Trinidad and Tobago Habitat

The sister islands of Trinidad and Tobago are barely a few miles off the eastern coast of Latin America. Larger of the two and considered more prosperous, Trinidad, is separated by a 21 mile stretch of blue sea from the cigar shaped Tobago.

Traversed by three ranges-the northern range, the southern range and the central range running diagonally across-you’d expect Trinidad to be very hilly, instead it’s characterised vast plains especially in the central region covered by fertile soil. Cerro del Aripo (3083 feet) and El Tucuche (3072) are the two highest peaks on the island. The eastern and western coasts where most of the population resides, house a number of wetlands – mangrove, fresh water, palm marshes – and are home to a variety of flora and fauna. These swamps – Nariva Swamp, Bush Bush Island, Caroni swamp – are some of the best in the entire Caribbean.

Picture postcard beaches, palm fringed coves, warm waters, breathtakingly beautiful marine life and relatively lesser developed, Tobago is making the most of its assets and gearing itself for full fledged tourism. A tiny island, the population of the island is concentrated in and around Scarborough, situated on the west coast. The hills in the northeast are of volcanic origin and are not very high (the highest point is 1,890 ft). The southwest, the main tourist stretch, is flat.