:Tonga Economy
Overview:
The economy's base is agriculture, which employs about 70% of the labor
force and contributes 50% to GDP. Coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans are
the main crops and make up two-thirds of exports. The country must import a
high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The manufacturing
sector accounts for only 11% of GDP. Tourism is the primary source of hard
currency earnings, but the island remains dependent on sizable external aid
and remittances to offset its trade deficit.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $92 million, per capita $900; real growth rate
2.5% (FY90 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.9% (third quarter 1991)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $30.6 million; expenditures $48.9 million, including capital
expenditures of $22.5 million (FY89 est.)
Exports:
$9.6 million (f.o.b., FY90 est.)
commodities:
coconut oil, desiccated coconut, copra, bananas, taro, vanilla beans,
fruits, vegetables, fish
partners:
NZ 35%, Australia 22%, US 13%, Fiji 5% (FY90)
Imports:
$59.9 million (c.i.f., FY90 est.)
commodities:
food products, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, fuels,
chemicals
partners:
NZ 30%, Australia 23%, US 12%, Japan 7% (FY90)
External debt:
$42.0 million (FY89)
Industrial production:
growth rate 15% (FY86); accounts for 11% of GDP
Electricity:
6,000 kW capacity; 8 million kWh produced, 80 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
tourism, fishing
Agriculture:
dominated by coconut, copra, and banana production; vanilla beans, cocoa,
coffee, ginger, black pepper
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $16 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $258 million
Currency:
pa'anga (plural - pa'anga); 1 pa'anga (T$) = 100 seniti
Exchange rates:
pa'anga (T$) per US$1 - 1.2987 (January 1992), 1.2961 (1991), 1.2809 (1990),
1.2637 (1989), 1.2799 (1988), 1.4282 (1987)
Fiscal year:
1 July-30 June
:Tonga Communications
Highways:
198 km sealed road (Tongatapu); 74 km (Vava`u); 94 km unsealed roads usable
only in dry weather
Ports:
Nukualofa, Neiafu, Pangai
Merchant marine:
4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,511 GRT/17,816 DWT; includes 2
cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 liquefied gas
Civil air:
no major transport aircraft
Airports:
6 total, 6 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over
3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
3,529 telephones; 66,000 radios; no TV sets; broadcast stations - 1 AM, no
FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
:Tonga Defense Forces
Branches:
Tonga Defense Force, Tonga Maritime Division, Royal Tongan Marines, Royal
Tongan Guard, Police
Manpower availability:
NA
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
: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
Disputes:
none
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
:Trinidad and Tobago People
Population:
1,299,301 (July 1992), growth rate 1.1% (1992)
Birth rate:
21 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-3 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
17 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
68 years male, 73 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s); adjective - Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Ethnic divisions:
black 43%, East Indian 40%, mixed 14%, white 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 32.2%, Hindu 24.3%, Anglican 14.4%, other Protestant 14%,
Muslim 6%, none or unknown 9.1%
Languages:
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)