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. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.


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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

Area
Rank: 174
Comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas asphalt

Land use

Irrigated land: 70 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 3.8 km³ (2000)

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: 1,226,383 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 158
Growth rate: -0.086% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 199
Below poverty line: 17% (2007 est.)

Nationality

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

Languages: English (official) Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi) French Spanish Chinese

Religions: Roman Catholic 26% Protestant 25.8% (Anglican 7.8% Baptist 7.2% Pentecostal 6.8% Seventh-Day Adventist 4%) Hindu 22.5% Muslim 5.8% other Christian 5.8% other 10.8% unspecified 1.4% none 1.9% (2000 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.086% (2012 est.)
Rank: 199

Birth rate: 14.25 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 142

Death rate: 8.35 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 87

Net migration rate: -6.76 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 200

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 73

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 135

Total fertility rate: 1.72 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 169

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 1.175 physicians/1000 population (2007)

Hospital bed density: 2.5 beds/1000 population (2008)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.5% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 35
People living with hivaids: 15,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 85
Deaths: fewer than 1000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 66

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 4.4% (2000)
Rank: 87

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital

Administrative divisions: 9 regions 3 boroughs 2 cities 1 ward

Dependent areas

Independence: 31 August 1962 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 31 August (1962)

Constitution: 1 August 1976

Legal system: English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party 9 by the President 6 by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-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 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); the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)

Political parties and leaders: Congress of the People or COP [Prakash RAMADHAR]; Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Charles CARSON] (coalition of NAR DDPT MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]; People's National Movement or PNM [Keith ROWLEY]; Tobago Organization of the People or TOP [Ashworth JACK]; United National Congress or UNC [Kamla PERSAD-BISSESSAR]

International organization participation: ACP AOSIS C Caricom CDB CELAC EITI (candidate country) FAO G-24 G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAES MIGA NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW Paris Club (associate) UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side; the colors represent the elements of earth water and fire; black stands for the wealth of the land and the dedication of the people; white symbolizes the sea surrounding the islands the purity of the country's aspirations and equality; red symbolizes the warmth and energy of the sun the vitality of the land and the courage and friendliness of its people

National symbols: scarlet ibis (bird of Trinidad); cocrico (bird of Tobago)

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Economic growth between 2000 and 2007 averaged slightly over 8% significantly above the regional average of about 3.7% for that same period; however GDP has slowed down since then and contracted during 2009-2011 due to depressed natural gas prices and changing markets. Growth had been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas petrochemicals and steel. Additional petrochemical aluminum and plastics projects are in various stages of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods notably food products and beverages as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports but only 5% of employment. The country is also a regional financial center and tourism is a growing sector although it is not as important domestically as it is to many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. The previous MANNING administration benefited from fiscal surpluses fueled by the dynamic export sector; however declines in oil and gas prices have reduced government revenues which will challenge the new government's commitment to maintaining high levels of public investment.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 116

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 174

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 62

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: cocoa rice citrus coffee vegetables; poultry; sugar

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 2.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 120

Labor force: 616,500 (2012 est.)
Rank: 156

Unemployment rate: 5.5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 64

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 17% (2007 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -2.7% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 96

Taxes and other revenues: 32.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 84

Public debt: 38.8% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 96

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.1% (2011 est.)
Rank: 188

Central bank discount rate: 7.25% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 39

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 7.99% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 119

Stock of narrow money: $5.073 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 96

Stock of broad money: $15.46 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 91

Stock of domestic credit: $6.115 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 114

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 68

Current account balance: $2.26 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 36

Exports: $13.02 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 83
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products liquefied natural gas methanol ammonia urea steel products beverages cereal and cereal products sugar cocoa coffee citrus fruit vegetables flowers
Partners: US 43.6% Spain 5.1% South Korea 4.8% Jamaica 4.6% (2011)

Imports: $9.552 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 100
Commodities: mineral fuels lubricants machinery transportation equipment manufactured goods food chemicals live animals
Partners: US 32.8% Brazil 10.7% Russia 6.2% Gabon 5.7% Canada 5.1% China 4.2% (2011)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $10.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 71

Debt external: $4.749 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 121

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $12.44 billion (2007)
Rank: 39

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $3.829 billion (2007)
Rank: 65

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 7.271 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 102
Consumption: 7.102 billion kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 100
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 135
Imports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 138
Installed generating capacity: 1.429 million kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 115
Generation sources fossil fuels: 99.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 54
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 182
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 201
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 84

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 135,900 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 45
Crude oil exports: 55,240 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 43
Crude oil imports: 56,540 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 54
Crude oil proven reserves: 728.3 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 44

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 165,100 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 62
Products consumption: 41,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 107
Products exports: 148,600 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 38
Products imports: 242.3 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 206

Natural gas
Production: 42.46 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 24
Consumption: 22.08 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 34
Exports: 20.38 billion m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 15
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 134
Proven reserves: 381.1 billion m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 36

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 49.93 million Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 63

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 292,000 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 116
Mobile cellular: 1.825 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 143

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 5 TV networks one of which is state-owned broadcast on multiple stations; multiple cable TV subscription service providers; multiple radio networks one state-owned broadcast over about 35 stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .tt
Hosts: 241,690 (2012)
Hosts rank: 69
Users: 593,000 (2009)
Users rank: 115

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 0.3% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 168

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription; Trinidad and Tobago citizenship and completion of secondary school required (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 5 (2012)
Rank: 178

Heliports

Pipelines: gas 671 km; oil 334 km (2010)

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 139

Waterways

Merchant marine
Rank: 131

Ports and terminals: Point Fortin Point Lisas Port of Spain Scarborough


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Disputes international: Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005 Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary 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