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Background: 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.
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Common Name: Trinidad And Tobago
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Local Official Name: Trinidad and Tobago
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Abbreviated Name: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
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Official Name: Trinidad and Tobago
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Official Script Name: Trinidad and Tobago
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Local Common Name: Trinidad and Tobago
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Former Name: Trinidad and Tobago
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President George Maxwell RICHARDS
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Government Type: parliamentary democracy
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Independence: 1962 August 31 (from UK)
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Constitution: 1976 August 1
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 31 August
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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, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Administrative Divisions: 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward
regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco
city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando
borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin
ward: Tobago
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: 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 (eligible for a second 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; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the opposition party 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)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1
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 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); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London
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Party Leaders: National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TU [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]; Democratic Action Committee or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES], note - only active in Tobago
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International Disputes: Barbados will assert its claim before the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (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
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Illicit Drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis
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Location of Trinidad And Tobago: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
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Continent: North America
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Land Area Total: 5,128 sq km
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Region: Northern American |
Land Area Land: 5,128 sq km
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Capitol City: Port-of-Spain
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Land Area Water: 0 sq km
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Current: -4
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Latitude: 011 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 0 km
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Longitude: 061 00 W
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Border Boundary Coastline: 362 km
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Arable Land: 14.62 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 9.16 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 940 m
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Location: El Cerro del Aripo
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Caribbean Sea
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Largest City in Trinidad And Tobago: Port of Spain
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Port of Spain Largest City Population: 53,000
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Threatened Species: 23
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Environmental Issues: water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 40
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Bordering Countries: NA
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Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
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Geographical Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
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Comparative Area of Trinidad And Tobago: slightly smaller than Delaware
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Trinidad And Tobago's Geography: Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Trinidad And Tobago.
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General Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December)
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Natural Hazards: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
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Economic Overview: Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from low inflation and a growing trade surplus. Prospects for growth in 2006 are good as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas are expected to remain high, and foreign direct investment continues to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.
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GDP: $18,110,000,000 USD
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Currency: Trinidad and Tobago dollar
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GDP per Capita: $16,800 USD
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Currency Code: TTD
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GDP Growth Rate: 7.00 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% TTD
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002), 6.2332 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 0.70 %
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GDP of Industry: 57.00 %
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GDP of Services: 42.30 % |
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Inflation Rate: 6.90 % |
Population in Poverty: 21.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 8.00 %
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Tourism: 336,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $4,500,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $4,060,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 6,076,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 5,651,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 99.59%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.41%
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Oil Production: 150,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 12,790,000,000 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 29,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 12,790,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 11,790,000,000 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 990,000,000 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 733,000,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $2,767,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $24,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: cocoa, sugarcane, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
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Primary Industries: petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles
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Industrial Growth Rate: 9.00 %
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Import Amount in USD: $6,011,000,000 USD - machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals
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Import Partners: US 27.7%, Venezuela 13.3%, Brazil 11.8%, Japan 5.5%, Canada 4.2%
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Export Amount in USD: $9,161,000,000 USD - petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers
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Export Partners: US 68.8%, Jamaica 5.5%, Barbados 2.9%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 620,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 22 |
Number of People with Radios: 680,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 6 |
Number of People with Televisions: 425,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 323,500 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 800,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 30,732 |
Internet Users: 160,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .tt |
Newspapers: 123 |
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Two Letter Country Code: TD |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 1-868 |
Electricity Voltage: 115 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: 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
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Highways: 4,252 km |
Railways: 0 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 2,102 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 3 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 220 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 21,966,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 17.20 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 16,760 GRT/7,941 DWT
by type: liquefied gas 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1)
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Ports and Harbors: Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain
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Population: 1,065,842 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 12.90 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 254.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 10.57 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: -0.87% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.74 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 109,936 |
Population Female 0-14: 104,076 |
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Population Male 15-64: 398,657 |
Population Female 15-64: 361,093 |
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Population Male 65+: 41,162 |
Population Female 65+: 50,918 |
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Population 0-14: 20.10% |
Literacy Rate: 98.60% |
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Population 15-64: 71.30% |
Literacy rate of Males: 99.10% |
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Population 65+: 8.60% |
Literacy rate of Females: 98.00% |
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Population that is Male: 52.50
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Population that is Female: 47.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 66.76 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 25.05 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 65.71 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 67.86 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 3.20%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 29,000
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 1,900 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -11.07
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Nationality: TRINIDADIAN, TOBAGONIAN
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Ethnic Groups: Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8%
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Primary Language: English
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Other Languages: English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese
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Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
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Other Religions: Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, other Christian 5.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9%
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Branches: Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard (includes air wing)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 549,125 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 376,755 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 0 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 0.60
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Trinidad And Tobago Spa and Resort Directory
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Trinidad And Tobago City Information Game Earn Real Money
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