Chaguanas
The Borough of Chaguanas is the largest municipality (83,489 at the 2011 census) and fastest-growing town in Trinidad and Tobago. Located in west-central Trinidad, south of Port of Spain, north of Couva and San Fernando, and named after the indigenous tribe who originally settled there, it grew in size due to its proximity to the Woodford Lodge sugar refinery. It remained a minor town until the 1980s when it began to grow rapidly as it drew people for its bargain shopping and moderately priced housing. Its rapid growth has seen property values increase dramatically, however.
Chaguanas | |
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| Borough of Chaguanas | |
Chaguanas Main Road and Price Plaza | |
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Seal | |
Chaguanas Location of Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago. Chaguanas Chaguanas (Caribbean) Chaguanas Chaguanas (North America) | |
| Coordinates: 10°31′N 61°24′W | |
| Country | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Jurisdiction | Borough of Chaguanas |
| Settled | 1797 |
| Borough | 13 September 1990 |
| Named for | Chaguanes indigenous tribe |
| Government | |
| • Governing body | Chaguanas Borough Corporation |
| • Mayor | Faaiq Mohammed (UNC) |
| • Deputy Mayor | Marisa Vidya Ramlogan (UNC) |
| Borough Corporation seats | 8 electoral districts |
| House seats | 2/41 |
| Area | |
| • Borough | 59 km2 (23 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 48 m (157 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Borough | 83,489 |
| • Rank | 1st |
| • Density | 1,416/km2 (3,670/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 101,297 |
| Demonym | Chaguanans |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| Postal Code | 50xxxx, 52xxxx |
| Area code | (868) |
| ISO 3166 code | TT-CHA |
| Telephone Exchanges | 665, 671, 672, 693, 829 |
| Website | www.chaguanasborough.com |
| HDI The HDI for Trinidad and Tobago is 0.814, which gives the country a rank of 19th out of 177 countries with data (2007/2008) – high | |
Chaguanas became a borough in 1990; prior to that, it was part of Caroni County. The current mayor is Faaiq Mohammed, and the Borough Council has historically been dominated by the United National Congress. Chaguanas has also been a hub for Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian culture and even the broader Indo-Caribbean culture.