Trinidad and Tobago

§1. Trinidad and Tobago Introduction

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.

§2. Trinidad and Tobago Geography

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

Geographic coordinates:
  11 00 N, 61 00 W

Map references:
  Central_America_and_the_Caribbean

Area:
  total: 5,128 km²
  land: 5,128 km²
  water: 0 km²

Area - comparative:
  slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  362 km

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

Climate:
  tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Terrain:
  mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

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

Natural resources:
  petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Land use:
  arable land: 14.62%
  permanent crops: 9.16%
  other: 76.22% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  30 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
  outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

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

Geography - note:
  Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest
  natural reservoir of asphalt

§3. Trinidad and Tobago People

Population:
  1,065,842 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 20.1% (male 109,936/female 104,076)
  15-64 years: 71.3% (male 398,657/female 361,093)
  65 years and over: 8.6% (male 41,162/female 50,918) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 31.2 years
  male: 30.8 years
  female: 31.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  -0.87% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  12.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  10.57 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -11.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 25.05 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 26.86 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 23.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 66.76 years
  male: 65.71 years
  female: 67.86 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  3.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  29,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  1,900 (2003 est.)

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

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

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

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

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

§4. Trinidad and Tobago Government

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

Government type:
  parliamentary democracy

Capital:
  Port-of-Spain

Administrative divisions:
  9 regional corporations - Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio
  Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille,
  Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco; 2 city corporations - Port-of-Spain, San
  Fernando; 3 borough corporations - Arima, Point Fortin, Chaguanas; 1 ward -
  Tobago

Independence:
  31 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday:
  Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Constitution:
  1 August 1976

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

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal

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;
    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
  election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent of
    electoral college vote - 43%

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)
  elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next to be
    held by October 2007)
  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; last election held January 2005; seats by party - PNM
    11, DAC 1

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

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]

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

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

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

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

§5. Trinidad and Tobago Economy

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 2006 are
  good as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied 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.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $13.92 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $13.45 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  7% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $12,900 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 0.7%
  industry: 57%
  services: 42.3% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  620,000 (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction
  and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  8% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  21% (1992 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: NA%
  highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  6.8% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  19% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $4.5 billion
  expenditures: $4.06 billion; including capital expenditures of $117.3
    million (2005 est.)

Public debt:
  41.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:
  cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  9% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
  6.076 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - consumption:
  5.651 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
  150,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  29,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
  990 million bbl (1 January 2004)

Natural gas - production:
  24.7 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  12.79 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  11.79 billion m³ (2003 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  0 m³ (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  733 billion m³ (1 January 2004)

Current account balance:
  $3.27 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $9.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 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)

Imports:
  $6.011 billion f.o.b. (2005 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)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $4.045 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $2.986 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $24 million (1999 est.)

Currency (code):
  Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

Exchange rates:
  Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004),
  6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002), 6.2332 (2001)

Fiscal year:
  1 October - 30 September

§6. Trinidad and Tobago Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  321,300 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  651,200 (2004)

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

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004)

Television broadcast stations:
  6 (2005)

Internet country code:
  .tt

Internet hosts:
  17,171 (2005)

Internet users:
  160,000 (2005)

§7. Trinidad and Tobago Transportation

Airports:
  6 (2005)

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 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 3
  914 to 1,523 m: 1
  under 914 m: 2 (2005)

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

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

Merchant marine:
  total: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,671 GRT/2,749 DWT
  by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1
  foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)
  registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 1, unknown 2) (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain

§8. Trinidad and Tobago Military

Military branches:
  Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes Air
    Wing) (2004)

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)

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.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $66.72 million (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  0.6% (2003 est.)

§9. Trinidad and Tobago Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  Barbados will assert its claim before the UN Convention on the Law of the
  Sea (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

Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and
  Europe; producer of cannabis


<Factbook 2006>
