Nelson Island (Trinidad and Tobago)

Last updated
Nelson Island, Trinidad and Tobago.JPG
Map of the Five Islands. Nelson Island can be seen to the bottom of the map. The Five Islands, Trinidad and Tobago.png
Map of the Five Islands. Nelson Island can be seen to the bottom of the map.

Nelson Island is one of the Five Islands which lie west of Port of Spain in the Gulf of Paria.

Nelson Island is famous as the disembarkation point and quarantine station for indentured immigrants to Trinidad and Tobago in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. For this reason it has been called the Ellis Island of Trinidad and Tobago.

At Nelson Island, the Indian immigrants and the ship, food and stores were inspected by the Protector of Immigrants. Their bundles and blankets were fumigated and they were quarantined and allowed to recover and regain strength. This measure was designed to prevent the spread of diseases which might have been transported from India. Special effort was made to stop the spread of smallpox and measles. At Nelson Island, the immigrants were examined by a medical doctor and then transported by small boats to Port of Spain. The healthy ones were immediately sent to estates, the sick ones went to the Colonial Hospital in Port of Spain and those who only needed rest were kept at the Depot in Port of Spain.

In the 1930s, Nelson Island was used as a detention center for prisoners, among them Tubal Uriah Butler. During World War II, the Americans built a gun emplacement at the eastern end of the island and a causeway to Rock Island to the west. Nelson Island became a detention center again in 1970 following the Black Power Revolution. Among those who were detained there were Oilfields Workers' Trade Union president George Weekes, National Joint Action Committee leader Geddes Granger, Apoesho Mutope, Winston Suite and Clive Nunez.

See also

Related Research Articles

The history of Trinidad and Tobago begins with the settlements of the islands by Indigenous First Peoples. Trinidad was visited by Christopher Columbus on his third voyage in 1498,, and claimed in the name of Spain. Trinidad was administered by Spanish hands until 1797, but it was largely settled by French colonists. Tobago changed hands between the British, French, Dutch, and Courlanders, but eventually ended up in British hands following the second Treaty of Paris (1814). In 1889, the two islands were incorporated into a single political entity. Trinidad and Tobago obtained its independence from the British Empire in 1962 and became a republic in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Trinidad and Tobago</span> Demographical makeup of Trinidad and Tobago

This article is about the demography of the population of Trinidad and Tobago including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Trinidad and Tobago, a country that relies heavily on industrialisation and tourism, has various transport systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force</span>

The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the military organization responsible for the defence of the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard and the Defence Force Reserves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Spain</span> Capital of Trinidad and Tobago

Port of Spain (officially the City of Port of Spain, is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municipal population of 37,074, an urban population of 81,142 and a transient daily population of 250,000. It is located on the Gulf of Paria, on the northwest coast of the island of Trinidad and is part of a larger conurbation stretching from Chaguaramas in the west to Arima in the east with an estimated population of 600,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Range</span>

The Northern Range is the range of tall hills across north Trinidad, the major island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The hills range from the Chaguaramas peninsula on the west coast to Toco in the east. The Northern Range covers approximately twenty-five percent of the land area of Trinidad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laventille</span> Suburb of Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago

Laventille is a Suburb of Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago. It is administered by the San Juan–Laventille Regional Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grande Riviere</span> Village in Sangre Grande, Trinidad and Tobago

Grande Riviere is a village on the north coast of Trinidad located between Toco and Matelot. The area was originally settled by immigrants from Venezuela and Tobago who cultivated cacao and subsistence crops. After falling cocoa prices in the 1920s and expanding pest problems caused the collapse of the cocoa industry, Grande Riviere went into a decline which continued until the development of ecotourism. Between 1931 and 2000 the population of Grande Riviere fell from 718 to 334.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chacachacare</span>

Chacachacare is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, located at 10° 41' north latitude and 61° 45' west longitude. The island is 360 hectares in area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad and Tobago</span> Country in the Caribbean

Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated 11 kilometres off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and 130 kilometres south of Grenada. It shares maritime boundaries with Barbados to the east, Grenada to the northwest, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the north and Venezuela to the south and west. Trinidad and Tobago is generally considered to be part of the West Indies. The island country's capital is Port of Spain, while its largest and most populous city is San Fernando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum and Art Gallery, Trinidad</span>

The National Museum and Art Gallery is the national museum of Trinidad and Tobago, in Port of Spain on Trinidad island. It is located at the top of Frederick Street, opposite the Memorial Park, and just south of the Queen's Park Savannah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morvant</span> Community in Trinidad and Tobago

Morvant is a community in Trinidad and Tobago located east of Port of Spain and west of Barataria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory</span>

The Trinidad Regional Virus Laboratory (T.R.V.L.) was established in Port of Spain, in 1953 by the Rockefeller Foundation in co-operation with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. It was originally housed in an old wooden army barracks near the docks in Port of Spain. A large wired-in "animal house" was built out back to house the many wild animals brought in for study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caledonia Island</span>

Caledonia Island is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is one of "The Five Islands" group of six small islands lying west of Port of Spain in the Gulf of Paria. It has an approximate area of just 1.9 hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Island</span>

Craig Island is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is one of “The Five Islands” group of six small islands lying west of Port of Spain in the Gulf of Paria. Craig Island is joined to Caledonia Island by a small causeway. The island is currently under the protection of the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago as a heritage site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenagan Island</span> Island in Trinidad and Tobago

Lenagan Island is an island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is one of “The Five Islands” group of six small islands lying west of Port of Spain in the Gulf of Paria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Island (Trinidad and Tobago)</span>

Rock Island is a small island in Trinidad and Tobago, part of the Five Islands group of islands. It is located in the Gulf of Paria, approximately 2 kilometres off the main island of Trinidad from Point Gourde. Of the "Five Islands", which are actually made up of six different islands, Rock is the second smallest and the most western of the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belmont, Port of Spain</span> District of Port of Spain in Saint George County, Trinidad and Tobago

Belmont, in north-east Port of Spain, in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is located at the foot of the Laventille Hills; it was the city's first suburb. In the 1840s–'50s, parts of the area were settled by Africans rescued by the Royal Navy from illegal slaving ships. In the 1880s–'90s, the population swelled rapidly, and the characteristic Belmont street pattern of narrow, winding lanes developed. The black professional class built large homes in Belmont, as they were excluded from the more expensive neighbourhoods such as St. Clair and Maraval; Belmont became known as "the Black St. Clair". Many of these large homes have been renovated and converted to business use, but some remain in family hands. Belmont currently is a lower-middle to middle-class residential neighbourhood. It was the birthplace and early home of many important Carnival designers and bandleaders. Belmont has 9,035 inhabitants.

The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago:

References

    Coordinates: 10°39′30.14″N61°35′56.51″W / 10.6583722°N 61.5990306°W / 10.6583722; -61.5990306