President: Maxwell Richards Prime minister: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
King: Mswati III
Population
1,226,383
1,386,914
Life Expectancy
71.670 years
49.420 years
Capital City
Port-of-Spain
Mbabane
Largest city
Chaguanas (population: 72,159)
Manzini (population: 110,537)
Human Development Index
0.833
0.542
GDP per capita
$20,300 US
$5,400 US
Literacy Rate
98.6%
81.6%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
3.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
33.3%
0%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
6.400%
40.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished in practice
Political System
parliamentary democracy
monarchy
Independence date
31 August 1962 (from UK)
6 September 1968 (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)
Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%
Languages
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)
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
soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
External Debt
$4,483,000,000 $
$703,100,000 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)
emalangeni per US dollar - 7.75 (2008 est.), 7.4 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.300%
4.700%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
0
Location
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
