San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago

Coordinates: 10°17′N 61°28′W / 10.283°N 61.467°W / 10.283; -61.467
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
San Fernando
Telephone Exchanges
652, 653, 657, 658, 697, 831

San Fernando, officially the City of San Fernando, is the most populous city and second most populous municipality in

LNG, iron and steel and aluminium smelters in places such as Point Lisas in Couva, Point Fortin, and La Brea
.

Geography

San Fernando Hill

San Fernando is a coastal city. It is bounded by the Guaracara River to the north, the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway to the east, the Southern Main Road to the southeast, and the Oropouche River to the south. The city proper is located on the flanks of two hills – San Fernando Hill (formerly known as Naparima Hill) and Alexander Hill. Several mansions on the pinnacle of Alexander Hill house belong to some of the more prominent San Fernandian families. The Cipero, Vistabella, Marabella and Godineau Rivers all enter the sea within the city limits.

Climate

San Fernando has a tropical rainforest climate, bordering on a tropical monsoon climate. Although the city does not technically qualify as having a true dry season, there is a noticeably drier stretch from February to April. [3]

Climate data for San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago (1991–2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.18
(86.32) 		30.47
(86.85) 		30.98
(87.76) 		31.81
(89.26) 		31.62
(88.92) 		30.80
(87.44) 		30.77
(87.39) 		31.24
(88.23) 		31.63
(88.93) 		31.47
(88.65) 		30.96
(87.73) 		30.36
(86.65) 		31.02
(87.84)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.58
(78.04) 		25.67
(78.21) 		26.18
(79.12) 		27.02
(80.64) 		27.23
(81.01) 		26.90
(80.42) 		26.77
(80.19) 		27.04
(80.67) 		27.23
(81.01) 		27.07
(80.73) 		26.76
(80.17) 		26.07
(78.93) 		26.63
(79.93)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 21.08
(69.94) 		20.88
(69.58) 		21.38
(70.48) 		22.32
(72.18) 		22.93
(73.27) 		23.10
(73.58) 		22.78
(73.00) 		22.84
(73.11) 		22.83
(73.09) 		22.77
(72.99) 		22.57
(72.63) 		21.87
(71.37) 		22.28
(72.10)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 109.69
(4.32) 		72.67
(2.86) 		63.84
(2.51) 		91.04
(3.58) 		141.60
(5.57) 		261.90
(10.31) 		238.16
(9.38) 		259.00
(10.20) 		188.43
(7.42) 		215.54
(8.49) 		255.61
(10.06) 		189.11
(7.45) 		2,086.59
(82.15)
Source: Climate Change Knowledge Portal [4]

Demographics

Historical populations
YearPop.±%
1980 33,395—    
1990 26,483−20.7%
2000 48,784+84.2%
2011 48,838+0.1%

Ancestry

City of San Fernando racial breakdown
Racial composition 2011[5]
African (Afro-Trinidadian/Tobagonian) 35.7%
South Asian (Indo-Trinidadian) 30.3%
Multiracial
 17.3%
Dougla (South Asian and Black)
 8.2%
European (White Trinidadian)
 0.5%
East Asian (Chinese)
 0.6%
Native American (Amerindian) 0.08%
Arab (Syrian/Lebanese) 0.9%
Other 0.02%
Not stated 6.7%

Infrastructure

Health

The San Fernando General Hospital is located on Independence Avenue, close to the city center. It is considered the main trauma unit for the southern part of the island, and is administered by the Southwest Regional Health Authority (SWRHA).

There are numerous health centres in towns and villages around San Fernando that are considered to be part of the urban area. There are also a number of private medical institutions, such as:

  • Southern Medical Clinic
  • Surgi-Med Clinic
  • Gulf View Medical Center

The San Fernando Teaching Hospital is connected to the San Fernando General Hospital by a skybridge, and is the main teaching hospital.

Transport

Road

San Fernando is dominated by private car commuting and has a very dense network of roadways. There are numerous points of entry into the city.

  • The Rienzi Kirton Highway runs from Cipero Street to Ruth Avenue, where it becomes Independence Avenue.
  • The San Fernando Bypass runs along the outskirts of the city, providing access to many of the suburban areas.
  • The Golconda Connector Road connects the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway to Cipero Street & the San Fernando Bypass. The Tarouba Link Road also connects the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway to the San Fernando Bypass at the northern end of the city.
  • Alternatively, traffic can exit at Corinth and enter the city via the Naparima Mayaro Road and Royal Road, or via Pleasantville.
  • Lady Hailes Avenue runs from Cipero Street to Kings Wharf along the city's waterfront, connecting to the Reinzi Kirton Highway/Independence Avenue at only three points. It serves as a quicker point of entry to the city center as it terminates just outside the city center. There are plans to widen Lady Hailes Avenue into a four-lane dual carriageway, much of which has already been completed, as part of the waterfront revitalization project.[6]

The city is often plagued by heavy traffic delays.

Public Transport

The San Fernando Bus Terminal is located to the North of Kings Wharf. There are numerous taxi stands around High Street. The water taxi service links San Fernando to Port of Spain via sea in approximately 1 hour.

Air

Like the rest of the island, the city is served by Piarco International Airport, approximately 37 km away from the city center.

Prominent San Fernandians

References

  1. ^ "Elevation of San Fernando,Trinidad and Tobago Elevation Map, Topo, Contour". floodmap.net. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  2. ^ "List of Postal Districts". TTPOST. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Trinidad and Tobago (Current Climate > Climatology)". The World Bank Group. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  4. ^ "Trinidad and Tobago (Current Climate > Climatology)". Climate Change Knowledge Portal. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Central Statistical Office. "NON-INSTITUTIONAL POPULATION BY SEX, AGE GROUP, ETHNIC GROUP AND MUNICIPALITY" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Consultations coming for San Fernando Waterfront Project | Loop Trinidad & Tobago". Loop News. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  7. ^ "Ames named for Canadian Hall of Fame". guardian.co.tt. February 27, 2014. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  8. ^ Brathwaite, Ornella (2017-06-21). "Day in the life of a professional athlete: I Skype my fiancée and kids every night". Wired868. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  9. ^ Felmine, Kevon (September 4, 2019). "San Fernando immortalises hometown heroes Crawford and Wilkes". guardian.co.tt. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  10. ^ "Praise for former national coach Stephen Hart". Loop News. October 17, 2020. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  11. ^ "Che Lovelace & Marsha Pearce in Conversation at Various Small Fires". curate.la. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  12. ^ "Samuel Selvon – Asian Heritage in Canada". Toronto Metropolitan University. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
  13. Trinidad Guardian
    . Retrieved 3 March 2012.

External links

San Fernando travel guide from Wikivoyage

Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago.
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