditional hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living an ancestrally derived lifestyle in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local sources, especially edible wild plants but also insects, f ...
.
Remains associated with the
Saladoid people, a later cultural group of agriculturalists, are known from along the Tumpuna River in the Central Range, in the
Maracas Valley, in
Tacarigua just east of the Tacarigua River, and in the town of
St. Joseph, the first capital of Trinidad under Spanish rule.
In 1592 a Spanish official, Domingo de Vera, took possession of Trinidad on behalf of
Antonio de Berrío y Oruña and established the town of San José de Oruña (modern St. Joseph) on the banks of the St. Joseph River. Berrío came to Trinidad in 1593 and used it as a base for exploring the mainland of South America while trying to prevent the establishment of English privateers and traders on the island.
See also
*
List of rivers in Trinidad and Tobago
References
{{reflist
Rivers of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad (island)
Gulf of Paria