World Facts Index
 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.
Geography of Trinidad
|
Location:
|
Caribbean, islands between
the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
|
Coordinates:
|
11 00 N, 61 00 W |
|
Area:
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total: 5,128 sq km
land: 5,128 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
slightly smaller than
Delaware |
|
Land boundaries:
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0 km |
|
Coastline:
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362 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
measured from claimed
archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental
margin
contiguous zone: 24 NM |
|
Climate:
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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:
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petroleum, natural gas,
asphalt |
|
Natural hazards:
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outside usual path of
hurricanes and other tropical storms |
|
Environment current issues:
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water pollution from
agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution
of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion |
|
Geography - note:
|
Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's
southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt
|
Population of Trinidad
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Population:
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1,047,366 (July 2008 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) |
|
Median age:
|
31.2 years |
|
Growth rate:
|
-0.87% |
|
Infant mortality:
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25.05 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 66.76 years
male: 65.71 years
female: 67.86 years |
|
Fertility rate:
|
1.74 children born/woman |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian |
|
Ethnic groups:
|
East Indian (a local term - primarily
immigrants from northern India) 40.3%, black 39.5%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and
other 1.2% |
|
Religions:
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Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican
10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7% |
|
Languages:
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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%
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Republic of
Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago |
|
Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
|
Capital:
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Port-of-Spain |
|
Administrative divisions:
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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 |
|
Independence:
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31 August 1962 (from UK) |
|
National holiday:
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Independence Day, 31 August (1962) |
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Constitution:
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1 August 1976 |
|
Legal system:
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based on English common law; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS
head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING
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); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party
in the House of Representatives |
|
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) |
|
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 |
Economy
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. Recent 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 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 proportionately as
important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a
growing trade surplus. Economic growth reached 12.6% in 2006 and 5.5% in 2007
as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and LNG remained high, and as foreign
direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy
sector.
|
GDP:
|
$26.79 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
5.5% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$16,700 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 0.7%
industry: 57%
services: 42.3% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
6.9% |
|
Labor force:
|
620,000 |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
construction and utilities 12.4%,
manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, agriculture 9.5%, services 64.1% |
|
Unemployment:
|
8% |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $4.5 billion
expenditures: $4.06 billion |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 99.8%
hydro: 0%
other: 0.2% |
|
Industries:
|
petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food
processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles |
|
Agriculture:
|
cocoa, sugarcane, rice, citrus, coffee,
vegetables; poultry |
|
Exports:
|
petroleum and petroleum products,
chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers |
|
Export partners:
|
US 69.7%, Jamaica 5.4%, Barbados 3% |
|
Imports:
|
machinery, transportation equipment,
manufactured goods, food, live animals |
|
Import partners:
|
US 28.3%, Venezuela 14.3%, Brazil 12.6%, Japan 5.6%,
Germany 4.4%, Gabon 4.2% |
|
Currency:
|
Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |