President: Maxwell Richards Prime minister: Kamla Persad-Bissessar
President: Moncef Marzouki
Population
1,226,383
10,732,900
Life Expectancy
71.670 years
75.240 years
Capital City
Port-of-Spain
Tunis
Largest city
Chaguanas (population: 72,159)
Tunis (population: 693,210)
Human Development Index
0.833
0.762
GDP per capita
$20,300 US
$9,600 US
Literacy Rate
98.6%
74.3%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
4.4
Percentage of Women in Parliament
33.3%
19.9%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
6.400%
18.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished in practice
Political System
parliamentary democracy
republic
Independence date
31 August 1962 (from UK)
20 March 1956 (from France)
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 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Languages
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
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
clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment
External Debt
$4,483,000,000 $
$23,210,000,000 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)
Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar - 1.211 (2008 est.), 1.2776 (2007), 1.331 (2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.300%
1.400%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
1
Location
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
Area
5,128 km sq
163,610 km sq
Coastline
362 km
1,148 km
Climate
tropical; rainy season (June to December)
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
