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Port of Spain facts for kids

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Port of Spain
Capital City
City of Port of Spain
Top to bottom (left to right): Skyline of Port of Spain from Gulf of Paria; National Academy for the Performing Arts, Independence Square, Eric Williams Plaza; MovieTowne, Port of Port of Spain
Top to bottom (left to right): Skyline of Port of Spain from Gulf of Paria; National Academy for the Performing Arts, Independence Square, Eric Williams Plaza; MovieTowne, Port of Port of Spain
Motto(s): 
"We Gather Strength As We Go Along"
Port of Spain is located in Trinidad and Tobago
Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Location in Trinidad and Tobago
Port of Spain is located in Caribbean
Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Location in Caribbean
Port of Spain is located in North America
Port of Spain
Port of Spain
Location in North America
Country  Trinidad and Tobago
Jurisdiction City of Port of Spain
Settled 1560
Incorporated (town) 1853
Incorporated (city) 1914
Area
 • Capital City 12 km2 (5 sq mi)
Elevation
66 m (217 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Capital City 37,074
 • Rank 3rd
 • Density 3,090/km2 (8,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
81,142
Languages
 • Official English
Time zone UTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (not observed)
Postal Code
10xxxx, 12xxxx, 16xxxx - 19xxxx, 21xxxx, 23xxxx, 24xxxx, 26xxxx, 29xxxx
Area code(s) 868
ISO 3166 code TT-POS
Telephone Exchanges 619, 623, 624, 625, 627, 641, 661, 821, 622, 628, 822
HDI The HDI for Trinidad and Tobago is 0.814, which gives the country a rank of 19th out of 177 countries with data (2007/2008) – high

Port of Spain, officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's second-largest city after San Fernando and the third largest municipality after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municipal population of 37,074 (2011 census), an urban population of 81,142 (2011 estimate) and a transient daily population of 250,000. It is located on the Gulf of Paria, on the northwest coast of the island of Trinidad and is part of a larger conurbation stretching from Chaguaramas in the west to Arima in the east with an estimated population of 600,000.

The city serves primarily as a retail and administrative centre and it has been the capital of the island since 1757. It is also an important financial services centre for the Caribbean and is home to two of the largest banks in the region.

Port of Spain was also the de facto capital of the short-lived West Indies Federation, which united the Caribbean.

The city is also home to the largest container port on the island and is one of several shipping hubs of the Caribbean, exporting both agricultural products and manufactured goods. Bauxite from Guyana is trans-shipped via facilities at Chaguaramas, about 8 kilometres (5 mi) west of the city. The pre-lenten Carnival is the city's main annual cultural festival and tourist attraction.

Today, Port of Spain is a leading city in the Caribbean region. Trinidad and Tobago hosted the Fifth Summit of the Americas in 2009 whose guests included US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Port of Spain is also home to the biggest and most successful stock exchange in the Caribbean, the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange (TTSE). The iconic Nicholas Tower, as well as other skyscrapers, are well known throughout the region. These buildings dominate the city's skyline. Some of the tallest skyscrapers in the Caribbean are located in Port of Spain.

Images for kids

  • Government House Trinidad 1914

    Government House, Port of Spain, 1914

  • QRCClockTower2015

    Historic Queen's Royal College Clock Tower 2015

  • RosarychurchHenrySt

    Historic Gothic Rosary Church at the corner of Henry and Park Streets 2008

  • PortmountainpartmentPOS

    The Port of Port of Spain (PPOS) lies on reclaimed land. Much development still occurs on new land reclaimed near Invaders Bay (Movietowne, Invaders Bay Tower, Marriott) and in the surrounding Northern Range Mountains.

  • Port of Spain Skyline at Night

    Night view of West and Downtown Port of Spain.

  • PoSHarbour

    PoSHarbour December 2002

  • CompletedWaterfrontPOS

    The Port of Spain International Waterfront Centre, 2009

  • QPSpicfromhilton23

    Queen's Park Savannah

  • Botanic Gardens Trinidad 2006-03-22

    Royal Botanic Gardens

  • POS Academy for the Performing Arts 03 2012 0959

    The 4.0 ha (10 acres) Port of Spain National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) is a 1500-seat performance hall, which hosted the opening ceremony of the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

  • One Woodbrook Place, Port of Spain 2012

    Damien Street, Port of Spain luxury apartments 2012

  • RBTTbank2008

    RBTT Bank Headquarters POS (acquired by RBC in 2008)

  • CruisehyattPOSdock

    Cruise and container ships moored along the wharf at the Port of Port of Spain, 2009.

  • QRC2009

    Queen's Royal College

  • Port of Spain

    Queen's Park Oval

  • Capital highway

    Entering POS from the East along the Eastern Main Road 2008

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Puerto España para niños

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