Port-of-Spain

Port-of-Spain, also Port of Spain, capital city of Trinidad and Tobago. Port-of-Spain is a seaport located on the Gulf of Paria along the northwestern coast of the island of Trinidad. It is the commercial center and leading port of the country. Tourism is also important to the city’s economy. Port-of-Spain is the site of the Royal Botanical Gardens; the National Archives; the National Museum and Art Gallery, with a collection of historical and natural history items and fine art; an Anglican cathedral (1816-1823); and a Roman Catholic cathedral (consecrated 1832). In the vicinity of Port-of-Spain are Piarco International Airport and the University of the West Indies (1946).

A Native American village known as Conquerabia occupied the site when the Spanish settled in the area in 1595 and renamed the community Puerto de España. After the British took control of the island in 1797, the settlement’s name was Anglicized to Port-of-Spain. The city served as the capital of the Federation of the West Indies from 1958 to 1962, when the grouping was dissolved. Population (2003 estimate) 55,000.