Trinidad and Tobago

Internet country code

.tt

Internet hosts

24,681 (2007)

Internet users

163,000 (2005)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana

Telephones - main lines in use

325,500 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.655 million (2006)

Television broadcast stations

6 (2005)

Agriculture - products

cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

Budget

revenues: $6.096 billion expenditures: $4.919 billion (2006 est.)

Currency (code)

Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

Current account balance

$4.655 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$2.729 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient

$2.09 million (2005 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 it is not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. Economic growth in 2006 reached 12.6% as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas remained high, and foreign direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.

Electricity - consumption

6.163 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - production

6.627 billion kWh (2005)

Exchange rates

Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002)

Exports

$12.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

US 59.8%, Spain 5.3%, Jamaica 5.2% (2006)

Fiscal year

1 October - 30 September

GDP (official exchange rate)

$14.87 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$21.06 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 0.7% industry: 59.8% services: 39.4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$19,800 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

11.7% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$6.843 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

US 30.6%, Brazil 12%, Venezuela 6.8%, Gabon 4.8%, Colombia 4.6% (2006)

Industrial production growth rate

17% (2006 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.3% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

18.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Labor force

625,000 (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

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

Market value of publicly traded shares

$15.57 billion (2006)

Natural gas - consumption

15.6 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports

13.44 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - production

29.04 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

702.8 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

34,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - production

150,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

990 million bbl (1 January 2006)

Population below poverty line

21% (1992 est.)

Public debt

37.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$6.609 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Unemployment rate

7% (2006 est.)

Area

total: 5,128 sq km land: 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

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

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% permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (2005)

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 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

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

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

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)

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 Roy L. AUSTIN embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376 FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Executive branch

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

Flag description

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

31 August 1962 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, 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); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London

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, nine by the President, six 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 5 November 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 46%, UNC 29.7%; seats by party - PNM 26, UNC 15 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

National holiday

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Political parties and leaders

Congress of the People [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]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 290,715 females age 18-49: 258,410 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49: 202,958 females age 18-49: 173,797 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes air wing) (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.3% (2006)

Military service age and obligation

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 19.5% (male 105,994/female 100,156) 15-64 years: 71.6% (male 397,699/female 358,755) 65 years and over: 8.9% (male 42,039/female 51,965) (2007 est.)

Birth rate

13.07 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate

10.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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

3.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,900 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

29,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 24.33 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 66.85 years male: 65.87 years female: 67.87 years (2007 est.)

Literacy

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

Median age

total: 31.8 years male: 31.3 years female: 32.3 years (2007 est.)

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

-11.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Population

1,056,608 (July 2007 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.883% (2007 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)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.058 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.109 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.809 male(s)/female total population: 1.068 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.74 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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

Airports

6 (2007)

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 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 27,599 GRT/8,081 DWT by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2007)

Pipelines

condensate 253 km; gas 1,278 km; oil 571 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

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

Roadways

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