2010 Edition

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.

Area

land

5,128 sq km

total

5,128 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Delaware

Climate

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Coastline

362 km

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 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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

237 cu m/yr (2000)

total

0.31 cu km/yr (68%/26%/6%)

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

Irrigated land

40 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

14.62%

other

76.22% (2005)

permanent crops

9.16%

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

Natural hazards

outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Terrain

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Total renewable water resources

3.8 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 19.6% (male 123,214/female 117,584) 15-64 years: 72.6% (male 457,868/female 434,486) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 41,467/female 55,334) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

14.37 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

8.21 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

4.2% of GDP (2002)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.5% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,900 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

14,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

27.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

30.12 deaths/1,000 live births

total

28.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese

Life expectancy at birth

female

74.02 years (2010 est.)

male

68.23 years

total population

71.09 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

98% (2003 est.)

male

99.1%

total population

98.6%

Median age

female

33.1 years (2010 est.)

male

32.1 years

total

32.6 years

Nationality

adjective

Trinidadian, Tobagonian

noun

Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)

Net migration rate

-7.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

People - note

in 2007, the government of Trinidad and Tobago estimated the population to be 1.3 million

Population

1,228,691 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.094% (2010 est.)

Religions

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

12 years (2005)

male

11 years

total

11 years

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 (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.72 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

13% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward

borough corporations

Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin

city corporations

Port-of-Spain, San Fernando

regional corporations

Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco

ward

Tobago

Capital

geographic coordinates

10 39 N, 61 31 W

name

Port-of-Spain

time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

1 August 1976

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Trinidad and Tobago

conventional short form

Trinidad and Tobago

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Beatrice W. WELTERS

embassy

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

FAX

[1] (868) 822-5905

mailing address

P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain

telephone

[1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

chief of mission

Ambassador vacant; Charge d'Affaires Donna HENRY

consulate(s) general

Miami, New York

FAX

[1] (202) 785-3130

telephone

[1] (202) 467-6490

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003)

election results

George Maxwell RICHARDS reelected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA

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

head of government

Prime Minister Kamla PERSAD-BISSESSAR (since 26 May 2010)

Flag description

red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side; the colors represent the elements of earth, water, and fire; black stands for the wealth of the land and the dedication of the people; white symbolizes the sea surrounding the islands, the purity of the country's aspirations, and equality; red symbolizes the warmth and energy of the sun, the vitality of the land, and the courage and friendliness of its people

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

31 August 1962 (from the UK)

International organization participation

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, 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

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)

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 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)

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

elections

House of Representatives - last held on 24 May 2010 (next to be held in 2015)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Patrick Stanislaus CASTAGNE note: adopted 1962; the song was originally created to serve as an anthem for the West Indies Federation; it was adopted by Trinidad and Tobago following the Federation's dissolution in 1962

name

"Forged From the Love of Liberty"

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

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]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

Central bank discount rate

7.25% (31 December 2009) 10.75% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

11.94% (31 December 2009 est.) 12.44% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

$3.363 billion (2010 est.) $1.702 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$4.303 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $3.895 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Economy - overview

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.

Electricity - consumption

7.034 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

7.202 billion kWh (2007 est.)

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)

Exports

$12.06 billion (2010 est.) $9.312 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 38.53%, Jamaica 8.86%, Spain 6.88%, Mexico 6.23% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

0.5%

industry

59.4%

services

40.1% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$22,100 (2010 est.) $21,600 (2009 est.) $22,300 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

2.1% (2010 est.) -3.2% (2009 est.) 3.5% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$21.2 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$27.1 billion (2010 est.) $26.54 billion (2009 est.) $27.42 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$8.234 billion (2010 est.) $7.161 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

mineral fuels, lubricants, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals, live animals

Imports - partners

US 30.87%, Colombia 7.1%, Venezuela 7.01%, Russia 6.64%, Brazil 5.53%, China 4.19% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

2.5% (2010 est.)

Industries

petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, food processing, cement, cotton textiles

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11.3% (2010 est.) 7% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

11.6% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

631,000 (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.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$11.15 billion (31 December 2009) $12.16 billion (31 December 2008) $15.61 billion (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

21.94 billion cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - exports

17.36 billion cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - production

39.3 billion cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

436.1 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

43,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

248,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

92,480 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

151,600 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

728.3 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

17% (2007 est.)

Public debt

26.4% of GDP (2010 est.) 29% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$9.659 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $9.246 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$12.47 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $11.35 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$3.829 billion (2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$102 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $12.44 billion (2007)

Stock of domestic credit

$2.924 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $2.823 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$3.734 billion (31 December 2010 est) $3.407 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

6.4% (2010 est.) 5.8% (2009 est.)

Broadcast media

5 TV networks each broadcasting on multiple stations; one of the networks is state-owned; multiple cable TV subscription service providers; multiple radio networks, one state-owned, broadcast over about 35 stations (2007)

Internet country code

.tt

Internet hosts

168,876 (2010)

Internet users

593,000 (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 185 telephones per 100 persons

general assessment

excellent international service; good local service

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

Telephones - main lines in use

314,800 (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.97 million (2009)

Airports

6 (2010)

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 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

passenger 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1

registered in other countries

2 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2010)

total

6

Pipelines

gas 659 km; oil 336 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough

Roadways

paved

4,252 km

total

8,320 km

unpaved

4,068 km (2000)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 347,044 females age 16-49: 323,847 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 273,361 females age 16-49: 266,535 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

7,966 (2010 est.)

male

8,572

Military branches

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF)

Trinidad and Tobago Army, Coast Guard, Air Guard, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (2010)

Military expenditures

0.3% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription (2010)

Disputes - international

in April 2006, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing agreement that limited Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis page last updated on January 12, 2011 ======================================================================