President: Maxwell Richards Prime minister: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
Population
1,226,383
21,952,093
Life Expectancy
71.670 years
57.250 years
Capital City
Port-of-Spain
Largest city
Chaguanas (population: 72,159)
(population: )
Human Development Index
0.833
NA
GDP per capita
$20,300 US
Literacy Rate
98.6%
48.7%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
NA
Percentage of Women in Parliament
33.3%
NA
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
6.400%
Death Penalty
Legal
NA
Political System
parliamentary democracy
republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960 note: the government is currently operating under a power-sharing agreement mandated by international mediators
Independence date
31 August 1962 (from UK)
Religions
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)
Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8%, indigenous 11.9%, none 16.7% (2008 est) note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)
Languages
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken
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 $
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
2
0
Location
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia
Area
5,128 km sq
322,463 km sq
Coastline
362 km
515 km
Climate
tropical; rainy season (June to December)
tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)
