Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago
Encyclopedia
Arouca is a town in the East-West Corridor
of Trinidad and Tobago
located 19 km (11.8 mi) east of Port of Spain
, along the Eastern Main Road
. It is located west of Arima
, east of Tunapuna
and Tacarigua
, south of Lopinot
, and north of Piarco
. It is governed by the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation
. Arouca may be a corruption of Arauca, an Amerindian tribe.
During most of the Spanish rule, Arouca was a settlement reserved for Amerindians. However, when the French arrived in 1783 under Governor José Chacon's Cedula de Repoblación the Amerindians were restricted to Arima. Most of the land in Arouca was split between the Tablau and Chaumet families. Arouca steadily grew into a major agricultural center, but the extension of the railroad to Sangre Grande
in 1898 lured many people in Arouca to relocate to the more prosperous Sangre Grande valley.
Today, it mainly comprises residential housing. There is the Bon Air Primary School, Arouca Anglican, Arouca Girl R.C Arouca Boys R.C and Arouca Government Primary Schools. There is one newly built secondary school: Bon Air High School.
Golden Grove Prison is located in Arouca.
East-West Corridor
The East-West Corridor is the built-up area of north Trinidad stretching from the capital, Port of Spain, 15 miles east to Arima. The term was coined by economist and political philosopher Lloyd Best, after gleaning the works of a technocrat named Lynette Attwell. The Corridor includes such towns...
of Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
located 19 km (11.8 mi) east of Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
, along the Eastern Main Road
Eastern Main Road
The Eastern Main Road is a major road in Trinidad and Tobago running from Port of Spain in the west to Sangre Grande in the east. The towns of the East-West Corridor are strung along its route. Until the construction of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and the Beetham Highway the Eastern Main...
. It is located west of Arima
Arima
The Royal Borough of Arima is the fourth largest town in Trinidad and Tobago. Located east of the capital, Port of Spain, Arima supports the only organised indigenous community in the country, the Santa Rosa Carib Community and is the seat of the Carib Queen...
, east of Tunapuna
Tunapuna
-Town:It is located between St. Augustine, Tacarigua and Trincity. Tunapuna is the largest town between San Juan and Arima. It is an important market and commercial centre, and is the seat of the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation...
and Tacarigua
Tacarigua
Tacarigua is a town in the East-West Corridor of Trinidad and Tobago, located east of Tunapuna and north of Trincity. It is on the banks of the Tacarigua River....
, south of Lopinot
Lopinot
Lopinot is a village in Trinidad and Tobago.It is located in the foothills of the Northern Range, just north of Arouca. It is governed by the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation. Lopinot, the area which was named after Charles Joseph Count de Loppinot is located five and three quarters of a mile...
, and north of Piarco
Piarco
Piarco, a town in northern Trinidad, is the site of Piarco International Airport . It also includes the village of St. Helena. Piarco is the site of one of the few natural savannas in Trinidad and Tobago, the Piarco Savanna...
. It is governed by the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation
Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation
Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation is a local government body in Trinidad and Tobago. It is one of nine Regional Corporations in Trinidad which replaced the system of Counties as local government bodies in 1992. It is the largest by population of all the Regional Corporations. It contains the...
. Arouca may be a corruption of Arauca, an Amerindian tribe.
During most of the Spanish rule, Arouca was a settlement reserved for Amerindians. However, when the French arrived in 1783 under Governor José Chacon's Cedula de Repoblación the Amerindians were restricted to Arima. Most of the land in Arouca was split between the Tablau and Chaumet families. Arouca steadily grew into a major agricultural center, but the extension of the railroad to Sangre Grande
Sangre Grande
Sangre Grande is the largest town in northeastern Trinidad, in Trinidad and Tobago. It is east of Arima and southwest of Toco. Sangre Grande is sometimes abbreviated to just "Grande". It is the seat of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation. The town falls into the Toco/Sangre constituency of the...
in 1898 lured many people in Arouca to relocate to the more prosperous Sangre Grande valley.
Today, it mainly comprises residential housing. There is the Bon Air Primary School, Arouca Anglican, Arouca Girl R.C Arouca Boys R.C and Arouca Government Primary Schools. There is one newly built secondary school: Bon Air High School.
Golden Grove Prison is located in Arouca.
Prominent people from Arouca
- CLR James
- George PadmoreGeorge PadmoreGeorge Padmore , born Malcolm Ivan Meredith Nurse, was a Trinidadian communist who became a leading Pan-Africanist in his later years.-Early years:...
- Henry Sylvester-Williams
- Jaswick TaylorJaswick TaylorJaswick Ossie Taylor was a West Indian cricketer who played in three Tests from 1958 to 1959....