1994 Edition

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

Agriculture

accounts for 3% of GDP; highly subsidized sector; major crops - cocoa, 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

Airports

total: 6 usable: 5 with permanent-surface runways: 2 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1

Area

total area: 5,130 sq km land area: 5,130 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Delaware

Birth rate

19.6 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Branches

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (including Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Trinidad and Tobago Police Service

Budget

revenues: $1.6 billion expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $158 million (1993 est.)

Capital

Port-of-Spain

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Coastline

362 km

Constitution

1 August 1976

Currency

1 Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TT$) = 100 cents

Death rate

6.28 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

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

Digraph

TD

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Corinne Averille McKNIGHT chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: (202) 467-6490

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $373 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $518 million

Electricity

capacity: 1,176,000 kW production: 3.48 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,680 kWh (1992)

Environment

current issues: water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and untreated sewage; oil pollution of beaches; land degradation natural hazards: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Ethnic divisions

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

Exchange rates

Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TT$) per US$1 - 5.8111 (January 1994), 5.3511 (1993), 4.2500 (fixed rate 1989-1992); note - effective 13 April 1993, the exchange rate of the TT dollar is market-determined as opposed to the prior fixed relationship to the US dollar

Executive branch

chief of state: President Noor Mohammed HASSANALI (since 18 March 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Patrick Augustus Mervyn MANNING (since 17 December 1991) cabinet: Cabinet; responsible to parliament

Exports

$1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers partners: US 47%, CARICOM 13%, Latin America 9%, EC 5% (1992)

External debt

$2 billion (1993)

FAX

(202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: New York

(809) 628-5462

Fiscal year

calendar year

Flag

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

Highways

total: 8,000 km paved: 4,000 km unpaved: improved earth 1,000 km; unimproved earth 3,000 km

House of Representatives

elections 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

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe

Imports

$900 million (f.o.b. , 1993) commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals (1992) partners: US 41%, Venezuela 10%, UK 8%, other EC 8%

Independence

31 August 1962 (from UK)

Industrial production

growth rate 2.3% (1991); accounts for 37% of GDP, including petroleum

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

16.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.5% (1993)

International disputes

none

Irrigated land

220 sq km (1989 est.)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal, Supreme Court

Labor force

463,900 by occupation: construction and utilities 18.1%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14.8%, agriculture 10.9%, other 56.2% (1985 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 14% permanent crops: 17% meadows and pastures: 2% forest and woodland: 44% other: 23%

Languages

English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.73 years male: 68.09 years female: 73.43 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

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

Location

Caribbean, in the extreme southeastern Caribbean Sea, 11 km off the coast of Venezuela

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 357,904; fit for military service 257,667

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or the outer edge of continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Member of

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

Merchant marine

2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 12,507 GRT/21,923 DWT

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $10.4 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$8,000 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

-1% (1993)

Nationality

noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Net migration rate

-2.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Overview

Trinidad and Tobago's petroleum-based economy still enjoys a high per capita income by Latin American standards, even though output and living standards are substantially below the boom years of 1973-82. The country suffers from widespread unemployment, large foreign-debt payments, and periods of low international oil prices. Seven successive years of economic contraction were followed by small gains in output in 1990-91 of 1.2% and 0.9%, in turn followed by small declines in 1992-93 of roughly 1.0%. The government has begun to make progress in its efforts to diversify exports.

Pipelines

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

Political parties and leaders

People's National Movement (PNM), Patrick MANNING; United National Congress (UNC), Basdeo PANDAY; National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), Selby WILSON; Movement for Social Transformation (MOTION), David ABDULLAH; National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), Makandal DAAGA; Republic Party, Nello MITCHELL; National Development Party (NDP), Carson CHARLES

Population

1,328,282 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

1.1% (1994 est.)

Ports

Port-of-Spain, Pointe-a-Pierre, Scarborough

Railroads

minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando

Religions

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

Senate

consists of a 31-member body appointed by the president

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telecommunications

excellent international service via tropospheric scatter links to Barbados and Guyana; good local service; 109,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 4 FM, 5 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Terrain

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Total fertility rate

2.32 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Type

parliamentary democracy

Unemployment rate

18.5% (1991)

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Sally G. COWAL embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: (809) 622-6372 through 6376, 6176