Atlas Trail
Eleven Capitals of the Caribbean Rim in Order of Founding, from Port of Spain to Belmopan
Each stop on this path carries a recorded founding or settlement year, and reading them in order runs from Port of Spain in 1560 through the Lesser Antilles, Jamaica and the Guianas to Belmopan, a planned capital begun in 1970. The notes give the dated facts each city page already holds, so the path shows how recently some of these capitals were established and how much their sizes differ.
Stop 1 of 11.
Cities
Settled in 1560, it is the oldest site on this path. It became a borough on 19 August 1853 and was granted city status on 26 June 1914. The 2011 census counted 37,074 residents across 12 square kilometers.
Stop 2 of 11.
Cities
Founded in 1613 on the banks of the Suriname River, it has a historic inner city that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. The 2012 census counted 240,924 residents.
Stop 3 of 11.
Cities
Settled in 1627 on the southwestern coast of Saint Kitts, it is among the oldest towns in the Eastern Caribbean and one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands. Its population was 16,696 as of 2024.
Stop 4 of 11.
Cities
Established in 1628 within the parish of Saint Michael on Barbados. The Greater Bridgetown area had a metropolitan population of about 110,000 as of 2014, and the city is an important cruise-ship port.
Stop 5 of 11.
Cities
Founded in 1650 as Carenage and renamed Castries in 1756. The urban area held about 20,000 people in 2013, and the city covers about 79 square kilometers.
Stop 6 of 11.
Cities
First settled in 1650, it is built on a horseshoe-shaped harbour and surrounded by the hillside of an old volcanic crater. The 2012 census counted 33,734 residents.
Stop 7 of 11.
Cities
Wikidata records 1666 as its founding year. It is the largest city of Antigua and Barbuda and its economic and governmental center, although no law formally designates it as the capital. It had 22,219 residents in 2011.
Stop 8 of 11.
Cities
Established on 22 July 1692, it faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit that links Port Royal and the airport to the rest of the island. The parish had 662,435 residents at the 2011 census, by far the largest figure on this path.
Stop 9 of 11.
Cities
Founded in 1722 on the main island of Saint Vincent, it is the country's main port and largest commercial center. Its 12,909 residents in 2012 make it the smallest population on this path.
Stop 10 of 11.
Cities
Established in 1781 on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and nicknamed the Garden City of the Caribbean. The 2022 census recorded 125,683 residents.
Stop 11 of 11.
Cities
Founded as a planned community on 1 August 1970, after Hurricane Hattie nearly destroyed the former capital Belize City in 1961. With 27,870 residents in the 2024 estimate it is the smallest capital by population in continental North, Central and South America.
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