Port of Spain

From The West Indian Encyclopedia

The capital city of our twin island Republic, Port of Spain, is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the entire Caribbean. Here, modern high-rise buildings rub shoulders with more traditional Caribbean architecture.

The year was 1757 and Port of Spain was a small seaside port. The capital of this then-Spanish colony was at the time located in the Northern Range at "San Jose de Oruna" or St. Joseph as we call it today.

It was the arrival of Governor Pedro de La Moneda that precipitated the move - he was appalled at the dilapidated state of St. Joseph and preferred to run the affairs of the colony from "Puerto d'Espana." He had little support for this move, since, at the time, Port of Spain was little more than two streets and a swamp.

Things have changed tremendously since those early days; the landscape of the city has undergone sweeping changes due to land reclamation and several fires, which have caused parts of the town to be re-built. Because the city is laid out on a grid with streets running North-South and East-West, it is easy to learn your way around and incredibly difficult to get lost

Port of Spain is now a sprawling city that has grown to encompass its former suburbs of Woodbrook, St. Clair and Belmont. Ringed by the hills of the Northern Range and fronted by the Gulf of Paria, it is a buzzing city where you can find some of the best shopping in the Caribbean, several historic buildings worth visiting and lots of great food. But perhaps what is most interesting about Port of Spain is the diversity of our people - a true representation of Trinidad and Tobago.