San Fernando Hill is a 192-m hill which lies at the centre of the city of San Fernando

San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago

The City of San Fernando with a population of 55,419 according to the 2000 census, is the larger of Trinidad and Tobago's two cities and the second largest municipality after Chaguanas. It occupies 18 km² and is located in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad...

 in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...

. The hill, an outcrop of Argillite

Argillite

An argillite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed predominantly of indurated clay particles. Argillaceous rocks are basically lithified muds and oozes. They contain variable amounts of silt-sized particles. The argillites grade into shale when the fissile layering typical of shale is...

 is the highest point in the Naparima Plains. Originally nearly dome-shaped with a flattened top, the size was reduced by more than a third as a result of unrestricted quarrying in the 1970s. The Hill originally supported semi-evergreen forest

Trinidad and Tobago dry forests

Trinidad and Tobago dry forests are tropical dry forests located primarily in western and southern parts of the island of Trinidad, in southern parts of the island of Tobago and on smaller offshore islands including Chacachacare, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande, Little Tobago and Saint Giles...

, but this was largely replaced by cultivated species prior to the devastation of the Hill by quarrying.

Quarrying on the Hill was not a new phenomenon, but the increase in demand for Argillite

Argillite

An argillite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed predominantly of indurated clay particles. Argillaceous rocks are basically lithified muds and oozes. They contain variable amounts of silt-sized particles. The argillites grade into shale when the fissile layering typical of shale is...

 aggregate (for construction) during the oil boom

Oil boom

An oil boom is a boom in the oil producing sector of an economy. Generally, this short period initially brings economical benefits, in term of increased GDP growth, but might later lead to a resource curse.-Consequences:...

 of the 1970s led to an expansion of quarrying to the point where it appeared that the entire Hill would be removed. Protests by citizens' groups led to a halt to quarrying and the Hill was included in the National Parks and Protected Areas plan of 1980. The Forestry Division took over management of the Hill and have since constructed a visitor centre and recreation area on the Hill. When visiting the centre, one can look out over a commanding view of south and central Trinidad, the Gulf Of Paria, and on a clear day, the coast of nearby Venezuela. Several World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

-era bunkers also exist on the Hill, but they are not readily accessible to the public.

During the late 1980s the then mayor of San Fernando, Dr. Romesh Mootoo suggested that the City Hall

City hall

In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...

 be removed to the Hill, calling it the Acropolis

Acropolis

Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...

 of the Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

. Nothing came of these plans, however. With the development of the Hill as a recreation area, the burgess of San Fernando and surrounding have re-connected with the Hill. During the Christmas season, a large star, lit electrically, can be seen all over the surrounding area, from its place on the San Fernando Hill.

Based on the Masters research of Tyrone Kalpee, (now of BP

BP

BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...

), an innovative plan for the restoration of the bare-rock surface of the formerly quarried areas (which make up about 3/4 of the Hill) was developed based on Leucaena leucocephala, a fast-growing leguminous tree species. The Forestry Division incorporated Kalpee's plans its restoration plan for the Hill, and as a result many areas support relatively lush vegetation.