Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
First colonized by the Spanish, Trinidad and Tobago came under British control in the early 19th century. The emancipation of enslaved people in 1834 disrupted the twin islands' sugar industry. Contract workers arriving from India between 1845 and 1917 augmented the labor force, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export that remains the country's dominant industry. Trinidad and Tobago attained independence in 1962.
- Capital
- Port of Spain
- Government
- parliamentary republic
- Population
- 1,410,170
- Area
- 5,128 sq km
- Location
- Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
- Climate
- tropical; rainy season (June to December)
- Natural resources
- petroleum; natural gas; asphalt
- Languages
- English (official); Trinidadian Creole English; Tobagonian Creole English; Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi)…
- Religions
- Protestant 32.1% (Pentecostal/Evangelical/Full Gospel 12%; Baptist 6.9%; Anglican 5.7%; Seventh Day Adventist 4.1%…
- Independence
- 31 August 1962 (from the UK)
- Administrative divisions
- 9 regions, 3 boroughs, 2 cities, 1 ward regions: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Pr…
- Currency
- Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD)
- Export partners
- USA 28%; China 7%; Guyana 5%; Chile 5%…
- Import partners
- USA 29%; Guyana 27%; China 8%; Brazil 4%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain