Introduction

Abstract

Trinidad is an island in the Caribbean situated off the northeastern coast of Venezuela in South America. The larger of the twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago,¹ it is a relatively small tropical island, approximately 4,825 square kilometers in area, with minimal temperature or seasonal variations, shifting only between a warm rainy season and a warmer dry season. The natural geography of the region makes for an abundance of flora and fauna customarily found in tropical regions. The population of Trinidad in 1917 was made up of a few surviving descendants of the native Amerindian population and a newly layered mosaic of Spanish, British, French, Africans, Chinese, Portuguese, Lebanese and Indians. By 1917, the majority of the African-descended population was ‘Creole’ born, while there were also local-born proportions of the other migrant groups. Table 1.1 shows the main components of the population including the percentage of those who were Indian-born for the census years 1911 and 1921.