Port-of-Spain (pop. 37,074) is the capital and trade center of Trinidad and Tobago, an island country that lies off the northeast coast of Venezuela. The city lies near the foothills of the Northern Range of mountains on the island of Trinidad.
The city’s deep, sheltered harbor helps make it the port through which most of Trinidad’s exports and imports are handled. Port-of-Spain also serves as the country’s main commercial and industrial center. The city’s architecture and other cultural features reflect the variety of its African, Asian Indian, and European ethnic heritage. The city was founded about 1560 by Spanish colonists.
