rnational disputes: none

Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Land use:
arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 17%
meadows and pastures: 2%
forest and woodland: 44%
other: 23%

Irrigated land: 220 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: water pollution from agricultural chemicals,
industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches;
deforestation; soil erosion
natural hazards: outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical
storms
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83,
Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity

People
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Population: 1,272,385 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30% (male 193,134; female 186,649)
15-64 years: 64% (male 413,426; female 404,175)
65 years and over: 6% (male 33,791; female 41,210) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.08% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 16.25 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 6.9 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.01 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 18.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.3 years
male: 67.91 years
female: 72.77 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.99 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian

Ethnic divisions: black 43%, East Indian (a local term - primarily
immigrants from northern India) 40%, mixed 14%, white 1%, Chinese
1%, other 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 32.2%, Hindu 24.3%, Anglican 14.4%,
other Protestant 14%, Muslim 6%, none or unknown 9.1%

Languages: English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 97.9%
male: 98.8%
female: 97%

Government
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Name of country:
c