Overview:
Trinidad and Tobago's petroleum-based economy still enjoys a high per
capita income by Latin American standards, even though output and
living standards are substantially below the boom years of 1973-82.
The country suffers from widespread unemployment, large foreign-debt
payments, and periods of low international oil prices. Seven
successive years of economic contraction were followed by small gains
in output in 1990-91 of 1.2% and 0.9%, in turn followed by small
declines in 1992-93 of roughly 1.0%. The government has begun to make
progress in its efforts to diversify exports.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $10.4 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
-1% (1993)
National product per capita:
$8,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.5% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
18.5% (1991)
Budget:
revenues:
$1.6 billion
expenditures:
$1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $158 million (1993
est.)
Exports:
$1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products,
fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers
partners:
US 47%, CARICOM 13%, Latin America 9%, EC 5% (1992)
Imports:
$900 million (f.o.b. , 1993)
commodities:
machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live
animals (1992)
partners:
US 41%, Venezuela 10%, UK 8%, other EC 8%
External debt:
$2 billion (1993)
Industrial production:
growth rate 2.3% (1991); accounts for 37% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
1,176,000 kW
production:
3.48 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
2,680 kWh (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 and
Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
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 - 5.8111 (January 1994),
5.3511 (1993), 4.2500 (fixed rate 1989-1992); note - effective 13
April 1993, the exchange rate of the TT dollar is market-determined as
opposed to the prior fixed relationship to the US dollar
Fiscal year:
calendar year

@Trinidad and Tobago, Communications

Railroads:
minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando
Highways:
total:
8,000 km
paved:
4,000 km
unpaved:
improved earth 1,000 km; unimproved earth 3,000 km
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

@Trinidad and Tobago, Defense Forces

Branches:
Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (including Ground Forces, Coast
Guard, and Air Wing), Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 357,904; fit for military service 257,667
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $59 million, 1%-2% of GDP (1989 est.)

@Tromelin Island

Header Affiliation: (possession of France)

@Tromelin Island, Geography

Location: Southern Africa, in the western Indian Ocean, 350 km east of Madagascar and 600 km north of Reunion Map references: World Area: total area: 1 sq km land area: 1 sq km comparative area: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 3.7 km Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm International disputes: claimed by Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles Climate: tropical Terrain: sandy Natural resources: fish Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100% (scattered bushes) Irrigated land: 0 sq km Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA Note: climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones; wildlife sanctuary

@Tromelin Island, People