President: Maxwell Richards Prime minister: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
President: Giorgio Napolitano
Population
1,226,383
61,261,254
Life Expectancy
71.670 years
81.860 years
Capital City
Port-of-Spain
Rome
Largest city
Chaguanas (population: 72,159)
Rome (population: 2,563,240)
Human Development Index
0.833
0.945
GDP per capita
$20,300 US
$30,900 US
Literacy Rate
98.6%
98.4%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
4.8
Percentage of Women in Parliament
33.3%
20.2%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Michele Ferrero & family ($9.5bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.400%
8.400%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished
Political System
parliamentary democracy
republic
Independence date
31 August 1962 (from UK)
17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)
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)
Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)
Languages
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
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
engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals
External Debt
$4,483,000,000 $
$2,684,000,000,000 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)
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6689 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.300%
1.800%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
28
Location
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Area
5,128 km sq
301,340 km sq
Coastline
362 km
7,600 km
Climate
tropical; rainy season (June to December)
predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
