| Background: |
The islands came
under British control in the 19th century; independence was
granted 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. |
| Location: |
Caribbean,
islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
11 00 N, 61 00 W |
| Map
references: |
Central America
and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total:
5,128 sq km
land: 5,128 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly smaller
than Delaware |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge
of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical; rainy
season (June to December) |
| Terrain: |
mostly plains
with some hills and low mountains |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum,
natural gas, asphalt |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
15%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 28% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
220 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
outside usual
path of hurricanes and other tropical storms |
| Environment
- current issues: |
water pollution
from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw
sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil
erosion |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
| Population: |
1,169,682 (July
2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
24.1% (male 143,730; female 138,160)
15-64 years: 69.2% (male 415,898; female
393,551)
65 years and over: 6.7% (male 34,785; female
43,558) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
-0.51% (2001
est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
13.73
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
8.82 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-9.97 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
24.98
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 68.27 years
male: 65.74 years
female: 70.92 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.81 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
1.05% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
7,800 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
530 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
black 39.5%, East
Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern
India) 40.3%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and other
1.2% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%,
Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7% |
| Languages: |
English
(official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 98.8%
female: 97% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary
democracy |
| Administrative
divisions: |
8 counties, 3
municipalities*, and 1 ward**; Arima*, Caroni, Mayaro,
Nariva, Port-of-Spain*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint
George, Saint Patrick, San Fernando*, Tobago**, Victoria |
| Independence: |
31 August 1962
(from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
31 August (1962) |
| 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
branch: |
chief of
state: President Arthur Napoleon Raymond ROBINSON
(since 19 March 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Basdeo
PANDAY (since 9 November 1995)
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; election
last held 11 December 2000 (next to be held by NA 2005);
prime minister appointed from among the members of
Parliament; following legislative elections, the leader of
the majority party in the House of Representatives is
usually appointed prime minister
election results: Arthur Napoleon Raymond
ROBINSON elected president; percent of electoral college
vote - 69% |
| Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; members
appointed by the president 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
11 December 2000 (next to be held by December 2005)
election results: House of Representatives -
percent of vote - UNC 58.1%, PNM 40.8%, NAR 1.1%; seats by
party - UNC 19, PNM 16, NAR 1
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of
Assembly, with 15 members serving four-year terms |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court of
Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the
Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the
president on the advice of 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; Court of Appeals; The
Majistracy (hears minor civil cases and summary criminal
cases) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
National Alliance
for Reconstruction or NAR [Hochay CHARLES]; People's
Empowerment Party or PEP [leader NA]; People's National
Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; United National Congress
or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Jamaat Al
Musilmeen [Abu BAKR] |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom,
CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490
FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Edward E. SHUMAKER, III (until
April, 2001)
embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain
telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376,
6176
FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462 |
| Flag
description: |
red with a
white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side |
| Economy
- overview: |
Trinidad and
Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment
site for international businesses. Successful economic
reforms were implemented in 1995, and foreign investment and
trade are flourishing. Persistently high unemployment
remains one of the chief challenges of the government. The
petrochemical sector has spurred growth in other related
sectors, reinforcing the government's commitment to economic
diversification. Tourism is growing, especially in the
pleasure boat sector. New investment and construction also
will continue to drive the economy. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $11.2 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $9,500 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
2%
industry: 44%
services: 54% (1998 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
21% (1992 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
3.2% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
558,700 (1998) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
construction and
utilities 12.4%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%,
agriculture 9.5%, services 64.1% (1997 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
12.8% (2000) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$1.54 billion
expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $117.3 million (1998) |
| Industries: |
petroleum,
chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage,
cotton textiles |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
3.8% (2000) |
| Electricity
- production: |
4.9 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
99.59%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.41% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
4.557 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cocoa, sugarcane,
rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry |
| Exports: |
$3.2 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
petroleum and
petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer,
sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 39.3%, Caricom
countries 26.1%, Latin America 9.5%, EU 5.7% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$3 billion
(f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery,
transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live
animals |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 39.8%,
Venezuela 11.9%, EU 11%, Caricom 4.8% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$2.8 billion
(2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$121.4 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
Trinidad and
Tobago dollar (TTD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Trinidad and
Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2688 (January 2001), 6.2998
(2000), 6.2989 (1999), 6.2983 (1998), 6.2517 (1997), 6.0051
(1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 October - 30
September |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
243,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
17,411 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: excellent international service; good
local service
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados
and Guyana |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 2, FM 12,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
4 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
425,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.tt |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
17 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
30,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
minimal
agricultural railroad system near San Fernando; railway
service was discontinued in 1968 |
| Highways: |
total:
8,320 km
paved: 4,252 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (1996) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 1,032
km; petroleum products 19 km; natural gas 904 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Pointe-a-Pierre,
Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough,
Tembladora |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,439 GRT/4,040 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1
(2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Trinidad and
Tobago Defense Force (includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard,
and Air Wing), Trinidad and Tobago Police Service |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 346,043 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 247,297 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$83 million
(FY94) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment
point for South American drugs destined for the US and
Europe; producer of cannabis |
|
