Geography and Environment of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago are the southernmost islands of the West Indian Island chain separating the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. Trinidad has an area of 5,128 square kilometers (1,980 square miles). It lies northeast of Venezuela between 10° and 11° north of the Equator and is separated from Venezuela by the 7- to 20-mile-wide Gulf of Praia. Geographically it is an extension of the South American Continent. The larger island, Trinidad, measures 50 miles long and from 35 to 45 miles wide. Three relatively low mountain ranges cross Trinidad from east to west; their highest elevation reaches 3,085 feet in the heavily forested Northern Range. A lower range extends laterally across the center of the island, and a third range extends along the southern coast. Trinidad has a wide assortment of tropical vegetation and wildlife. Tobago, 21 miles northeast of Trinidad, has an area of 116 square miles. It has generally rugged terrain with elevations up to 1,800 feet; the only extensive lowland is a coral platform at the southwest end.

Detailed geography