es in Latin
America. Recent growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied
natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional
petrochemical, aluminum, and plastics projects are in various stages
of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer
of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these
resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food and
beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas
account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of
employment. The country is also a regional financial center, and
tourism is a growing sector, although it is not proportionately as
important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits
from a growing trade surplus. Economic growth reached 12.6% in 2006
and 5.5% in 2007 as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and LNG remained
high, and as foreign direct investment continued to grow to support
expanded capacity in the energy sector.

Tunisia
Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural,
mining, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of
economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the
past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax
structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Progressive social
policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia
relative to the region. Real growth, which averaged almost 5% over
the past decade, reached 6.3% in 2007 because of development in
non-textile manufacturing, a recovery in agricultural production,
and strong growth in the services sector. However, Tunisia will need
to reach even higher growth levels to create sufficient employment
opportunities for an already large number of unemployed as well as
the growing population of university graduates. Broader
privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to
increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency,
and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges ahead.

Turkey
Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry
and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still
accounts for more than 35% of employment. It has a strong and
rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major
role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The
largest industrial secto