Trinidad and Tobago Population: 1,227,505
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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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| Geography | |
| Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt | |
| Location: | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
| Geographic coordinates: | 11 00 N, 61 00 W |
| Area: | total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km Size comparison: slightly smaller than Delaware |
| Land Boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 362 km |
| Maritime claims: | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines 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 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: | 70 sq km (2008) |
| Natural hazards: | outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms |
| Current Environment Issues: | water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 1,227,505 (July 2011 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 19.5% (male 122,044/female 116,859) 15-64 years: 72.1% (male 455,148/female 429,990) 65 years and over: 8.4% (male 44,439/female 59,025) (2011 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 33.1 years male: 32.6 years female: 33.6 years (2011 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.087% (2011 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 14.35 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Death rate: | 8.29 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -6.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.028 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 27.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.93 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 71.37 years male: 68.51 years female: 74.3 years (2011 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.72 children born/woman (2011 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 1.5% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 15,000 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 1,000 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian |
| Ethnic groups: | Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census) |
| 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) |
| Languages: | English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98% (2003 est.) |
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| Government | |
| 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: | 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward 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 |
| 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 |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Kamla PERSAD-BISSESSAR (since 26 May 2010) cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) 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 on 11 February 2008 (next to be held by February 2013); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS reelected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA |
| 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) elections: House of Representatives - last held on 24 May 2010 (next to be held in 2015) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - NA; seats by party - UNC 21, PNM 12, COP 6, TOP 2 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held in 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); 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 [Winston DOOKERAN]; Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Gerald YETMING] (coalition of NAR, DDPT, MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Dr. Carson CHARLES]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Tobago Organization of the People or TOP [Ashworth JACK]; United National Congress or UNC [Kamla PERSAD-BISSESSAR] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin ABU BAKR] |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Neil PARSAN chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Beatrice W. WELTERS 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 FAX: [1] (868) 822-5905 |
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| Economy | |
| 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 about 3.5% in 2009, before rising more than 2% in 2010. Growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), 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. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $26.1 billion (2010 est.) $26.09 billion (2009 est.) $27.05 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $20.59 billion (2010 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 0% (2010 est.) -3.5% (2009 est.) 2.4% (2008 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $21,200 (2010 est.) $21,200 (2009 est.) $22,000 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 0.4% industry: 58.8% services: 40.8% (2010 est.) |
| Labor force: | 634,300 (2010 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 3.8% manufacturing, mining, and quarrying: 12.8% construction and utilities: 20.4% services: 62.9% (2007 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 6.4% (2010 est.) 5.8% (2009 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 17% (2007 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.5% (2010 est.) 7% (2009 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 11.7% of GDP (2010 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $6.6 billion expenditures: $7.199 billion (2010 est.) |
| Public debt: | 29.4% of GDP (2010 est.) 26.2% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry |
| Industries: | petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, food processing, cement, cotton textiles |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 2.5% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 7.419 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 7.246 billion kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 144,900 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 41,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 242,600 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 95,240 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 728.3 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 42.38 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 21.97 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 20.41 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 408.2 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $3.944 billion (2010 est.) $1.614 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports: | $12.72 billion (2010 est.) $9.175 billion (2009 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, cereal and cereal products, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruit, vegetables, flowers |
| Exports - partners: | US 44.2%, Spain 6.1%, Jamaica 5.1% (2010) |
| Imports: | $8.187 billion (2010 est.) $6.973 billion (2009 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | mineral fuels, lubricants, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals, live animals |
| Imports - partners: | US 27.8%, Russia 11.5%, Brazil 7.8%, Colombia 6.9%, Gabon 4.3%, China 4.2%, Canada 4.2% (2010) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $9.659 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $9.246 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $4.289 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $3.857 billion (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $102 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $12.44 billion (2007) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $3.829 billion (2007) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $12.16 billion (31 December 2010) $11.15 billion (31 December 2009) $12.16 billion (31 December 2008) |
| Exchange rates: | Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar - 6.3337 (2010) 6.3099 (2009) 6.2896 (2008) 6.3275 (2007) 6.3107 (2006) |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 314,800 (2009) country comparison to the world: 112 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 1.97 million (2009) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 185 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 1-868; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to US and parts of the Caribbean and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .tt |
| Internet hosts: | 168,876 (2010) |
| Internet users: | 593,000 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 6 (2010) country comparison to the world: 173 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2010) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2010) |
| Pipelines: | gas 671 km; oil 334 km (2010) |
| Roadways: | total: 8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (2001) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 6 by type: passenger 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1 registered in other countries: 2 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough oil terminals: Galeota Point terminal |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF): Trinidad and Tobago Army, Coast Guard, Air Guard, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (2010) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription (2010) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 341,764 females age 16-49: 317,899 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 269,824 females age 16-49: 261,735 (2010 est.) |
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