Caroni River (Trinidad and Tobago)

This article is about the river in Trinidad and Tobago. For the river in Venezuela, see Caroní River.
Caroni River
Caroni River (Trinidad and Tobago) is located in Trinidad and Tobago
Caroni River (Trinidad and Tobago)
Location of mouth
Location
CountryTrinidad and Tobago
Physical characteristics
Mouth 
 • coordinates
10°37′N 61°30′W / 10.617°N 61.500°W / 10.617; -61.500

The Caroni River is the largest river in Trinidad and Tobago, running for 40 km (25 mi)[1] from its origins in the Northern Range on the island of Trinidad, through the northern lowlands of the Caroni Plains and enters the Gulf of Paria at the Caroni Swamp.

The Caroni and its tributaries drain into one of the most densely populated parts of Trinidad, the East–West Corridor, and also provides most of its drinking water through the Caroni–Arena Dam. Point and non-point pollution is thus a major concern, as is the deforestation of its watershed on the southern slopes of the Northern Range. The banks of the Caroni River are one of the two main sites for Hindu cremations.

The River is known to have strong currents and occasionally floods during heavy rainfall, devastating crops, livestock, fields, and farms in the Caroni area.

  1. ^ Anthony, Michael (1997). Historical dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 107. ISBN 0-585-21030-6. OCLC 44959425.