Statistical information Trinidad and Tobago 1992

Trinidad and Tobago in the World

Trinidad and Tobago - Introduction 1992

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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.

Trinidad and Tobago - Geography 1992

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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 5,130 km²
Land: 5,130 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims
Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: none

Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Elevation

Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, asphalt

Land use

Land use: arable land: 14%; permanent crops: 17%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland 44%; other 23%; includes irrigated 4%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography

Trinidad and Tobago - People 1992

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Population: 1,299,301 (July 1992), growth rate 1.1% (1992)

Nationality:

noun - Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s); adjective -
Trinidadian, Tobagonian

Ethnic groups:

black 43%, East Indian 40%, mixed 14%, white 1%,
Chinese 1%, other 1%

Languages: English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish

Religions:

Roman Catholic 32.2%, Hindu 24.3%, Anglican 14.4%, other
Protestant 14%, Muslim 6%, none or unknown 9.1%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 21 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: -3 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
Current issues note: located 11 km from Venezuela

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 73 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 95% (male 97%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Trinidad and Tobago - Government 1992

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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Port-of-Spain

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 31 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Constitution: 31 August 1976

Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18
House of Representatives:

last held 16 December 1991 (next to be held by
December 1996);results - PNM 32%, UNC 13%, NAR 2%; seats - (36 total) PNM 21, UNC 13, NAR 2

Communists:

Communist Party of Trinidad and Tobago; Trinidad and Tobago
Peace Council, James MILLETTE

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT,
IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation:

Ambassador Corinne BAPTISTE; Chancery at 1708
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036; telephone (202) 467-6,490;
Trinidad and Tobago has a Consulate General in New York

US:

Ambassador Sally GROOMS-COWAL; Embassy at 15 Queen's Park West,
Port-of-Spain (mailing address is P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain); telephone (809) 622-6,372 through 6,376, 6,176; FAX (809) 628-5,462

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

: red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage

Trinidad and Tobago - Economy 1992

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Economy overview:

Trinidad and Tobago's petroleum-based economy began to emerge from a lengthy depression in 1990 and 1991. The economy fell sharply through most of the 1980s, largely because of the decline in oil prices. This sector accounts for 80% of export earnings and more than 25% of GDP. The government, in response to the oil revenue loss, pursued a series of austerity measures that pushed the unemployment rate as high as 22% in 1988.
The economy showed signs of recovery in 1990, however, helped along by rising oil prices. Agriculture employs only about 11% of the labor force and produces about 3% of GDP. Since this sector is small, it has been unable to absorb the large numbers of the unemployed. The government currently seeks to diversify its export base.

GDP: exchange rate conversion - $4.9 billion, per capita $3,600; real growth rate 0.7% (1990)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: highly subsidized sector; major crops - cocoa and sugarcane; sugarcane acreage is being shifted into rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry sector most important source of animal protein; must import large share of food needs

Industries: petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 2.3%, excluding oil refining (1986; accounts for 40% of GDP, including petroleum

Labor force: 463,900; construction and utilities 18.1%; manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14.8%; agriculture 10.9%; other 56.2% (1985 est.)
Organized labor: 22% of labor force (1988)

Labor force

Unemployment rate: 21% (1990)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $1.5 billion; expenditures $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $150 million (1991 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $2.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodoties: includes reexports - petroleum and petroleum products 82%, steel products 9%, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus (1988)
Partners: US 54%, CARICOM 16%, EC 10%, Latin America 3% (1989)

Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
Commodoties: raw materials and intermediate goods 47%, capital goods 26%, consumer goods 26% (1988)
Partners: US 41%, Latin America 10%, UK 8%, Canada 5%, CARICOM 6% (1989)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TT$) per US$1 - 4.2500 (March 1992), 4.2500 (1991), 4.2500 (1990), 4.2500 (1989), 3.8438 (1988), 3.6000 (1987)

Trinidad and Tobago - Energy 1992

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Electricity
Production: 1,176,000 kW capacity; 3,480 million kWh produced, 2,708 kWh per capita (1991)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita

Trinidad and Tobago - Communication 1992

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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Trinidad and Tobago - Military 1992

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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp:

exchange rate conversion - $59 million, 1-2% of
GDP (1989 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups

Trinidad and Tobago - Transportation 1992

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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:

6 total, 5 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 1,032 km, petroleum products 19 km, natural gas 904 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals

Trinidad and Tobago - Transnational issues 1992

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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs