President: Maxwell Richards Prime minister: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
Population
30,419,928
1,226,383
Life Expectancy
49.720 years
71.670 years
Capital City
Kabul
Port-of-Spain
Largest city
Kabul (population: 3,043,530)
Chaguanas (population: 72,159)
Human Development Index
0
0.833
GDP per capita
$1,000 US
$20,300 US
Literacy Rate
28.1%
98.6%
Corruption Perception Index
1.5
3.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
25.9%
33.3%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
35.000%
6.400%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
Islamic republic
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
31 August 1962 (from UK)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%
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)
Languages
Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Exports
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
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
External Debt
$1,280,000,000 $
$4,483,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 50 (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)
Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar - 6.3228 (2008 est.), 6.3275 (2007), 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.900%
0.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
2
Location
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
