Port of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain and known in Spanish as "Puerto España", is the capital city of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city serves primarily as a retail and administrative centre and it has been the capital of the island since 1757. It is also an important financial services centre for the Caribbean and is home to two of the largest banks in the region.
Port of Spain is the second largest capital city in the English-speaking Caribbean and is one of the largest cities in the Caribbean. It is also the largest capital city in the Lesser Antilles and southern Caribbean and is the most southern capital city in the Caribbean. Port of Spain was also the capital of the short-lived West Indies Federation, which united the Caribbean. Caricom was established in Chaguaramas, west of Port of Spain.
The city is also home to the largest container port on the island and is one of several shipping hubs of the Caribbean, exporting both agricultural products and manufactured goods. Bauxite from Guyana is trans-shipped via facilities at at Chaguaramas, about 8 kilometres (5 mi) west of the city. The pre-lenten Carnival is the city's main annual cultural festival and tourist attraction.
