*Tonga, Economy
Overview:
The economy's base is agriculture, which employs about 70% of the labor
force and contributes 40% 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.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $92 million (FY90)
National product real growth rate:
0.4% (FY92 est.)
National product per capita:
$900 (FY90)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (FY92 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $36.4 million; expenditures $68.1 million, including capital
expenditures of $33.2 million (FY91 est.)
Exports:
$18.8 million (f.o.b., FY92 est.)
commodities:
coconut oil, desiccated coconut, copra, bananas, taro, vanilla beans,
fruits, vegetables, fish
partners:
Japan 34%, US 17%, Australia 13%, NZ 13% (FY91)
Imports:
$68.3 million (c.i.f., FY92 est.)
commodities:
food products, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, fuels,
chemicals
partners:
NZ 33%, Australia 22%, US 8%, Japan 8% (FY91)
External debt:
$47.5 million (FY91)
Industrial production:
growth rate 1.7% (FY90); accounts for 11% of GDP
Electricity:
6,000 kW capacity; 8 million kWh produced, 80 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
tourism, fishing
Agriculture:
accounts for 40% of GDP; 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), $258 million
Currency:
1 pa'anga (T$) = 100 seniti
Exchange rates:
pa'anga (T$) per US$1 - 1.3996 (January 1993), 1.3471 (1992), 1.2961 (1991),
1.2809 (1990), 1.2637 (1989), 1.2799 (1988)
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:
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,765 GRT/10,597 DWT; includes 1 cargo,
1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 liquefied gas
Airports:
total:
6
usable:
6
with permanent-surface runways:
1
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
1
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
Location:
in the extreme southeastern Caribbean Sea, 11 km off the coast of Venezuela
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones of the
World
Area:
total area:
5,130 km2
land area:
5,130 km2
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline: 362 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm or the outer edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to December)
Terrain:
mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
Land use:
arable land:
14%
permanent crops:
17%
meadows and pastures:
2%
forest and woodland:
44%
other:
23%
Irrigated land:
220 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
*Trinidad and Tobago, People
Population:
1,313,738 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.1% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
20.08 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.31 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
16.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
70.53 years
male:
67.91 years
female: 73.22 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.35 children born/woman (1993 est.)
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:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
95%
male:
97%
female:
93%
Labor force:
463,900
by occupation:
construction and utilities 18.1%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying
14.8%, agriculture 10.9%, other 56.2% (1985 est.)