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.

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
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
Extremes 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 km² (1993 est.)

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

Population: 1,169,682 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: -0.51% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 21% (1992 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Trinidadian, Tobagonian
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%

Languages: English (official) Hindi French Spanish Chinese

Religions: Roman Catholic 29.4% Hindu 23.8% Anglican 10.9% Muslim 5.8% Presbyterian 3.4% other 26.7%

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/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 8.82 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -9.97 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male/female
Total population: 1.03 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 24.98 deaths/1000 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.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.05% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 7,800 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 530 (1999 est.)

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

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

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
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]

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)
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 and New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Edward E. SHUMAKER, III (until April, 2001)
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, 6,176
From the us fax: [1] (868) 628-5,462

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.

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,500 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2%
Industry: 44%
Services: 54% (1998 est.)

Agriculture products: cocoa sugarcane rice citrus coffee vegetables; poultry

Industries: petroleum chemicals tourism food processing cement beverage cotton textiles

Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2000)

Labor force: 558,700 (1998)
By occupation construction and utilities: 12.4%
By occupation manufacturing mining and quarrying: 14%
By occupation agriculture: 9.5%
By occupation services: 64.1% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 12.8% (2000)

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

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

Budget
Revenues: $1.54 billion
Expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (1998)

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.2% (2000 est.)

Exports: $3.2 billion (f.o.b. 2000)
Commodities: petroleum and petroleum products chemicals steel products fertilizer sugar cocoa coffee citrus flowers
Partners: US 39.3% Caricom countries 26.1% Latin America 9.5% EU 5.7% (1999)

Imports: $3 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: machinery transportation equipment manufactured goods food live animals
Partners: US 39.8% Venezuela 11.9% EU 11% Caricom 4.8% (1999)

Debt external: $2.8 billion (2000 est.)

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)

Electricity
Production: 4.9 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 99.59%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0.41% (1999)
Consumption: 4.557 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 243,000 (1997)
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

Internet
Country code: .tt
Service providers isps: 17 (2000)
Users: 30,000 (2000)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $83 million (FY94)
Percent of gdp: NA%

Airports: 6 (2000 est.)
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 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 1032 km; petroleum products 19 km; natural gas 904 km

Railways: minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando; railway service was discontinued in 1968

Waterways: none

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.)

Disputes international: none