Couva
| Couva | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Coordinates: 10°25′N 61°27′W / 10.417°N 61.450°WCoordinates: 10°25′N 61°27′W / 10.417°N 61.450°W | |
| Country |
 Trinidad and Tobago
|
| Region | Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo |
| County | Caroni |
| Town | Couva |
| Government | |
| • Chairman of CTTRC | Henry Awong |
| Area | |
| • Total | 11.4 sq mi (29.4 km2) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 21,000 |
| Time zone | AST (UTC−4) |
| • Summer (DST) | DST (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 636, 679 |
| Website | CTTRC [1] |
Couva is a town (c. 21,000 in 2000 census) in west-central Trinidad, south of Chaguanas and north of Claxton Bay and San Fernando. It is the primary urban and commercial centre for the Couva-Tabaquite-Talparo Regional Corporation, and the Greater Couva area includes the Point Lisas Industrial Estate and the Port of Point Lisas. Couva's southern boundary is at the town of California, and to the north Couva stretches to McBean (both on the Trinidad Southern Main Road). To the east of Couva is Balmain. To the west of Couva is the road to Waterloo and Carli Bay, which are located on the Gulf of Paria. Couva is part of the Caroni County.
Couva is considered a major power base for the United National Congress (UNC).
The first British map of Trinidad, made in 1797 after the island was surrendered by Spain, suggested the existence of a river in the area now known as Couva called "Rio de Cuba". Over time, perhaps due to the Spanish "B" having a sound similar to that of the letter "V" in English, the river became known as "Rio de Couva" which was eventually translated as "Couva River". British settlement of what is now referred to as Couva began a little to the north of the mouth of this river.
For many years, the village was little more than a clearing in a sugarcane field. The population was mainly indentured workers of Indian origin with a smaller number of former African slaves and numbered no more than a few hundred. This all changed with the arrival of the railway to Couva in 1880. By 1921, it had grown to a population of 2,667 but, in the decade leading up to 1931, this number fell to 1,895. During World War II, the Camden (Field) Auxiliary Air Base was established as an emergency airstip. It included one paved 3000 x 150 ft runway with extensive taxiways and dispersed camouflaged parking bays for USAAC, USN and RN. It was defended by US Army infantry and AAA units.
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Wikipedia