Business View Caribbean | May 2016

96 May 2016 - Business View Caribbean Business View Caribbean - May 2016 97 Arima, Trinidad The official home of the first peoples The city of Arima, Trinidad is located on the banks of the Arima River in the foothills of the Northern Range. It is the third largest city on the island, and is consid- ered the gateway to the north-eastern section of Trini- dad. Arima, which is the Amerindian word for “water,” was founded in 1757, by Capuchin monks from Spain who had travelled to Trinidad to convert the natives to Catholicism, as part of that country’s colonizing ef- forts. Trinidad was taken over by the British in 1797, and by the 1850s, Arima, because of its strategic position, had grown large enough to be regarded as one of the key villages in Trinidad. The 1870s brought further transformation to Arima, when the cocoa industry be- gan to spread into the central regions of the island. Planters insisted on a system of improved transporta- tion to get their goods into Port of Spain so, on August 31, 1876, Arima saw the inauguration of the first pas- senger and freight railway line in the country. On the first day of August 1888, Arima was granted the status of a Royal Borough. Today, Arima extends over an area of approximately 4.6 square miles and has a popula- tion of approximately 41,000. Arima still remains a town of great historical and cul- tural significance. It is the official home of the First Peoples of Trinidad. It hosts an annual Borough Day anniversary celebration every August, which incorpo- rates Carnival-style street parades and usually coin- cides with the staging of the Santa Rosa Carib Com- munity 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. Arima also plays an important role for North Eastern Trinidad, as it is a Multi-Modal transportation hub for many nearby towns and neighborhoods. The main international and domestic airport serving Arima is Piarco International Airport, commonly referred to as the Port of Spain International Airport, which offers In- ternational flights to cities in Europe, South America, North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Almost all the land in the municipality is under built development, with a small forested area in the north- west and some small-scale agriculture in the vicinity of the Arima River in the east. Office activities, as well as retail and wholesale trade is concentrated in the central core, while light manufacturing and warehous- ing takes place in the O’Meara Industrial Estate in the city’s southwest region. The Princess Royal Park is a major open space feature in the town core, and the remainder of the town is filled with housing and com- munity amenities. The Mayor of Arima is George Hadeed. He is one of AT A GLANCE WHO: Arima, Trinidad WHAT: A borough of 41,000 WHERE: East Trinidad WEBSITE : www.arimaborough.gov.tt