*Trinidad and Tobago, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form:
Trinidad and Tobago
Digraph:
TD
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)
Political parties and leaders:
People's National Movement (PNM), Patrick MANNING; United National Congress
(UNC), Basdeo PANDAY; National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), Carson
CHARLES; Movement for Social Transformation (MOTION), David ABDULLAH;
National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), Makandal DAAGA
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
House of Representatives:
last held 16 December 1991 (next to be held by December 1996); results - PNM
32%, UNC 13%, NAR 2%; seats - (36 total) PNM 21, UNC 13, NAR 2
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 Patrick Augustus Mervyn MANNING (since 17 December 1991)
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 in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Corinne BAPTISTE
chancery:
1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
(202) 467-6490
*Trinidad and Tobago, Government
consulate general:
New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Sally G. COWAL
embassy:
15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
mailing address:
P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain
telephone:
(809) 622-6372 through 6376, 6176
FAX:
(809) 628-5462
Flag:
red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side
*Trinidad and Tobago, Economy
Overview:
Trinidad and Tobago's petroleum-based economy has begun to emerge from a
lengthy depression in the last few years. 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 almost 20% 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 and 1991, 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.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $5 billion (1991)
National product real growth rate:
2.6% (1991)
National product per capita:
$3,800 (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
18.5% (1991)
Budget:
revenues $1.6 billion; expenditures $1.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $158 million (1993 est.)
Exports:
$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
includes reexports - petroleum and petroleum products 82%, steel products
9%, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus (1988)
partners:
US 49%, CARICOM 12%
Imports:
$1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1991)
commodities:
raw materials and intermediate goods 48%, capital goods 29%, consumer goods
23% (1991)
partners:
US 39%, Venezuela 14%, UK 7%, CARICOM 5% (1991)
External debt:
$2.4 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 2.3%, excluding oil refining (1986); accounts for 40% of GDP,
including petroleum
Electricity:
1,176,000 kW capacity; 3,480 million kWh produced, 2,680 kWh per capita
(1992)
Industries:
petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton
textiles
Agriculture: accounts for 3% of GDP; highly subsidized sector; major crops - cocoa,
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
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US
*Trinidad and Tobago, Economy
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $373 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $518 million
Currency:
1 Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TT$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TT$) per US$1 - 4.2500 (fixed rate since 1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Trinidad and Tobago, Communications
Railroads:
minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando
Highways:
8,000 km total; 4,000 km paved, 1,000 km improved earth, 3,000 km unimproved
earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,032 km, petroleum products 19 km, natural gas 904 km
Ports:
Port-of-Spain, Pointe-a-Pierre, Scarborough
Merchant marine:
2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 12,507 GRT/21,923 DWT
Airports:
total:
6
usable:
5
with permanent-surface runways:
2
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
1
Telecommunications:
excellent international service via tropospheric scatter links to Barbados
and Guyana; good local service; 109,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2
AM, 4 FM, 5 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station