Trinidad and Tobago (2002) | Antigua and Barbuda (2005) | |
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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 | 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 23% (male 136,807; female 131,177)
15-64 years: 70.2% (male 419,847; female 396,643) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 35,146; female 44,104) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 27.9% (male 9,767/female 9,427)
15-64 years: 68% (male 23,466/female 23,250) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,085/female 1,727) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cocoa, sugarcane, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry | cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock |
Airports | 6 (2001) | 3 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 5,128 sq km
land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km)
land: 442.6 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Delaware | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The islands came under British control in the 19th century; independence was granted 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. | The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981. |
Birth rate | 13.66 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 17.26 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.54 billion
expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (1998) (1998) |
revenues: $123.7 million
expenditures: $145.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Port-of-Spain | Saint John's (Antigua) |
Climate | tropical; rainy season (June to December) | tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 362 km | 153 km |
Constitution | 1 August 1976 | 1 November 1981 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda |
Currency | Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD) | - |
Death rate | 8.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $2.2 billion (2000 est.) | $231 million (1999) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN
embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376 FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462 |
the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mackisack LOGIE
chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel A. HURST
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122 FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $24 million (1999 est.) | $2.3 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses. A leading performer in the past 4 years has been the booming natural gas sector. Tourism is a growing sector, although not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The expected recovery of the global economy, along with anticipated higher oil prices, are plus factors for 2002. Negative factors are persistent high unemployment and the political uncertainties following the contentious selection of a new government in December 2001. | Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. Weak tourist arrival numbers since early 2000 have slowed the economy, however, and pressed the government into a tight fiscal corner. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals. |
Electricity - consumption | 4.792 billion kWh (2000) | 103 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 5.153 billion kWh (2000) | 110.8 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m |
Environment - current issues | water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion | water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly |
Environment - international 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 |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black 39.5%, East Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern India) 40.3%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and other 1.2% | black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian |
Exchange rates | Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2466 (January 2002), 6.2332 (2001), 6.2998 (2000), 6.2989 (1999), 6.2983 (1998), 6.2517 (1997) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000)
note: fixed rate since 1976 |
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; election last held 14 February 2003 (next to be held NA 2006); 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% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir James B. CARLISLE (since 10 June 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general |
Exports | $4.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | NA |
Exports - commodities | petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers | petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, machinery and transport equipment 17%, food and live animals 4%, other 8% |
Exports - partners | US 45.9%, Caricom countries 26.1%, Latin America 9.5%, EU 5.7% (1999) | Poland 47.8%, UK 24.6%, Germany 8.7% (2004) |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side | red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $10.6 billion (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 43% services: 55% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 3.9%
industry: 19.2% services: 76.8% (2002) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2001 est.) | 3% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 11 00 N, 61 00 W | 17 03 N, 61 48 W |
Geography - note | Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt | Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a very large western harbor |
Highways | total: 8,320 km
paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1996) |
total: 250 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis | considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center |
Imports | $3.5 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals | food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil |
Imports - partners | US 39.8%, Venezuela 11.9%, EU 11%, Caricom 4.8% (1999) | China 19.5%, US 18.7%, Singapore 14.8%, Poland 8.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7% (2004) |
Independence | 31 August 1962 (from UK) | 1 November 1981 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.2% (2001) (2001) | 6% (1997 est.) |
Industries | petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles | tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances) |
Infant mortality rate | 24.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 19.46 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 23.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.6% (2001 est.) | 0.4% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 17 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 30 sq km (1998 est.) | NA |
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 on the advice of 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; Court of Appeals the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction) |
Labor force | 564,000 (2000) (2000) | 30,000 |
Labor force - by occupation | construction and utilities 12%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, agriculture 10%, services 64% (1997 est.) | agriculture 7%, industry 11%, services 82% (1983) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 14.62%
permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 18.18%
permanent crops: 4.55% other: 77.27% (2001) |
Languages | English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese | English (official), local dialects |
Legal system | based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; members appointed by the president 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 15 members serving four-year terms |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 68.59 years
male: 66.04 years female: 71.25 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 71.9 years
male: 69.53 years female: 74.38 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94% (2000) male: 95.9% (1999) female: 91.7% (1999) |
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88% (1960 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,910 GRT/7,546 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: United States 1 (2002 est.) |
total: 980 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,873,626 GRT/7,683,143 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 630, chemical tanker 9, container 272, liquefied gas 9, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 17, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 923 (Australia 2, Bangladesh 4, Belgium 4, Colombia 2, Denmark 8, Estonia 2, Germany 849, Iceland 5, Latvia 5, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 11, Norway 3, Philippines 1, Russia 1, Slovenia 5, Sweden 1, Switzerland 5, Turkey 4, United Kingdom 1, United States 7) (2005) |
Military branches | Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (including Ground Force, Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Trinidad and Tobago Police Service | Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force: Infantry, Coast Guard (2004) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $90 million (1999) | NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (1999) | NA |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 347,831 (2002 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 248,324 (2002 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 31 August (1962) | Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981) |
Nationality | noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian |
noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan |
Natural hazards | outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, asphalt | NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism |
Net migration rate | -10.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | -6.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 1,032 km; petroleum products 19 km; natural gas 904 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Hochoy CHARLES]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [leader NA]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or TUN [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY] | Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three opposition parties - United National Democratic Party or UNDP, Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, and Progressive Labor Movement or PLM) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Jamaat-al Musilmeen [Yasin BAKR] | Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL] |
Population | 1,163,724 (July 2002 est.) | 68,722 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 21% (1992 est.) | NA |
Population growth rate | -0.52% (2002 est.) | 0.57% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough, Tembladora | Saint John's |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 680,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | minimal agricultural railroad system near San Fernando; common carrier railway service was discontinued in 1968 (2001) | - |
Religions | Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7% | Christian, (predominantly Anglican with other Protestant, and some Roman Catholic) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: excellent international service; good local service
domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana |
general assessment: NA
domestic: good automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-268; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe |
Telephones - main lines in use | 252,000 (1999) | 38,000 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 17,411 (1997) | 38,200 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (1997) | 2 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly plains with some hills and low mountains | mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas |
Total fertility rate | 1.8 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 2.26 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 11.8% (2001) (2001) | 11% (2001 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |