TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO GEOGRAPHY Total area: 5,130 km2; land area: 5,130 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than Delaware Land boundaries: none Coastline: 362 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December) Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, asphalt Land use: arable land 14%; permanent crops 17%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland 44%; other 23%; includes irrigated 4% Environment: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms Note: located 11 km from Venezuela PEOPLE Population: 1,285,297 (July 1991), growth rate 1.1% (1991) Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1991) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991) Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991) Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991) Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 73 years female (1991) Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1991) Nationality: noun--Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s); adjective--Trinidadian, Tobagonian Ethnic divisions: black 43%, East Indian 40%, mixed 14%, white 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1% Religion: Roman Catholic 32.2%, Hindu 24.3%, Anglican 14.4%, other Protestant 14%, Muslim 6%, none or unknown 9.1% Language: English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish Literacy: 95% (male 97%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980) Labor force: 463,900; construction and utilities 18.1%; manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14.8%; agriculture 10.9%; other 56.2% (1985 est.) Organized labor: 22% of labor force (1988) GOVERNMENT Long-form name: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago 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) Constitution: 31 August 1976 Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Independence Day, 31 August (1962) Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State--President Noor Mohammed HASSANALI (since 18 March 1987); Head of Government--Prime Minister Arthur Napoleon Raymond ROBINSON (since 18 December 1986) Political parties and leaders: National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), A. N. R. ROBINSON; People's National Movement (PNM), Patrick MANNING; United National Congress (UNC), Basdeo PANDAY; Movement for Social Transformation (MOTION), David ABDULLAH Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: House of Representatives--last held 15 December 1986 (next to be held by December 1991); results--NAR 66%, PNM 32%, other 2%; seats--(36 total) NAR 33, PNM 3; note--in 1989 six members were expelled from the NAR and formed the UNC, while retaining their parliamentary seats; as a result seats held are NAR 27, UNC 6, PNM 3 Communists: Communist Party of Trinidad and Tobago; Trinidad and Tobago Peace Council, James MILLETTE Other political pressure groups: National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), radical antigovernment black-identity organization; Trinidad and Tobago Peace Council, leftist organization affiliated with the World Peace Council; Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce; Trinidad and Tobago Labor Congress, moderate labor federation; Council of Progressive Trade Unions, radical labor federation Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Angus Albert KHAN; Chancery at 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 467-6490; Trinidad and Tobago has a Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador Charles A. GARGANO; Embassy at 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain (mailing address is P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain); telephone (809) 622-6372 through 6376, 6176 Flag: red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side ECONOMY Overview: Trinidad and Tobago's petroleum-based economy began to emerge from a lengthy depression in 1990. The economy fell sharply through most of the 1980s, largely because of the decline in oil prices. This sector accounts for 80% of export earnings and more than 25% of GDP. The government, in response to the oil revenue loss, pursued a series of austerity measures that pushed the unemployment rate as high as 22% in 1988. The economy showed signs of recovery in 1990, however, helped along by rising oil prices. Agriculture employs only about 11% of the labor force and produces about 3% of GDP. Since this sector is small, it has been unable to absorb the large numbers of the unemployed. The government currently seeks to diversify its export base. GDP: $4.05 billion, per capita $3,363; real growth rate - 3.7% (1989) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.4% (1989) Unemployment rate: 20% (1990) Budget: revenues $1.5 billion; expenditures $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.) Exports: $1.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--includes reexports--petroleum and petroleum products 82%, steel products 9%, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus (1988); partners--US 53%, CARICOM 16%, EC 10%, Latin America 3% (1989) Imports: $1.3 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.); commodities--raw materials and intermediate goods 47%, capital goods 26%, consumer goods 26% (1988); partners--US 51%, Latin America 10%, UK 8%, Canada 5%, CARICOM 6% (1989) External debt: $2.5 billion (1989) Industrial production: growth rate 5.2%, excluding oil refining (1986); accounts for 30% of GDP, including petroleum Electricity: 1,176,000 kW capacity; 3,468 million kWh produced, 2,730 kWh per capita (1990) Industries: petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles Agriculture: highly subsidized sector; major crops--cocoa and sugarcane; sugarcane acreage is being shifted into rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry sector most important source of animal protein; must import large share of food needs Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $373 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $443 million Currency: Trinidad and Tobago dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TT$) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TT$) per US$1--4.2500 (January 1991), 4.2500 (1990), 4.2500 (1989), 3.8438 (1988), 3.6000 (1987), 3.6000 (1986), 2.4500 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year COMMUNICATIONS Railroads: minimal agricultural system near San Fernando Highways: 8,000 km total; 4,000 km paved, 1,000 km improved earth, 3,000 km unimproved earth Pipelines: 1,032 km crude oil; 19 km refined products; 904 km natural gas Ports: Port-of-Spain, Point Lisas, Pointe-a-Pierre Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft Airports: 6 total, 5 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: excellent international service via tropospheric scatter links to Barbados and Guyana; good local service; 109,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 4 FM, 5 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station DEFENSE FORCES Branches: Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (Army), Coast Guard, Air Wing, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Manpower availability: males 15-49, 339,260; 245,086 fit for military service Defense expenditures: $59 million, 1.6% of GDP (1989 est.)