Cedros, Trinidad and Tobago

The coastal area known as Cedros lies on a peninsula at the South-Western end of the island of Trinidad. Located at the tip of the peninsula, Cedros or Bonasse as it is more commonly known especially on maps, lies mere miles off the coast of Venezuela, and is the most southern point in the Caribbean. According to a Trinidad Guardian article, "Cedros is the closest legal point of entry to Venezuelans wishing to enter Trinidad and Tobago."

Economic history

Cedros has historically been a fishing village and coconut grove, producing much of the coconuts for harvest.

Widely considered on the island as a rural area, the proximity of Cedros to the South American mainland has led to many drug cartels from South America trying to bring their cargoes via the Gulf of Paria into the Caribbean region or though Cedros. As a countermeasure to suppress the drug trade using Venezuela, the Venezuelan government routinely sends gunships to patrol the waters between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. Cedros is a key area in that fight. Counter-measures by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in Cedros include a jetty for quickly launching boats for drug interdiction.

Geography

Cedros is considered to be one of the final remaining areas that millions of years ago attached the island of Trinidad geologically to the South American continent. Cedros is said to still share resemblance to the adjacent Venezuelan coastline 11–12 km across the passage of water known as Boca del Sierpe (Serpent's Mouth).

Places of interest

Cedros Bay

Cedros Bay is one of the bays in Cedros. According to an image published by a local photographer in 2007, when the tide was out or low, there was a large stretch of beach which appeared to be excellent for walking. The sand was a light beige and there were coconut trees on the shore of the bay. On weekends and on log weekends persons tend to drive down to coastal areas either to bathe in the sea or purchase fish for consumption or to enjoy the scenery pr to participate in hikes and other nature events.

Hikes

Hikes are conducted over various geographical terrain and at different times in the year. One of the hikes which is offered to the public by a public hiking group, for which a fee is paid is from Cedros to Icacos.

Cedros Recreation Ground

According to the Laws of Trinidad and Tobago Chapter 41:01 "Recreation Grounds and Pastures" in the First Schedule, in the county of St. Patrick, there is a "Granville Recreation Ground, (Granville Village, Ward of Cedros)"FAOLEX.FAO.Org. This may be the main Recreation Ground of Cedros.

Cedros Public Cemetery

Cedros Public Cemetery has simple and elaborate tombs and grave spots. On some of the grave spots, the boundaries of which are marked off by bricks, there is indication of recent maintenance in the white paint. However there are one or two which have an elaborate gravestone, along with information which has been carved into the tombstone as per the image in Angelo Bissessarsingh's photo of a tombstone in 2009 (See the Link to the citation).

It is the practice of holders of grave spots in cemeteries to bury their close relatives one on top of the other with a few feet of dirt between each person after a number of years have passed. Some grave holders rent spots in different parts of the cemetery either as the spaces become available or as the family grows and the spots are used or as the finances of the family changes, which ever comes first. Given the terrain of most areas, it is practical to select spots in different locations to take account of expansion of the cemetery and or the wishes of parents with respect to burial.

Cedros Secondary School

Cedros Composite School is located in "Bonasse Village, Trinidad"

Oil fields

According to a 2015 article in the Trinidad Express Newspapers there are onshore oil deposits located in Cedros. However it is my opinion (Jennifer Bailey's) that given the current price of oil worldwide at 2016, the cost of extraction may involve considerable cash outflows which may not be recovered from the sale of oil in the near future, hence the cash outflows in certain companies may exceed the inflows at a point in time. Given the strategic importance of the extraction of oil, one may examine the needs of the shareholders in companies and their reserves now and over time.

There are also shallow oil fields which are located in Cedros according to information provided by the Trinidad Express in 2015.

Cedros Public Library

The Cedros Public Library is located in the Cedros Composite School according to the NALIS website. Thus the Public Library falls under the Authority of the National Library Information System even though it is housed in a school compound. As there has been an expansion in the services which the Public Library offers, some of which are: free internet access on computers for an hour per day for a person, access to books online and access to research facilities once a person joins a Library and signs up for the service, there should be an increase in borrowings from the Cedros area with the availability of services in the Library. Also available from most NALIS Public Libraries are DVDs with movies which cater to the needs of children and adults.

Smelter

In 2005–06, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago led by the then Prime Minister of T&T – Patrick Manning announced an initiative to rapidly industrialise the Cedros area. One of the projects devised for Cedros was the establishment of an Alumina smelter plant which was backed by ALCOA. Residents living in the Cedros area opposed the project. The plant was touted as becoming one of the biggest alumina smelter plants in the world once completed; however, residents in Cedros claimed that ash from the plant could contaminate the local area's soil and may lead to possible respiratory-health issues in the long run. The Smelter project was cancelled in September 2010.

Notable natives of Cedros

* Mervyn Malcolm Dymally, Lieutenant Governor of California, 1975–79; and U.S. Representative from California 31st District, 1981–93; delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004.

References

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{{coord missing, Trinidad and Tobago

Populated places in Trinidad and Tobago
Beaches of Trinidad and Tobago