Trinidad

trin'i-dad, an island which lies opposite the mouth of the Orinoco, just east of the Caribbean Sea. It is about eighty miles in length and has a population of perhaps 255,000. It was discovered by Columbus, who is said to have given the island its present name on account of three prominent peaks near the shore where he first saw it. Since 1797 it has belonged to Great Britain. The governor receives a salary of $25,000 a year. There are schools, railways, telephone and telegraph lines, and a botanic garden of note. The inhabitants speak French and Spanish. The chief products are sugar-cane, cacao, coffee, and molasses. Port of Spain is the chief seaport. It is the seat of the Orinoco trade. The island is of interest to the United States chiefly on account of the presence of a lake of pitch. Some 150,000 tons of asphalt are exported annually. See Asphalt