from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Trinidad and Tobago
Introduction
Background: First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under
British control in the early 19th century. The islands'
sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the
slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the
importation of contract laborers from India between
1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well
as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad
in 1910 added another important export. Independence
was attained in 1962. The country is one of the most
prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum
and natural gas production and processing. Tourism,
mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is
growing.
Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic 11 00 N, 61 00 W
coordinates:
Map Central America and the Caribbean
references:
Area: total: 5,128 sq km
land: 5,128 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - slightly smaller than Delaware
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 362 km
Maritime measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the
continental margin
Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December)
Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Elevation lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m
Natural petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
resources:
Land use: arable land: 14.62%
permanent crops: 9.16%
other: 76.22% (2005)
Irrigated 40 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical
hazards: storms
Environment - water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial
current wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches;
issues: deforestation; soil erosion
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the
note: world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt
People
Population: 1,065,842 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.1% (male 109,936/female 104,076)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 398,657/female 361,093)
65 years and over: 8.6% (male 41,162/female 50,918)
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 31.2 years
male: 30.8 years
female: 31.7 years (2006 est.)
Population -0.87% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 12.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 10.57 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -11.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 25.05 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 26.86 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 23.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 66.76 years
expectancy at male: 65.71 years
birth: female: 67.86 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 3.2% (2003 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 29,000 (2003 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - 1,900 (2003 est.)
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Ethnic groups: Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%,
other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)
Religions: Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist
7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, other Christian 5.8%, Muslim
5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other 10.8%,
unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)
Languages: English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99.1%
female: 98% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago
Government parliamentary democracy
type:
Capital: name: Port-of-Spain
geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough
divisions: corporations, 1 ward
regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego
Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town,
Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/
Piarco
city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando
borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin
ward: Tobago
Independence: 31 August 1962 (from UK)
National Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
holiday:
Constitution: 1 August 1976
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS
branch: (since 17 March 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING
(since 24 December 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of
Parliament
elections: president elected by an electoral college,
which consists of the members of the Senate and House
of Representatives, for a five-year term (eligible for
a second term); election last held 14 February 2003
(next to be held in 2008); the president usually
appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority
party in the House of Representatives
election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected
president; percent of electoral college vote - 43%
Legislative bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats;
branch: 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the
President, 6 by the opposition party for a maximum term
of five years) and the House of Representatives (36
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 7
October 2002 (next to be held by October 2007)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of
vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20,
UNC 16
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12
members serving four-year terms; last election held
January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1
Judicial Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High
branch: Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief
justice is appointed by the president after
consultation with the prime minister and the leader of
the opposition; other justices are appointed by the
president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal
Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean
Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest
court of appeal is the Privy Council in London
Political National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox
parties and SANKERSINGH]; People's National Movement or PNM
leaders: [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TU [Ramesh MAHARAJ];
United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY];
Democratic Action Committee or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES],
note - only active in Tobago
Political Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD,
organization ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
participation: ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA,
NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE
representation chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
in the US: 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490
FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN
representation embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
from the US: mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain
telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376
FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462
Flag red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the
description: upper hoist side to the lower fly side
Economy
Economy - Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of
overview: oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent
investment site for international businesses. Tourism
is a growing sector, although not proportionately as
important as in many other Caribbean islands. The
economy benefits from low inflation and a growing trade
surplus. Prospects for growth in 2006 are good as
prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural
gas are expected to remain high, and foreign direct
investment continues to grow to support expanded
capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping
with a rise in violent crime.
GDP $18.11 billion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $13.02 billion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 7% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $16,800 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 0.7%
composition by industry: 57%
sector: services: 42.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 620,000 (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying
by occupation: 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1%
(1997 est.)
Unemployment 8% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population 21% (1992 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 6.9% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 19.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $4.5 billion
expenditures: $4.06 billion; including capital
expenditures of $117.3 million (2005 est.)
Public debt: 43% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
products:
Industries: petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement,
beverage, cotton textiles
Industrial 9% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 6.076 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 99.8%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0.2% (2001)
Electricity - 5.651 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 150,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
production:
Oil - 29,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved 990 million bbl (1 January 2004)
reserves:
Natural gas - 24.7 billion cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 12.79 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 11.79 billion cu m (2003 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 733 billion cu m (1 January 2004)
proved
reserves:
Current $2.88 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $9.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel
commodities: products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus,
flowers
Exports - US 68.8%, Jamaica 5.5%, Barbados 2.9% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $6.011 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured
commodities: goods, food, live animals
Imports - US 27.7%, Venezuela 13.3%, Brazil 11.8%, Japan 5.5%,
partners: Canada 4.2% (2005)
Reserves of $4.888 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $2.767 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - $24 million (1999 est.)
recipient:
Currency Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)
(code):
Currency code: TTD
Exchange Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2842
rates: (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002),
6.2332 (2001)
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Communications
Telephones - 323,500 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 800,000 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: excellent international service;
system: good local service
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric
scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Radio AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 680,000 (1997)
Television 6 (2005)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 425,000 (1997)
Internet .tt
country code:
Internet 30,732 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 17 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 160,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 6 (2006)
Airports - total: 3
with paved over 3,047 m: 1
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 3
with unpaved 914 to 1,523 m: 1
runways: under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Pipelines: condensate 253 km; gas 1,278 km; oil 571 km (2006)
Roadways: total: 8,320 km
paved: 4,252 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (1999)
Merchant total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 16,760 GRT/7,941 DWT
marine: by type: liquefied gas 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo
3, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006)
Ports and Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain
terminals:
Military
Military Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast
branches: Guard (includes air wing) (2004)
Military 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no
service age conscription (2001)
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 18-49: 290,715
available for females age 18-49: 258,410 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 202,958
for military females age 18-49: 173,797 (2005 est.)
service:
Military $66.72 million (2003 est.)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 0.6% (2003 est.)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - Barbados will assert its claim before the UN Convention
international: on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that the northern limit
of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with
Venezuela extends into its waters; Guyana has also
expressed its intention to challenge this boundary as
it may extend into its waters as well
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined
for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis