President: Maxwell Richards Prime minister: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
Population
170,123,740
1,226,383
Life Expectancy
52.050 years
71.670 years
Capital City
Abuja
Port-of-Spain
Largest city
Lagos (population: 9,000,000)
Chaguanas (population: 72,159)
Human Development Index
0.499
0.833
GDP per capita
$2,600 US
$20,300 US
Literacy Rate
68%
98.6%
Corruption Perception Index
2.7
3.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
7.3%
33.3%
Wealthiest Citizens
Aliko Dangote ($2.5bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
21.000%
6.400%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
federal republic
parliamentary democracy
Independence date
1 October 1960 (from UK)
31 August 1962 (from UK)
Religions
Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, 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
English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Exports
petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber
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
$10,430,000,000 $
$4,483,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
nairas (NGN) per US dollar - 117.8 (2008 est.), 127.46 (2007), 127.38 (2006), 132.59 (2005), 132.89 (2004)
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
1.500%
0.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
4
2
Location
Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and Cameroon
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Area
923,768 km sq
5,128 km sq
Coastline
853 km
362 km
Climate
varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north
