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. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. 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 history ...

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 approx ...

. To the south is the Caroni–Arena Dam. 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,

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

and San Fernando). 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 her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

for municipal status as part of her Golden Jubilee celebration. 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
– Afra ...

became the largest town in the country.

Geography

Climate

The borough has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical 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 southea ...

(

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

''Af''), bordering on a tropical monsoon climate, 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.

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 on Trinidad island in Trinidad and Tobago. It runs for from Barataria in the west (where it joins the Beetham Highway) to Wallerfield in the east ( ...

, Eastern Main Road and the Priority Bus Route 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 (pronounced, in the local English dialect, "blan-chee-shears") 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 ...

, Carapo, Malabar, Morne La Croix, La Horquetta,

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 ai ...

Brasso Seco and to the capital Port of Spain.

Maxi taxi Maxi taxis are private, owner-operated minibuses in Romania and Trinidad and Tobago that are used in public transport. They operate along fixed routes, having fixed fares and meeting points, but do not operate under a timetable. Australia Simila ...

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 Romania and Trinidad and Tobago that are used in public transport. They operate along fixed routes, having fixed fares and meeting points, but do not operate under a timetable. Australia Simila ...

s provide services from the town center to Port of Spain via the Priority Bus Route 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 and Larry Gomes 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 The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples. Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...

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 (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, 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 100Mbit/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 several primary (private and public) and 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. Schools ''Primary'' *Arima Hindu Primary School *Arima Boys' Government Primary School *Arima Boys' R.C. Primary School *Arima Centenary Government Primary School *Arima Girls' Government Primary School *Arima Girls' R.C. Primary School *Arima New Government Primary School *Arima Presbyterian Primary School *Arima West Government Primary School *Christian Primary Academy *EdenWay Pre-Primary Christian School *Giuseppi Preparatory *Malabar Government Primary School *Malabar R.C. Primary School *New Dawn Preparatory *Santa Rosa Government Primary School *St. Hilary's Preparatory ''Secondary'' * Arima Government Secondary School *Arima Senior Comprehensive (now Arima North Secondary School) *Holy Cross College *Arima Central Secondary School ''Post-secondary Institutions'' *Ambi's Career Institute *College of Professional Studies *Zenith Educational Institute

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

References

External links

Arima Borough Corporation
Official website

marking Arima's 112th anniversary as a borough.

marking Arima's 109th anniversary as a borough.
Some pictures of Arima from TriniView.com
showing many streets.

Santa Rosa Carib Community

{{Authority control Populated places in Trinidad and Tobago Municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago Populated places established in 1757 1757 establishments in the Spanish West Indies