Northern Range

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Northern Range

The Northern Range is the range of tall hills across the northern portion of Trinidad

Trinidad

Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and islands of Trinidad and Tobago which make up the country of Trinidad and Tobago....
, the major island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an island country in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American country of Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles....
.

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The Northern Range is the range of tall hills across the northern portion of Trinidad

Trinidad

Trinidad and Tobago

The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an island country in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American country of Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles....
. The hills rise abruptly from the lowlands of northern Trinidad (the so-called East-West Corridor
East-West Corridor

The East-West Corridor is the built-up area of north Trinidad and Tobago stretching from the capital, Port of Spain, 15 miles east to Arima. The term was coined by economist and political philosopher Lloyd Best, after gleaning the works of a technocrat named Lynette Attwell....
), but only the two tallest peaks, El Cerro del Aripo

El Cerro del Aripo

El Cerro del Aripo is the highest point in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is part of the Aripo Massif and is located in the Northern Range on the island of Trinidad, northeast of the town of Arima....
and El Tucuche

El Tucuche

El Tucuche is the second highest peak in Trinidad's northern range and is noted for its interesting plateau shape. It's summit is home to the Trinidad endemic El Tucuche Golden Tree Frog , found only on El Tucuche and on Trinidad's highest peak El Cerro del Aripo....
top 900 m. The south-facing valleys run deep into the hills and support major rivers, while the north-facing valleys are generally short and are drained by smaller streams.

The Northern Range consists mainly of sedimentary rocks - schist

Schist

The schists form a group of Erins metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, Chlorite group, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others....
s and limestone

Limestone

File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
s; portions at the eastern end of the range are of volcanic origin. The hills are mostly forested, although deforestation

Deforestation

Deforestation is the logging or burning of trees in forested areas. There are several reasons for doing so: trees or derived charcoal can be sold as a commodity and are used by humans while cleared land is used as pasture, plantations of commodities and human settlement....
and the formation of fire-savanna

Savanna

A savanna, or savannah, is a tropical, subtropical or temperate woodland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the Canopy does not close....
hs is one of the major environment

Natural environment

The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all life and non-living things occurring nature on Earth or some region thereof....
al concerns in Trinidad.

The Northern Range runs from the Chaguaramas

Chaguaramas

Chaguaramas lies in the North West Peninsula of Trinidad west of Port of Spain; the name is often applied to the entire peninsula, but is sometimes used to refer to the most developed area....
Peninsula in the west to Toco

Toco

Toco is the most northeasterly village on the island of Trinidad in the County of Saint David, Trinidad and Tobago at the point where the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet....
in the east. The eastern Northern Range (areas east of Arima

Arima

The Royal Borough of Arima is the fourth largest town in Trinidad and Tobago. Located 26 km east of the capital, Port of Spain, Arima supports the only organised indigenous community in the country, the Santa Rosa Carib Community Carib Community and is the seat of the Carib Queen ....
) remain most heavily forested. Portions west of Arima, especially the southern slopes and valleys, have been extensively deforested, since they lie immediately north of the most heavily populated parts of the island.

At the western end of the Northern Range, the capital city, Port of Spain

Port of Spain

Port of Spain is the Capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third largest municipality, after San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago and Chaguanas....
, climbs into the hills and the valleys are settled and largely deforested.

The Arima Valley remains as the westernmost valley that is still primarily forested, in a large part due to the presence of the Asa Wright Nature Centre

Asa Wright Nature Centre

The Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge consists of a ecotourism resort and scientific research station located in the Arima Valley of the Northern Range in Trinidad and Tobago....
in this valley.