Country Profile Trinidad Tobago

 

  • Capital: Port of Spain
  • Population: 1,229,953 (July 2009 est.)
  • Currency: Trinidad Tobago dollar (TTD)

  • Language: 

    • English (official)
    • Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi)
    • French
    • Spanish
    • Chinese
  •  Time zone: UTC-4
  • Government: Parliamentary democracy
  • Chief of State: President George Maxwell RICHARDS
  • GDP real growth rate: 3.5% (2008 est.)
  • Exports(2008 est): $16.73 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
  • Main Export Partners(2007):
  •  Imports(2008 est.): $10.26 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
  • Main Import partners(2007):
  • Country dialing code: 1-868
  • Emergency number:  999
  • Voltage: 110/220V

Detailed country profile

ECONOMY

GDP real growth rate:

  • 3.5% (2008 est.)
  • 5.5% (2007 est.)
  • 12.2% (2006 est.)       

GDP-Composition by sectors(2008)

  • Agriculture: 0.5%
  • Industry: 47.9%
  • Services: 51.6% (2008 est.)

Labor force by occupation(2007):

  • Agriculture 3.8%
  • Manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 12.8%
  • Construction and utilities 20.4%
  • Services 62.9%

Agriculture products:

  • Cocoa
  • Rice
  • Citrus
  • Coffee
  • Vegetables
  • Poultry

Industries:

  • Petroleum
  • Chemicals
  • Tourism
  • Food processing
  • Cement
  • Beverage
  • Cotton textiles

Export: $16.73 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Export 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

Main Export Partners(2007):

Imports:$10.26 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Import commodities:

  • Mineral fuels
  • Lubricants
  • Machinery
  • Transportation equipment
  • Manufactured goods
  • Food
  • Chemicals
  • Live animals

Import partners (2007):

  • US 28.2%
  • Brazil 11%
  • Venezuela 8.2%
  • Colombia 5.4%
  • Gabon 4.9%
  • China 4.2%

Ports and Terminal:

  • Point Fortin
  • Point Lisas
  • Port-of-Spain

Unemployment rate:5.3% (2008 est.)

GOVERNMENT

Government Type: Parliamentary democracy

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 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

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

GEOGRAPHY

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

Environment and international agreement:

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

Environment and current issues:

  • Water pollution from agricultural chemicals
  • Industrial wastes  and raw sewage
  • Oil pollution of beaches
  • Deforestation
  • Soil erosion

PEOPLE

Ethnic groups:

  • Indian (South Asian) 40%
  •  African 37.5%
  • Mixed 20.5%
  • Other 1.2%
  • Unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)

Languages:

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

Religion:

  • 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)

HISTORY

Express History

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.

 

Source: The world factbook www.cia.gov

 

See also:

Trinidad and Tobago Trade Agreements

Embassies and Consulates in Trinidad and Tobago