Arima

Arima is Trinidad's easternmost town—a historic settlement at the base of the Northern Range where indigenous Amerindian heritage persists. The Santa Rosa Carib Community maintains the island's only recognized First Peoples presence, hosting annual Santa Rosa Festival celebrations.

The economy combines services, light manufacturing, and agriculture. Arima serves as commercial center for the eastern region; factories produce various goods; farming continues in surrounding areas. The town's position on major transport routes enables commercial activity.

Urban growth spread from Port of Spain eastward, transforming Arima from isolated town to connected suburb. Commuter populations work in the capital while living in more affordable eastern areas. This bedroom-community function increasingly defines local economy.

The biological pattern is cultural-refuge persistence: Arima maintained indigenous Carib identity through centuries of colonization and industrialization, preserving heritage that Trinidad's dominant populations largely erased elsewhere.