First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Independence was attained 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. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

11 00 N, 61 00 W

Central America and the Caribbean

slightly smaller than Delaware

0 km

362 km

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

70 sq km (2008)

3.8 cu km (2000)

outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion

Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt

1,227,505 (July 2011 est.)

-0.087% (2011 est.)

14.35 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

8.29 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

-6.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

PORT-OF-SPAIN (capital) 57,000 (2009)

1.72 children born/woman (2011 est.)

1.5% (2009 est.)

15,000 (2009 est.)

fewer than 1,000 (2009 est.)

urban: 98% of population

rural: 93% of population

total: 34% of population

urban: 2% of population

rural: 7% of population

total: 6% of population (2008)

urban: 92% of population

rural: 92% of population

total: 92% of population

urban: 8% of population

rural: 8% of population

total: 8% of population (2008)

Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)

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)

English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese

NA

in 2007, the government of Trinidad and Tobago estimated the population to be 1.3 million

parliamentary democracy

9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward

31 August 1962 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

1 August 1976

English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with 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); the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)

Congress of the People or COP [Winston DOOKERAN]; Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Gerald YETMING] (coalition of NAR, DDPT, MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Dr. Carson CHARLES]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Tobago Organization of the People or TOP [Ashworth JACK]; United National Congress or UNC [Kamla PERSAD-BISSESSAR]

Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin ABU BAKR]

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side; the colors represent the elements of earth, water, and fire; black stands for the wealth of the land and the dedication of the people; white symbolizes the sea surrounding the islands, the purity of the country's aspirations, and equality; red symbolizes the warmth and energy of the sun, the vitality of the land, and the courage and friendliness of its people

Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Economic growth between 2000 and 2007 averaged slightly over 8%, significantly above the regional average of about 3.7% for that same period; however, GDP has slowed down since then and contracted about 3.5% in 2009, before rising more than 2% in 2010. Growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional petrochemical, aluminum, and plastics projects are in various stages of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food products and beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of employment. The country is also a regional financial center, and tourism is a growing sector, although it is not as important domestically as it is to many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. The previous MANNING administration benefited from fiscal surpluses fueled by the dynamic export sector; however, declines in oil and gas prices have reduced government revenues which will challenge the new government's commitment to maintaining high levels of public investment.

$26.1 billion (2010 est.)

$26.09 billion (2009 est.)

$27.05 billion (2008 est.)

$20.59 billion (2010 est.)

0% (2010 est.)

-3.5% (2009 est.)

2.4% (2008 est.)

$21,200 (2010 est.)

$21,200 (2009 est.)

$22,000 (2008 est.)

631,000 (2010 est.)

6.4% (2010 est.)

5.8% (2009 est.)

17% (2007 est.)

11.6% of GDP (2010 est.)

26.4% of GDP (2010 est.)

29% of GDP (2009 est.)

11.3% (2010 est.)

7% (2009 est.)

7.25% (31 December 2009)

10.75% (31 December 2008)

11.94% (31 December 2009 est.)

12.44% (31 December 2008 est.)

$3.734 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$3.407 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$12.47 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$11.35 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.924 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.823 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$11.15 billion (31 December 2009)

$12.16 billion (31 December 2008)

$15.61 billion (31 December 2007)

cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, food processing, cement, cotton textiles

2.5% (2010 est.)

7.202 billion kWh (2007 est.)

7.034 billion kWh (2007 est.)

0 kWh (2008 est.)

0 kWh (2008 est.)

151,600 bbl/day (2009 est.)

43,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

248,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

92,480 bbl/day (2007 est.)

728.3 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

39.3 billion cu m (2008 est.)

21.94 billion cu m (2008 est.)

17.36 billion cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2008 est.)

436.1 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

$3.363 billion (2010 est.)

$1.702 billion (2009 est.)

$12.06 billion (2010 est.)

$9.312 billion (2009 est.)

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

US 38.53%, Jamaica 8.86%, Spain 6.88%, Mexico 6.23% (2009)

$8.234 billion (2010 est.)

$7.161 billion (2009 est.)

mineral fuels, lubricants, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals, live animals

US 30.87%, Colombia 7.1%, Venezuela 7.01%, Russia 6.64%, Brazil 5.53%, China 4.19% (2009)

$9.659 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$9.246 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$4.303 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$3.895 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$102 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$12.44 billion (2007)

$3.829 billion (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar -

6.3337 (2010)

6.3099 (2009)

6.2896 (2008)

6.3275 (2007)

6.3107 (2006)

314,800 (2009)

1.97 million (2009)

5 TV networks each broadcasting on multiple stations; one of the networks is state-owned; multiple cable TV subscription service providers; multiple radio networks, one state-owned, broadcast over about 35 stations (2007)

.tt

168,876 (2010)

593,000 (2009)

6 (2010)

gas 671 km; oil 334 km (2010)

Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF): Trinidad and Tobago Army, Coast Guard, Air Guard, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (2010)

18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription (2010)

0.3% of GDP (2006)

Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis