Tunapuna is a town in the
East–West Corridor of the island of
Trinidad
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 ...
, in
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 ...
.
Town
Tunapuna is located between
St. Augustine,
Tacarigua
Tacarigua (originally San Pablo de Tacarigua) is a town in the East–West Corridor of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located east of Tunapuna, north of Trincity and west of Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago, Arouca. It is on the banks of the Tacarigua Rive ...
and
Trincity. Tunapuna is the largest town between
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to:
* San Juan, Puerto Rico
* San Juan, Argentina
* San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines
San Juan may also refer to:
Places Arge ...
and
Arima
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 is an important market
and commercial centre, and is the seat of the
Tunapuna–Piarco Regional Corporation. The Tunapuna Parliamentary seat is a marginal, hence popular wisdom dictates: ''"If you win Tunapuna, you win the elections."''
The only
gurdwara
A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...
(
Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
temple) in Trinidad and Tobago is located in Tunapuna and dates back to some of the first
Punjabi Indian immigrants in 1929.
Carnival
For more than one hundred years, Tunapuna has been a Carnival venue. Each year this regional carnival, which is a showcase for traditional and conventional mas, steel band, and stick fighting, is organised by the Tunapuna Carnival Committee.
Notable people
The renowned writer and scholar
C. L. R. James was born and is buried here, and popular 1950s
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
Winifred Atwell
Una Winifred Atwell (27 February or 27 April 1910 or 1914There is some uncertainty over her date and year of birth. Many sources suggest 27 February 1914, but there is a strong suggestion that her birthday was 27 April. Most sources give her ye ...
was born here. The song ''Tuna Puna Trinidad'' was the B-side of a single released by
Petula Clark
Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...
in 1955.
Songwriter, composer, writer and director
Donald Heywood, best remembered for composing "
I'm Coming Virginia" in 1926, which became a hit for
Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her no ...
. was born in Tunapuna in 1896.
Professional footballer
Stern John was born in Tunapuna.
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad (island)