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| Introduction | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Background: | The islands came under British control in the 19th century; independence was granted in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing. |
| People | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Population: | 1,096,585 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 21.4% (male 120,153; female 114,205) 15-64 years: 70.6% (male 403,202; female 370,498) 65 years and over: 8.1% (male 39,762; female 48,765) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 30.4 years male: 30 years female: 30.9 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.71% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 12.75 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 9.02 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -10.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 24.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 26.58 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 69.28 years male: 66.86 years female: 71.82 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.77 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 3.2% (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 29,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 1,900 (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian |
| Ethnic groups: | East Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern India) 40.3%, black 39.5%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and other 1.2% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7% |
| Languages: | English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: | Port-of-Spain |
| Administrative divisions: | 8 counties, 3 municipalities*, and 1 ward**; Arima*, Caroni, Mayaro, Nariva, Port-of-Spain*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick, San Fernando*, Tobago**, Victoria |
| Independence: | 31 August 1962 (from UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 31 August (1962) |
| Constitution: | 1 August 1976 |
| Legal system: | based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term; election last held 14 February 2003 (next to be held in 2008); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent of electoral college vote - 43% |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; members appointed by the president for a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next to be held by October 2007) note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 15 members serving four-year terms election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16 |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Court of Appeals the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London |
| Political parties and leaders: | National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [leader NA]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TUN [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR] |
| International organization participation: | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6372 through 6376, 622-6176 FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462 |
| Flag description: | red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side |
| Communications | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 325,100 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 361,900 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Radios: | 680,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 2 (2004) |
| Televisions: | 425,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .tt |
| Internet hosts: | 8,003 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 17 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 138,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Highways: | total: 8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1999 est.) |
| Pipelines: | condensate 253 km; gas 1,117 km; oil 478 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough, Tembladora |
| Merchant marine: | total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,178 GRT/3,633 DWT registered in other countries: 4 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: United States 1 by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea/passenger 1 |
| Airports: | 6 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Military branches: | Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard, and Air Wing |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 326,447 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 232,234 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $66.7 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0.6% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Disputes - international: | Barbados will assert its claim before UNCLOS that the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into its waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to challenge this boundary as it may extend into its waters as well |
| Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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