La Brea, Trinidad and Tobago
| La Brea | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
La Brea
|
|
| Corporation | Siparia Regional Corporation |
| Country | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Ranked | |
| Time zone | AST (UTC−4) |
| Area code(s) | 648, 651 |
La Brea is a town in southwestern Trinidad, located northeast of Point Fortin and southwest of San Fernando. La Brea (Spanish for "the tar" or "the pitch"). is best known as the site of the Pitch Lake, a natural asphalt lake. Pronunciation of "La Brea" differs from that used in the USA at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. Trinidadians call this place "La Bray."
La Brea health district is situated in the mid-western peninsula. It is bounded by the Gulf of Paria on the west, Mondesir Road and part of National Mining on the north, by Fowl Play Bridge Aripero village on the south and by Union Village on the east. The villages included within these boundaries are: Union, Vessigny, Chinese Village, Aripero, Sobo, Rousillac village, Vance River and La Brea.
It is approximately 52 km² in size and has a population of about 18,000.
There are two main seasons: the dry season from January to May and the rainy season from May to December.
La Brea is famous for its natural wonder of the world, "The Pitch Lake", which is actually the largest of three in existence. It is located on an area of depression in the landscape; with some pools, reeds and grayish asphalt everywhere. The asphalt is so soft in some areas that an individual can slowly sink if he/she stands on the surface too long. In some places one can put a stick through the asphalt and remove liquid tar. During the rainy season, the pools collect water, which becomes sulphurous due to the gases that are being released through the asphalt layers. These pools of water become breeding places for Aedes aegypti and other mosquitoes, thereby creating a health risk for workers of Lake Asphalt Company and tourists as well as the local villagers.
Roads in the district have to be constantly repaired, which usually takes a long time. Road users are inconvenienced by the condition of the roads and commuters have to pay very high fares. The means of transportation are: maxi taxis, P-cars, taxis and buses. Residents who have their own transport claim that vehicles are very costly to maintain because of frequent repairs as a result of the condition of the roads. After 7 pm transport becomes very difficult to obtain.
...
Wikipedia