President: Maxwell Richards Prime minister: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
Population
73,599,190
1,226,383
Life Expectancy
55.740 years
71.670 years
Capital City
Port-of-Spain
Largest city
Kinshasa (population: 7,785,960)
Chaguanas (population: 72,159)
Human Development Index
0.361
0.833
GDP per capita
$20,300 US
Literacy Rate
67.2%
98.6%
Corruption Perception Index
1.7
3.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
7.7%
33.3%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
6.400%
Death Penalty
NA
Legal
Political System
republic
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
31 August 1962 (from UK)
Religions
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%
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
French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Exports
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
$4,483,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
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
0.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
2
Location
Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Area
2,344,858 km sq
5,128 km sq
Coastline
37 km
362 km
Climate
tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October)
