Arima, officially The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima is the easternmost and second largest in area of the three boroughs of

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

. It is geographically adjacent to

Sangre Grande Sangre Grande () is the largest town in northeastern Trinidad and Tobago. It is located east of Arima and southwest of the village of Toco. It is the seat of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation and capital of the region. Overview and histo ...

and Arouca at the south central foothills of the

Northern Range The Northern Range is the range of tall hills across north Trinidad, the major island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The hills range from the Chaguaramas peninsula on the west coast to Toco in the east. The Northern Range covers appro ...

. To the south is 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 Arima, officially The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima is the easternmost and second largest in area of the three bor ...

. Coterminous with Town of Arima since 1888, the borough of Arima is the fourth-largest municipality in population in the country (after

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...

Chaguanas The Borough of Chaguanas is the largest municipality (83,489 at the 2011 census) and fastest-growing
– Afr ...

and

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

). The census estimated it had 33,606 residents in 2011. In 1887, the town petitioned

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

for municipal status as part of the celebration for the

Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria was celebrated on 20 and 21 June 1887 to mark the Golden jubilee, 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. It was celebrated with a National service of thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Serv ...

. This was granted in the following year, and Arima became a Royal Borough on 1 August 1888. Historically the third-largest town of Trinidad and Tobago, Arima is fourth since

Chaguanas The Borough of Chaguanas is the largest municipality (83,489 at the 2011 census) and fastest-growing
– Afr ...

became the largest town in the country.

History

Contrary to the belief that the city is named after the

Arawak The Arawak are a group of Indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. The term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to different Indigenous groups, from the Lokono of South America to the Taíno (Island Arawaks), w ...

word for "water", rooted in the

Arima River Arima, officially The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima is the easternmost and second largest in area of the three boroughs of Trinidad and Tobago. It is geographically adjacent to Sangre Grande and Arouca at the south central foothills of the ...

, it was actually named after a plant and its roots that was used for fishing by the First Peoples.

Geography

Climate

The borough has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Af''), bordering on a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

, characterised with little seasonal variations due to its close proximity to the

. Temperatures typically range from 20 to 31 degrees Celsius, and annual rainfall averages around 2000 millimeters. The wet season lasts from June to November, and although there is no true dry season, there is a noticeably drier stretch from January to April.
Climate Arima, Climate-Data.org Hail has occurred in the town but is rare.

Culture and entertainment

Arima hosts an annual Borough Day anniversary celebration in August. The celebration incorporates Carnival-style street parades and usually coincides with the staging of the Santa Rosa Carib Community annual festival. The annual Arima Carnival includes street parades of masqueraders on Carnival Tuesday, J'ouvert bands on Carnival Monday, as well as a local calypso competition.

Neighborhoods and suburbs

The borough contains may communities and population center, often names after the plantations on which existed where they once situated including: * O’Meara * Santa Rosa Heights * The Crossings * Malabar * Tumpna Road * Calvary Hill * Torrecilla Gardens * La Florissant * Christina Gardens * Gopaul Lands

Demographics

Ancestry

Transportation

Highways and roads

The major land transportation arteries are the

Churchill–Roosevelt Highway The Churchill–Roosevelt Highway, sometimes refers to as CRH, is the major east–west highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of ...

Eastern Main Road The Eastern Main Road is a major road in Trinidad and Tobago running from Port of Spain in the west to Manzanilla in the east. The towns of the East–West Corridor are strung along its route. Until the construction of the Churchill–Roosev ...

and the

Priority Bus Route The Priority Bus Route (or PBR) is a public transit corridor roadway on Trinidad island in Trinidad and Tobago. It is dedicated for use only by buses, maxi taxis, and emergency vehicles. Other vehicles can only use this road if the owner poss ...

which all link Arima with major towns and cities along 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 ...

metropolitan area. Among other important routes are the Arima Bypass, Cocorite Street, Tumpuna Road and O'Meara Road which links neighbourhoods around the town to the Town Center.

Transit

Arima plays an important role for north-eastern Trinidad as a multi-modal transportation hub for many of the towns and neighbourhoods on the eastern side of the island. A bus terminal provides service by the PTSC Bus network to

, Mundo Nuevo,

Blanchisseuse Blanchisseuse () is a village in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located about midway along the north coast of Trinidad on the northern slope of the Northern Range, about 24 km north of Arima. The village was settled by the French people, Fren ...

, Carapo, Malabar, Morne La Croix,

La Horquetta La Horquetta is a mixed neighbourhood in south Arima, 9 km (5 mi) south of the Arima town center in east Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the south-eastern corner of the Tunapuna–Piarco region. La Horquetta is bounded by ...

Wallerfield Wallerfield is a residential and industrial area east of Arima in Trinidad and Tobago. It served as Waller Air Force Base, and since the closure of U.S. Army base in May 1949 it became the informal home of various types of racing (using former a ...

Brasso Seco and to the capital

Maxi taxi Maxi taxis are private, owner-operated minibuses in Transport in Romania, Romania and Transport in Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago that are used in public transport. They operate along fixed routes, having fixed fares and meeting points, ...

s (private, owner-operated minibuses) operate throughout

as a kind of semi-public transport. They operate along fixed routes, have fixed fares and meeting points, but do not operate under a fixed schedule. These

maxi taxi Maxi taxis are private, owner-operated minibuses in Transport in Romania, Romania and Transport in Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago that are used in public transport. They operate along fixed routes, having fixed fares and meeting points, ...

s provide services from the town center to

via the

and Churchill-Roosevelt Highway, making stops along the

. They also provide transport to

Sports

The major national super-league team, FC Santa Rosa and Arima Football League, which is based at the Arima Velodrome. Abilene Wildcats Athletic Club, Trinity College East Athletics Club, Silver Bullets Athletic Club, D'Abadie Progressive Athletic Club, and Spartans High Speed Performance Athletic Club are also based in Arima. Most suburbs, communities and neighbourhoods around the Borough have their own sporting complexes and community swimming pools. The three major sporting arenas in Arima are: * The Larry Gomes Stadium * Arima Velodrome *Santa Rosa Race Track *

Sunil Narine Sunil Philip Narine (born 26 May 1988) is a Trinidadian cricket player who played internationally for the West Indies. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in December 2011 and Test match debut in June 2012. Primarily an off-spin bow ...

and

Larry Gomes Hilary Angelo Gomes (born 13 July 1953) is a Trinidad and Tobago and West Indian former cricketer of Portuguese descent. He was a member of the squad which won the 1979 Cricket World Cup and finished as runners-up at the 1983 Cricket World Cu ...

are West Indies cricket players born in Arima.

Attractions

Asa Wright Nature Centre The Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge is a nature resort and scientific research station in the Arima Valley of the Northern Range in Trinidad and Tobago. The centre is one of the top birdwatching spots in the Caribbean; a total of 256 specie ...

, located in Arima Valley, it has a nature walk and swimming at a natural stream pool. * Santa Rosa Carib Centre, located on Paul Mitchell Road, off De Gannes Street in Arima, it contains items from Arima's native Carib history and is the headquarters of the

Carib Queen The Carib Queen is the leader of the Indigenous community in Trinidad and Tobago. The Queen, whose title was established in 1875, is based at the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago. The position is a lifetime appoin ...

. It also has displays about Carib descendants in Arima. Native items are also available for purchase. *Cleaver Woods, it has nature walks and

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

exhibits. * Princess Royal Park (Arima Savannah) is a wide, open, savannah, surrounded by Pro Queen Street to the east, Robinson Street to the south, Queen Mary Avenue to the west and the Arima Velodrome to the north.

Utilities

Electric generation is handled by Powergen, while electrical distribution is handled by the

Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in t ...

(T&TEC). Powergen has natural gas fired generation plants at Point Lisas, Penal, and Wrightson Road in Port of Spain. Additional power can be supplied from power generation facilities controlled by Inncogen at Point Lisas. Telecommunications are regulated by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT). It has been working to break up the monopoly, granting several new licences in 2005 to new companies in the market. Fixed-line telephone service is a monopoly controlled by Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT). Licenses have been granted for competition in this area, but start-up is a while away. Wireless telephony is controlled by TSTT and bmobile, as well as

Digicel Digicel is a Jamaican-based Caribbean mobile phone network and home entertainment provider operating in 25 markets worldwide. Digicel has operated in several countries, including Guyana, Fiji, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Samoa, St. Lucia, Surinam ...

, which came later. Licenses have been granted for a private company, Laqtel, to offer wireless service in competition with TSTT and Digicel. However, Laqtel had its licence revoked, and is undergoing severe financial difficulties. Digital cable television is provided by Flow. High-speed internet service of up to 100 Mbit/s and digital landline telephone service are all available in Arima. Water and sewerage are under the purview of the Water and Sewerage Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (WASA).

Education

There are 17 primary (private and public) and 4 secondary educational institutions in Arima, and some post-secondary level technical training institutes. St. Joseph's Convent in Arima was closed many years ago and the building now houses a retreat centre called Emmaus Centre.

Gallery

File:TnT Arima Bus Terminal.jpg, Bus terminal File:TnT Arima Velodrome 1.jpg, Arima Velodrome File:TnT Arima Velodrome 2.jpg, Arima Velodrome

Notable People

* Neveal Hackshaw - football player *

- cricketer *

Andre Rampersad Andre Jesse Rampersad (born 2 February 1995) is a Trinidadian people, Trinidadian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder. He plays for Canadian club HFX Wanderers FC, HFX Wanderers, where he serves as Captain (sp ...

- football player * Jeremy Solozano- cricketer *

Deon Lendore Deon Kristofer Lendore (28 October 1992 – 10 January 2022) was a Trinidad and Tobago sprinter who specialised in the 400 metres. He won a bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay event at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and won medals at the Pa ...

, Sprinter

References

External links

Arima Borough Corporation
{{Authority control 1750s establishments in the Spanish West Indies 1757 establishments in the Spanish Empire Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria Municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago Populated places established in 1757