Penal is a town in south

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 ...

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 ...

. It lies south of San Fernando,

Princes Town Princes Town is a town within the Princes Town Regional Corporation, located on southern Trinidad island in Trinidad and Tobago. The population of the town is 28,335. History Founded as the Amerindian '' Mission of Savana Grande'', the town ...

, and

Debe Debe (or Débé) is a town in south Trinidad located in the region of Penal–Debe. Debe has grown from a small settlement into a key transit point which as has merged to some extent with Penal. A denomination high school was established by the ...

, 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' ...

Morne Diablo Morne is an Old-French word for a small mountain. It may refer to: * Morne a Chandelle, a village in the Sud-Est department of Haiti * Morne-à-l'Eau, a commune in Guadeloupe * Morne Bois-Pin, the fourth highest mountain in Haiti * Morne la Vigi ...

and Siparia. It was originally a

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

- and

cocoa Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter an ...

-producing area but is now a rapidly expanding and developing town. The population is 12,281. The heart of Penal contains many businesses while the outskirts focus on agricultural development. Penal has a market, police station, branches of three banks (

Scotiabank The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...

Republic Bank Republic Bank Limited is a leading Caribbean financial institution headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago. It has operations in Anguilla, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevi ...

and

First Citizens Bank First Citizens Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Its primary subsidiary is First Citizens Bank. It is on the list of largest banks in the United States. As of December 31, 2019, the company operated 57 ...

) health facilities, grocery stores, convenience stores, bars,

fast food restaurants A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast-food cuisine and has minimal table service. The food served in fast-food restaurants is typical ...

, service stations,

restaurants A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

, puja stores, an Indian expo, and clothing stores. Penal plays a major role in the energy supply to the nation's populace.

Petrotrin Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (Petrotrin) was a state-owned oil company in Trinidad and Tobago. Its principal activities were the exploration, development and production of hydrocarbons in addition to the manufacturing and mar ...

, the national oil company, has a major sub-unit in Clarke Road and the National Gas Company has gas lines running through Penal that links the gas fields of the South East Coast and the industrial estates. One of the countries three major power generating plants owned by Powergen Ltd is located at Syne Village to the west of Penal. Abdool Village, Aquart Village, Backar Yard, Bakhen, Batchyia Village, Charlo Village, La Costena Gardens, Mendez Village, Digity Village, Penal Rock-Bunsee Tr. Village, Penal Quinam Road Village, Sou Sou Lands, San Francique and Syne Village are located in Penal. Penal's local government is administered by the

Penal–Debe Regional Corporation Penal–Debe region is a region of Trinidad. The local government body is Penal–Debe Regional Corporation, a Regional Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago. The region has a land area of 246.91 km². Urban areas within Penal–Debe include ...

. Penal is a part of the Siparia and Oropouche West constituency. The

Trinidad and Tobago national cricket team The Trinidad and Tobago cricket team, or officially the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, is the representative cricket team of the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The Red Force takes part in inter-regional cricket competitions in the Caribbean, ...

have played matches holding first-class and List A status at the

Wilson Road Recreation Ground Wilson Road Recreation Ground is a cricket ground located along Wilson Road in Penal, Trinidad and Tobago. History The ground hosted its inaugural first-class match when Trinidad and Tobago played the touring India A cricket team in November ...

Notable residents

* Kamla Persad-Bissessar – Seventh Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago * Drupatee Ramgoonai –

Chutney A chutney is a spread in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion or mint dipping sauce ...

and Chutney Soca singer * David Williams – cricketer

References

External links

Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago's Photos
* {{cite web , url=http://www.powergen.co.tt/Power/HistoryofOurPowerStations/Penal.aspx , publisher=PowerGen , title=History of Our Power Stations: Penal Populated places in Trinidad and Tobago