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Trinidad and Tobago:
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Other pages in this profile of Trinidad and Tobago:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.
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Background |
Definition First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Independence was attained 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 government is coping with a rise in violent crime. |
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Location |
Definition Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela |
Geographic coordinates |
Definition 11 00 N, 61 00 W |
Map references |
Definition Central America and the Caribbean |
Area |
Definition - World rank and map total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative |
Definition slightly smaller than Delaware |
Land boundaries |
Definition 0 km |
Coastline |
Definition 362 km |
Maritime claims |
Definition measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin |
Climate |
Definition tropical; rainy season (June to December) |
Terrain |
Definition mostly plains with some hills and low mountains |
Elevation extremes |
Definition lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m |
Natural resources |
Definition petroleum, natural gas, asphalt |
Land use |
Definition - World rank and map arable land: 14.62% permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (2005) |
Irrigated land |
Definition 40 sq km (2003) |
Total renewable water resources |
Definition 3.8 cu km (2000) |
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) |
Definition total: 0.31 cu km/yr (68%/26%/6%) per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000) |
Natural hazards |
Definition outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms |
Environment - current issues |
Definition water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion |
Environment - international agreements |
Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Geography - note |
Definition Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt |
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Copyright 2008 World Sites Atlas (sitesatlas.com) |