Map of Trinidad and Tobago | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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Location: Caribbean islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N 61 00 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 5,128 km²
Land: 5,128 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime 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
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas asphalt

Land use
Arable land: 14.62%
Permanent crops: 9.16%
Other: 76.22% (2005)

Irrigated land: 40 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

Geography
Note: Pitch Lake on Trinidad's southwestern coast is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt


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Population: 1,065,842 (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: -0.87% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: 21% (1992 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian

Ethnic groups: Indian (South Asian) 40% African 37.5% mixed 20.5% other 1.2% unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)

Languages: English (official) Hindi French Spanish Chinese

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)

Demographic profile

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.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 31.2 years
Male: 30.8 years
Female: 31.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.87% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 12.9 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 10.57 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: -11.07 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: water pollution from agricultural chemicals industrial wastes and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male/female
Total population: 1.07 male/female (2006 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 25.05 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 26.86 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 23.15 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 66.76 years
Male: 65.71 years
Female: 67.86 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.2% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 29,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 1900 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.6%
Male: 99.1%
Female: 98% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago

Government type: parliamentary democracy

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 divisions
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

Dependent areas

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (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 branch
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 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 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 parties and leaders: National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]; People's National Movement or PNM [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

International organization participation: ACP C Caricom CDB FAO G-24 G-77 IADB IBRD ICAO ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO 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 representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE
In the us chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 467-6,490
In the us fax: [1] (202) 785-3,130
In the us consulates general: Miami, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN
From the us embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain
From the us telephone: [1] (868) 622-6,371 through 6,376
From the us fax: [1] (868) 628-5,462

Flag description: red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Trinidad and Tobago the leading Caribbean producer of 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.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $18.11 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 7% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $16,800 (2005 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.7%
Industry: 57%
Services: 42.3% (2005 est.)

Agriculture products: cocoa rice citrus coffee vegetables; poultry

Industries: petroleum chemicals tourism food processing cement beverage cotton textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 9% (2005 est.)

Labor force: 620,000 (2005 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 9.5%
By occupation manufacturing mining and quarrying: 14%
By occupation construction and utilities: 12.4%
By occupation services: 64.1% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 8% (2005 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 21% (1992 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $4.5 billion
Expenditures: $4.06 billion; including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (2005 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 43% of GDP (2005 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6.9% (2005 est.)

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: $2.88 billion (2005 est.)

Exports: $9.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products chemicals steel products fertilizer sugar cocoa coffee citrus flowers
Partners: US 68.8% Jamaica 5.5% Barbados 2.9% (2005)

Imports: $6.011 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: machinery transportation equipment manufactured goods food live animals

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $2.767 billion (2005 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2842 (2005) 6.299 (2004) 6.2951 (2003) 6.2487 (2002) 6.2332 (2001)


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Electricity
Production: 6.076 billion kWh (2003)
Consumption: 5.651 billion kWh (2003)
Exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Imports: 0 kWh (2003)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 24.7 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 12.79 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Exports: 11.79 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 733 billion m³ (1 January 2004)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 323,500 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 800,000 (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: excellent international service; good local service
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .tt
Hosts: 30,732 (2006)
Users: 160,000 (2005)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 0.6% (2003 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 6 (2006)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Heliports

Pipelines: condensate 253 km; gas 1278 km; oil 571 km (2006)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 8,320 km
Paved: 4,252 km
Unpaved: 4,068 km (1999)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 16,760 GRT/7,941 DWT
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 terminals: Pointe-a-Pierre Point Lisas Port-of-Spain


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Disputes international: Barbados will assert its claim before the UN Convention 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

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis