The Gulf of Paria crossing is a hypothetical
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
or
tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...
spanning the
Gulf of Paria that would connect 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 ...
and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
.
Background
Trinidad was connected to
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
(as also with
Tobago
Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...
) during the last
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
by natural "land bridges" between them. Trinidad and Tobago are part of the continental shelf of South America, and Trinidad is, at its closest, only about from the South American mainland. A mere short distance, and visible across the Gulf of Paria on a clear day. At various stages of Trinidad's post independent history, members with the government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago have spoken of constructing a physical link between the islands of Trinidad and Tobago to physically unify the country. As public discussion and commentary ensued over feasibility and cost, an alternative proposal was made of constructing a shorter connection which would connect Trinidad and Venezuela.
Routes
*
Paria Peninsula
The Paria Peninsula () is a large peninsula on the Caribbean Sea, in the state of Sucre in northern Venezuela.
Geography
Separating the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Paria, the peninsula is part of the mountain range, in the Venezuelan Co ...
(
Sucre State
The Sucre State ( es, Estado Sucre, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Cumaná city. Sucre State covers a total surface area of and, as of the 2011 census, had a population of 896,921. The most important river in ...
), Venezuela—Spanning the
Bocas del Dragón
The Bocas del Dragón (Dragon's Mouths) is the name of the series of straits separating the Gulf of Paria from the Caribbean Sea. There are four Bocas, from west to east:
* The Boca Grande or Grand Boca separates Chacachacare from the Paria Penins ...
(Dragon's Mouths) strait—Isle of
Chacachacare, (
Bocas Islands) Trinidad.
*
Orinoco Delta
The Orinoco Delta is a vast river delta of the Orinoco River, located in eastern Venezuela.
Location
The Orinoco Delta is one of the eight natural regions of Venezuela.
It covers the whole of Delta Amacuro State and a few square kilometers of M ...
, (
Delta Amacuro), Venezuela—spanning the
Boca del Serpiente (Serpent's Mouth) strait --
Icacos Point
Icacos Point is the southwesternmost point in Trinidad and Tobago. It is at the end of a long peninsula that forms Saint Patrick County. A channel called the Serpent's Mouth separates Icacos Point from the coast of Venezuela, only 11 kilometers aw ...
(
Saint Patrick County
Saint Patrick was a county in Trinidad and Tobago that occupied an area of . It occupied the southwestern peninsula of the island of Trinidad, bounded by the Columbus Channel to the south, the Gulf of Paria to the west, and Victoria to the north. ...
), Trinidad
See also
*
Pan-American Highway (South America)
:''This article describes the Pan-American Highway's routing in South America from north to south. For the North America portion of the route, see Pan-American Highway (North America).''
The project of the Pan-American highway began approximatel ...
*
*
General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge (Venezuela)
*
Second Orinoco crossing
The Second Orinoco crossing or Orinoquia Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Orinoco River near Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela. It was inaugurated on November 13, 2006 and named ''Orinoquia'' Bridge. Prior to its construction, the o ...
(Venezuela)
*
Confederation Bridge
The Confederation Bridge (french: Pont de la Confédération) is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the province of Ne ...
(Prince Edward Island, Canada)
*
Bering Strait crossing
*
Strait of Gibraltar crossing
The Strait of Gibraltar crossing is a hypothetical bridge or tunnel spanning the Strait of Gibraltar (about 14 km or 9 miles at its narrowest point) that would connect Europe and Africa. The governments of Spain and Morocco appointed a joi ...
*
List of longest bridges in the world
*
List of longest tunnels
References
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulf of Paria crossing
Proposed bridges in South America
Gulf of Parial
Gulf of Paria
Transport in Trinidad and Tobago
Transport in Venezuela
International tunnels
Trinidad and Tobago–Venezuela border