Water almost surrounds Trinidad and Tobago. The Caribbean Sea is to the north. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Between Trinidad and Venezuela lie the Gulf of Paria, the Columbus Channel and the Bocas.

Those waters are not only blue spaces on a map. People catch fish there, ships carry goods, and families rest on beaches. This lesson names the waters and the uses. The next lesson looks at how people can harm sea life, and how we protect it.

Learn these five names and a place for each one. The Caribbean Sea is north of Trinidad. The Atlantic Ocean is east of Trinidad and east of Tobago. The Gulf of Paria is the sheltered water on the west of Trinidad, between Trinidad and Venezuela.

The Columbus Channel is the southern passage between Trinidad and Venezuela. It is also called the Serpent’s Mouth. The Dragon’s Mouths, also called the Bocas, are the north-western passages between Trinidad and Venezuela. Small islands stand in the Bocas.

On the country map, the west coast faces the Gulf of Paria. The east coast faces the Atlantic. The north coast faces the Caribbean Sea. A test may use either name: Columbus Channel or Serpent’s Mouth, Bocas or Dragon’s Mouths. Both pairs are correct.

The sea is a source of food. Fishers catch fish, shrimp and crab. Markets in towns sell that food. Families also cook what a relative brings home. That is one reason the waters matter.

The sea is a workplace. Fishers, port workers, people on cargo ships, and people in tourism all earn a living because of the water. Tourism means visitors who come to see and enjoy a place. Beaches, boats and hotels are part of that work.

The sea is a road for trade. Trade is buying and selling. Ships bring goods we do not make enough of, and they carry exports away. An export is something sold to another country. Ports are the safe places where those ships load and unload.

The sea is also for rest. People swim, walk on the sand, sail and picnic. Rest is a real use, just like food and trade.

The Gulf of Paria is calmer than the open Atlantic because land stands on more than one side of it. Ships have long used it as a sheltered way between the Bocas and the Columbus Channel. The Atlantic coast is more open, so the waves there are often stronger.

Both waters matter. The calm gulf helps ports and travel. The open ocean and the Caribbean Sea help fishing and beaches too. When you label a map, match the name to the side of the island, not to the colour of the ink.

People can also spoil these waters. Garbage, waste and careless fishing cause harm. You will study that harm, and the care that stops it, in the next lesson. For now, know the names and the good uses.