How to use this book

The human environment Services

We are learning how to:

• identify and locate examples of human land use on a map of Trinidad and Tobago.

Services are public utilities and amenities that are provided for settlements where people live. The number of services that are found in an area depends on the size of the settlement. Services can be divided into low-, middle- and high-order services.

• Low-order services are those that are used often, most likely on a daily basis, such as schools, post offices, churches and markets.

• Middle-order services are used less frequently, and include hairdressers, banks and pharmacies.

• High-order services are those that are not used very often – for example, a hospital or a police station, or very expensive shops.

Recreation

Recreational facilities are services or places where people go to enjoy themselves or visit as tourist destinations. Most settlements have some form of recreational facility, even if it is just a park. However, the main ones are found in large towns and cities.

• Museums such as the Tobago Historical Museum in Scarborough and the National Museum and Art Gallery in Port of Spain are examples of recreational facilities. These are very popular with tourists, so they are located in cities, as this is probably where tourists will stay.

• Major sporting venues are most commonly located in the largest settlements. Trinidad and Tobago have some excellent sporting venues, including Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain and the Dwight Yorke Stadium in Bacolet in Tobago.

• Palmiste Park and Cleaver Woods Park are two examples or large parks found in urban areas.

Exercise

1. Explain the differences between low-, middle- and high-order services, and give examples.

2. Why do you think we need recreational facilities?

Activity

Use an atlas, or find some photographs of Trinidad and Tobago that have been taken from a plane. Identify the different uses of land that you can see in the pictures.