President: Maxwell Richards Prime minister: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
Population
10,884,958
1,226,383
Life Expectancy
58.610 years
71.670 years
Capital City
Port-of-Spain
Largest city
Camayenne (population: 1,871,240)
Chaguanas (population: 72,159)
Human Development Index
0.423
0.833
GDP per capita
$20,300 US
Literacy Rate
29.5%
98.6%
Corruption Perception Index
1.6
3.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
19.3%
33.3%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
6.400%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
republic
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
31 August 1962 (from UK)
Religions
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
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); note - each ethnic group has its own language
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
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Area
245,857 km sq
5,128 km sq
Coastline
320 km
362 km
Climate
generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
