Sangre Grande
Eastern agricultural region with cocoa farming, Atlantic fishing, and Nariva Swamp ecosystem preservation.
Sangre Grande is Trinidad's eastern agricultural region—a less developed area where farming, fishing, and natural areas dominate over urban and industrial activity. The region serves as breadbasket and forest reserve for the more urbanized western zones.
Agriculture provides primary economic activity. Cocoa, citrus, and food crops grow in the region's valleys. Fishing communities along the eastern coast harvest from Atlantic waters. The Nariva Swamp and forest reserves provide ecosystem services and modest eco-tourism.
Development lagged western Trinidad due to distance from Port of Spain and absence of petroleum resources. Limited infrastructure and services constrain growth. Young people migrate westward for education and employment.
The biological pattern is agricultural periphery: Sangre Grande produces food and maintains natural areas that urbanized zones cannot provide, contributing ecosystem value rather than industrial output.