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

slightly smaller than Delaware

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

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

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

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

Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 25.8% (Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Seventh-Day Adventist 4%), Hindu 22.5%, Muslim 5.8%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)

1,226,383 (July 2012 est.)

14.25 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

8.35 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-6.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

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

46 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

1.72 children born/woman (2012 est.)

1.175 physicians/1,000 population (2007)

2.5 beds/1,000 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

fewer than 1,000 (2009 est.)

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

parliamentary democracy

9 regions, 3 boroughs, 2 cities, 1 ward

31 August 1962 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

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 [Prakash RAMADHAR]; Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Charles CARSON] (coalition of NAR, DDPT, MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]; People's National Movement or PNM [Keith ROWLEY]; 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, CELAC, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), 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

scarlet ibis (bird of Trinidad); cocrico (bird of Tobago)

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 during 2009-2011 due to depressed natural gas prices and changing markets. Growth had been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas, 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.

$27.12 billion (2012 est.)

$26.92 billion (2011 est.)

$27.33 billion (2010 est.)

$23.84 billion (2012 est.)

15.9% of GDP (2012 est.)

32.3% of GDP (2012 est.)

-2.7% of GDP (2012 est.)

37.7% of GDP (2012 est.)

38.8% of GDP (2011 est.)

4.25% (31 December 2010 est.)

7.25% (31 December 2009 est.)

7.8% (31 December 2012 est.)

7.99% (31 December 2011 est.)

$5.653 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$5.073 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$17.28 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$15.46 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$6.417 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$6.115 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$14.73 billion (31 December 2011)

$12.16 billion (31 December 2010)

$11.15 billion (31 December 2009)

cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry; sugar

$2.677 billion (2012 est.)

$2.26 billion (2011 est.)

$12.72 billion (2012 est.)

$13.02 billion (2011 est.)

petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, cereal and cereal products, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruit, vegetables, flowers

US 43.6%, Spain 5.1%, South Korea 4.8%, Jamaica 4.6% (2011)

$9.362 billion (2012 est.)

$9.552 billion (2011 est.)

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

US 32.8%, Brazil 10.7%, Russia 6.2%, Gabon 5.7%, Canada 5.1%, China 4.2% (2011)

$10.65 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$10.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$4.78 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$4.749 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$102 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$12.44 billion (2007)

$3.829 billion (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar -

1 October - 30 September

7.271 billion kWh (2009 est.)

7.102 billion kWh (2009 est.)

1.429 million kW (2009 est.)

99.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

135,900 bbl/day (2011 est.)

55,240 bbl/day (2009 est.)

56,540 bbl/day (2009 est.)

728.3 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

165,100 bbl/day (2008 est.)

41,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

148,600 bbl/day (2008 est.)

242.3 bbl/day (2008 est.)

42.46 billion cu m (2010 est.)

22.08 billion cu m (2010 est.)

20.38 billion cu m (2010 est.)

381.1 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

49.93 million Mt (2010 est.)

1.825 million (2011)

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

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, Defense Force Reserves (2010)

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription; Trinidad and Tobago citizenship and completion of secondary school required (2012)

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 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 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