2005 Edition

Administrative divisions

9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, and 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, Point Fortin, Chaguanas : ward: Tobago

Age structure

0-14 years: 20.7% (male 115,594/female 109,665) 15-64 years: 71% (male 403,301/female 369,664) 65 years and over: 8.3% (male 40,638/female 49,782) (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products

cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

Airports

6 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) 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

12.81 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$3.193 billion, including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (2004 est.)

revenues

$3.25 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 (code)

Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

Currency code

TTD

Current account balance

$1.548 billion (2004 est.)

Death rate

9.37 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Debt - external

$2.94 billion (2004 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN

embassy

15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain

FAX

[1] (868) 628-5462

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

consulate(s) general

Miami and New York

FAX

[1] (202) 785-3130

telephone

[1] (202) 467-6490

Disputes - international

Barbados will assert its claim before UNCLOS that the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into its waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to challenge this boundary as it may extend into its waters as well

Economic aid - recipient

$24 million (1999 est.)

Economy - overview

Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a growing trade surplus. Prospects for growth in 2004 are good as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquified natural gas are expected to remain high, and foreign direct investment continues to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.

Electricity - consumption

5.341 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production

5.743 billion kWh (2002)

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

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002), 6.2332 (2001), 6.2998 (2000)

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 in 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

$6.671 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

US 67.1%, Jamaica 5.7%, France 3.5% (2004)

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 - composition by sector

agriculture

2.7%

industry

47%

services

50.3% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $10,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.7% (2004 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$11.48 billion (2004 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

3.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,900 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

29,000 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA highest 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 20 October, 2005 ======================================================================

Imports

$4.65 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

US 23.9%, Venezuela 11.5%, Germany 11.2%, Brazil 10.7%, Spain 6.4%, Italy 5.1% (2004)

Independence

31 August 1962 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

7.2% (2004 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

22.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

male

26.23 deaths/1,000 live births

total

24.31 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.3% (2004 est.)

International organization participation

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

Internet country code

.tt

Internet hosts

8,003 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

17 (2000)

Internet users

138,000 (2002) Transportation Trinidad and Tobago

Investment (gross fixed)

19.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

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 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); High Court of Justice; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London

Labor force

590,000 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

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

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

14.62%

other

76.22% (2001)

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; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the opposition party 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 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms

elections

House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next to be held by October 2007)

Life expectancy at birth

female

67.91 years (2005 est.)

male

65.6 years

total population

66.73 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

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 293,094 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 203,531 (2005 est.)

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

31.44 years (2005 est.)

male

30.46 years

total

30.91 years

Merchant marine

by type

passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1

foreign-owned

1 (United States 1)

registered in other countries

4 (2005)

total

6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,178 GRT/3,633 DWT

Military branches

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force

Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes Air Wing) (2004)

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$66.7 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.6% (2003) Transnational Issues Trinidad and Tobago

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Nationality

adjective

Trinidadian, Tobagonian

noun

Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

13.76 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports

11.79 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

25 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

589 billion cu m (1 January 2004)

Natural hazards

outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Net migration rate

-10.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA

Oil - imports

NA

Oil - production

140,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

990 million bbl (1 January 2004)

Pipelines

condensate 253 km; gas 1,117 km; oil 478 km (2004)

Political parties and leaders

National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TU [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]; Democratic Action Committee or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES], note - only active in Tobago

Political pressure groups and leaders

Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]

Population

1,088,644 (July 2005 est.)

Population below poverty line

21% (1992 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.74% (2005 est.)

Ports and harbors

Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain

Public debt

54.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios

680,000 (1997)

Religions

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.927 billion (2004 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population

1.06 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

NA

general assessment

excellent international service; good local service

international

country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana

Telephones - main lines in use

325,100 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular

361,900 (2002)

Television broadcast stations

4 (2004)

Televisions

425,000 (1997)

Terrain

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Total fertility rate

1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate

10.4% (2004 est.)