Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago islands off the north-west peninsula are the (11,000) on Trinidad; and Scarborough remnants of the land-link with the (4,800) on Tobago. continent. There are sandy beaches in the Transport: There are 8,320 km of roads, 51 north and east, and Trinidad has many per cent paved. There is no railway. excellent harbours. Tobago also has a central mountain range descending to a Port of Spain and Point Lisas are the main plain in the south-west and many fine ports. Point Lisas’ deep-water port on the beaches. west coast serves the petro-chemical industries. Other terminals are at Pointe-à- Climate: Tropical, tempered by north-east Pierre, Point Fortin and Guayaguayare trade winds, with a temperature range of (petroleum); Claxton (cement); Tembladora 22–31°C and an average annual rainfall of (bauxite); Brighton (asphalt); Chaguaramas 1,631 mm. The dry season is January–May (dry-docks); and Scarborough on Tobago. and the wet season June–December, with a Tourist cruiseships dock in Scarborough and short dry sunny season called the Petit Port of Spain. Careme during September and October. Piarco International Airport, 25 km east of Environment: The most significant Port of Spain, is a major regional centre for environmental issues are water pollution from passenger and cargo traffic and aviation- agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes and related industries. Crown Point International KEY FACTS raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; Airport on Tobago can handle wide-bodied Joined Commonwealth: 1962 deforestation; and soil erosion. intercontinental aircraft. Population: 1,341,000 (2013) Vegetation: Forest covers 44 per cent of the GDP p.c. growth: 3.5% p.a. 1990–2013 land area, having declined at 0.3 per cent UN HDI 2014 : World ranking 64 p.a. 1990–2010. The forest is tropical Society evergreen: high in the mountains are KEY FACTS 2013 Official language: English mountain mangrove, tree-ferns and small Population per sq km: 262 Time: GMT minus 4 hrs palms; on the lower slopes, hog-plums and Life expectancy: 70 years Currency: Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TT$) sand-box; and in the fresh and brackish swamps, mangrove and gable-palms. The Net primary enrolment: 95% (2010) most important agricultural areas are in the Population: 1,341,000 (2013); some 54,000 Geography central plain of Trinidad. Arable land on Tobago; nine per cent of people live in Area: 5,128 sq km comprises five per cent and permanent urban areas; growth 0.4 per cent p.a. 1990– Coastline: 362 km cropland four per cent of the total land area. 2013; birth rate 14 per 1,000 people (27 in 1970); life expectancy 70 years (66 in 1970). Capital: Port of Spain Wildlife: There are many more species of birds and butterflies than on any other The population is of about 40 per cent The country, the most southerly of the West Caribbean island, including 15 varieties of Indian, 38 per cent African and 21 per cent Indian island states, situated 11.2 km off the hummingbird (in all some 130 species of mixed descent, with smaller numbers of Venezuelan coast, consists of two islands: birds). There is a wildlife sanctuary in the people of European, Latin American and Trinidad and Tobago. Northern Range on Trinidad at El Tucuche Chinese descent (2000 census). Area: 5,128 sq km: Trinidad (4,828 sq km) with agoutis, golden tree-frogs and more Language: English is the official and national and Tobago (300 sq km). than 400 species of birds, and the Caroni language; English-, French- and Spanish- Swamp reserve is the home of thousands of Topography: Trinidad and Tobago are based Creoles, Indian languages including scarlet ibis. The government has proposed a unique among Caribbean islands in that Hindi, and Chinese dialects are also spoken. only 10,000 years ago they were a part of National Parks and Wildlife Bill, which aims to Religion: Mainly Christians (Roman Catholics the South American mainland; the geology protect endangered species of which there 22 per cent, Pentecostals 12 per cent, and rich flora and fauna are closely akin to are now relatively very few. Two mammal Anglicans six per cent), Hindus 18 per cent Venezuela. A mountain range runs along species and four bird species are thought to and Muslims five per cent (2011 census). the north coast, rising to Trinidad’s highest be endangered (2014). point, El Cirro del Aripo (940 metres); there Main towns: Port of Spain (capital, pop. Health: Public spending on health was three are rolling hills in the south and the flat 37,074 in 2011), Chaguanas (83,516), San per cent of GDP in 2012. Traditionally good Caroni Plain lies in between. Trinidad is well Juan (greater Port of Spain, 56,200), San services have suffered somewhat from supplied with rivers, some of which end in Fernando (48,848), Arima (greater Port of reductions in public expenditure. Some 94 mangrove swamps on the coast. The Pitch Spain, 33,606), Point Fortin (20,235), per cent of the population uses an improved Lake in the south-west is the world’s largest Tunapuna (greater Port of Spain, 19,100), drinking water source and 92 per cent have natural reservoir of asphalt. A string of small Sangre Grande (17,500) and Princes Town access to adequate sanitation facilities (2012). THE COMMONWEALTH YEARBOOK 2015 Trinidad and Tobago Infant mortality was 19 per 1,000 live births (October/November). Carnival is celebrated had to be supported by the IMF until 1993, in 2013 (61 in 1960). In 2012, 1.6 per cent during the month leading up to Carnival when oil prices had recovered. of people aged 15–49 were HIV positive. Monday and Tuesday. In the late 1980s, a programme of Education: There are six years of compulsory privatisation was under way and continued education starting at the age of six. Primary Economy through the 1990s. At the same time school comprises seven years and secondary KEY FACTS 2013 industries based on natural gas, tourism and five, with cycles of three and two years. other service industries were developed. Tax GNI: US$21.2bn Some 89 per cent of pupils complete primary receipts have been rising through more school (2009). The school year starts in GNI p.c.: US$15,760 efficient collection, though many tax rates September. GDP growth: -0.6% p.a. 2009–13 have been cut. Tertiary institutions include the St Augustine Inflation: 7.4% p.a. 2009–13 With the new industries on stream and oil campus of the regional University of the West prices strong, the economy was buoyant in Trinidad and Tobago has a very sophisticated Indies (UWI), which also has main campuses the latter 1990s into the 2000s, pausing economy for a country of its size, embracing in Barbados and Jamaica. At St Augustine, briefly only in 2001–02, a period of political mineral extraction, agriculture, industry, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate uncertainty, when the government was tourism and services, but it is underpinned by courses in agriculture, education, distracted from the structural reforms and a single commodity – oil – which was first engineering, humanities, law (the Hugh investor confidence diminished. discovered in 1866. The high price of oil in Wooding Law School), medical sciences, the 1970s allowed considerable publicly Then during 2002–06 the economy grew at sciences and social sciences. The University of financed development, but when the price ten per cent p.a., moderating to 4.8 per cent Trinidad and Tobago was established in 2004 fell in the 1980s the economy faltered badly. in 2007. In the global economic downturn of and includes the Eastern Caribbean Institute In the recession years (1985–89), GDP fell by 2008–09 demand for Trinidad and Tobago’s of Agriculture and Forestry. Other tertiary 30 per cent in real terms. Although the manufactures weakened sharply and the institutions include the College of Science, government had substantial reserves, these economy shrank by 4.4 per cent in 2009; it Technology and Applied Arts; and Polytechnic were exhausted by 1987, and the economy stood still in 2010, contracted by a further Institute, which provides adult education in 1.6 per cent in 2011 and recovered modestly the evenings and shares premises with the in 2012–15. Unemployment, which had Real growth in GDP Sixth Form Government School. There is fallen to an all-time low of 4.6 per cent in virtually no illiteracy among people aged 15– % 2 2008, rose rapidly in 2009–12. 24. 1 Oil and gas Media: English-language dailies include 0 Trinidad and Tobago Guardian , Daily Express There are more than 30 producing oil and and Newsday ; The Bomb , The T’n’T Mirror -1 gas fields, many of them offshore. For a long and Sunday Punch are weeklies. time aftger th e 197 0 s there were no -2 significant fiel ds dis covered, but exploration The Caribbean New Media Group operates -3 in areas off the east coast led to discovery of public radio and TV services; and there are a the large Angostura field in 2001. In January number of private radio stations and TV -4 2014 oil reserves were estimated at 800 channels including Caribbean -5 million barrels. Exploration has intensified Communications Network’s TV6. 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 following the Angostura find, but offshore Some 88 per cent of households have TV sets Inflation fields are costly to exploit and slow to be (2006). There are 132 personal computers brought on stream. There are two oil % per 1,000 people (2007). 12 refineries: at Pointe-à-Pierre and at Point Communications: Country code 1 868; 10 Fortin.

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