TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. 321 



A forest department was formed in 1911, and a Forestry 

 Ordinance was passed in 1912. Since then several forests have 

 been declared reserved forests and taken under systematic 

 management. It is hoped to make up to some extent for the 

 great destruction practised in the past. 



S. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. 



Of the two islands which constitute this Colony, Trinidad is 

 situated between the 10th and 11th degree north latitude and 

 the 60th and 62nd degree west longitude. Tobago lies about 

 30 miles north-east of Trinidad. The area of Trinidad is 1,861 

 square miles, that of Tobago 131, making a total of 1,992 square 

 miles. The Colony had a population of 330,000 people in 1911, 

 giving an average population of 161 to the square mile. 



1. Topography, Geology and Climate. 



Trinidad. — The island may be divided into three belts. The 

 northern belt consists of a range of mountains rising in two places 

 to 3,000 feet. The second belt consists of an alluvial y)lain from 

 10 to 20 miles broad, lying to the south of the mountain range ; 

 it is drained by two rivers, of which one runs westward into the 

 Gulf of Paria and the other eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. The 

 third belt lies to the south of the plain and consists of undulating 

 ground rising to a maximum elevation of 1,100 feet. 



The northern range consists of metamorphic schists, sandstones 

 and limestones with a small area of intrusive igneous rock. The 

 central plain is alluvial and contains sandy soils, loams and clays 

 in the west and some gravelly soils in the east. The undulating 

 ground on the southern half of the island consists of tertiary 

 formations with a few outliers of older rock. In these tertiary 

 rocks petroleum has been found in considerable quantities. The 

 output of oil during 1919 was 1,500,000 barrels. 



The climate is tropical with a fairly heavy rainfall. The 

 temperature at sea level ranges from a mean minimum of 67 in 

 December to March, to 71 in ]\Iay to October ; the mean 

 maxinuim varies from 87 to 88 in November, December and 

 January to 91 to 92 in April, May, August and September. The 

 mean annual temperature is about 78 degrees. The dry season 



VOL. I. Y 



