Edition 2003 — Trinidad and Tobago

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 22.2% (male 125,470; female 119,270) 15-64 years: 70% (male 402,137; female 370,600) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 38,928; female 47,804) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

cocoa, sugarcane, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

Airports

6 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
total: 3

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2002) Military Trinidad and Tobago

Area

land: 5,128 sq km
total: 5,128 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Delaware

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. Geography Trinidad and Tobago

Birth rate

12.74 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (1998)
revenues: $1.54 billion

Capital

Port-of-Spain

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Coastline

362 km

Constitution

1 August 1976

Country name

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

Currency

Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

Currency code

TTD

Death rate

8.71 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$2.8 billion (2002 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN
embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain
telephone: [1] (868) 622-6372 through 6376, 622-6176

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE (as of February 2003)
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

Disputes - international

none

Economic aid - recipient

$24 million (1999 est.)

Economy - overview

Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. A leading performer the past four years has been the booming natural gas sector. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a trade surplus. The year 2002 was marked by solid growth in the oil sector, offset in part by domestic political uncertainty.

Electricity - consumption

4.943 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

5.315 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 99.8%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.2% (2001)

Elevation extremes

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

Environment - current issues

water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion

Environment - 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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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%

Exchange rates

Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.24 (2002), 6.23 (2001), 6.3 (2000), 6.3 (1999), 6.3 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament
chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003)
election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 43%
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 14 February 2003 (next to be held NA 2008); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives
head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001)

Exports

$4.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers

Exports - partners

US 56.9%, Jamaica 7.3%, France 4.4% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 785-3130; [1] (868) 628-5462
telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490

Fiscal year

1 October - 30 September Communications Trinidad and Tobago

Flag description

red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side Economy Trinidad and Tobago

GDP

purchasing power parity - $11.07 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 1.6%
industry: 43.2%
services: 55.2% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $10,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.2% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

11 00 N, 61 00 W

Geography - note

Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt People Trinidad and Tobago

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Highways

paved: 4,252 km
total: 8,320 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

2.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,200 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

17,000 (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

$3.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals

Imports - partners

US 42%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.5%, UK 5%, Japan 4.5%, Brazil 4.3% (2002)

Independence

31 August 1962 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

2.6% (2002 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female: 22.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 26.93 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 24.97 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.3% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Internet country code

.tt

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

17 (2000)

Internet users

120,000 (2002) Transportation Trinidad and Tobago

Irrigated land

30 sq km (1998 est.)

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 highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London

Labor force

564,000 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation

construction and utilities 12.4%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, agriculture 9.5%, services 64.1% (1997 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 14.62%
other: 76.22% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 9.16%

Languages

English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese

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 consists of the Senate (31 seats; members appointed by the president for a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16
elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next to be held by October 2007)
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly, with 15 members serving four-year terms

Life expectancy at birth

female: 72.23 years (2003 est.)
male: 67.07 years
total population: 69.59 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
female: 98% (2003 est.) Government Trinidad and Tobago
male: 99.1%
total population: 98.6%

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
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

Median age

female: 30.4 years (2002)
male: 29.5 years
total: 29.9 years

Merchant marine

convenience: US 1 (2002 est.)
note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of
ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea passenger 1
total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,032 GRT/5,106 DWT

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$90 million (1999)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.4% (1999) Transnational Issues Trinidad and Tobago

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 327,823 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 233,488 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Nationality

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

Natural gas - consumption

11.54 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

3.65 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

15.19 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

610.6 billion cu m (37257)

Natural hazards

outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Net migration rate

-10.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

125,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

716 million bbl (37257)

Pipelines

condensate 253 km; gas 1,117 km; oil 478 km (2003)

Political parties and leaders

National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Hochoy CHARLES]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [leader NA]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TUN [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Jamaat-al Musilmeen [Yasin BAKR]

Population

1,104,209 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

21% (1992 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.68% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough, Tembladora

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

680,000 (1997)

Railways

minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando; common carrier railway service was discontinued in 1968 (2001)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic: NA
general assessment: excellent international service; good local service
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana

Telephones - main lines in use

252,000 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

17,411 (1997)

Television broadcast stations

4 (1997)

Televisions

425,000 (1997)

Terrain

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Total fertility rate

1.78 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

10.8% (2002)

Waterways