Trinidad and Tobago ( Trinidad and Tobago) is a country in Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago geographic coordinates 11 00 N, 61 00 W; area 0 sq km; area comparative slightly smaller than Delaware; land boundaries 0 km; coastline 362 km; maritime claims measured from claimed archipelagic baselines exclusive; climate tropical; rainy season (June to December); terrain mostly plains with some hills and low mountains; elevation extremes El Cerro del Aripo 940 m; natural resources petroleum, natural gas, asphalt; land use 76.22% (2001); irrigated land 30 sq km (1998 est.); natural hazards outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms; environment current issues water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion; environment international agreements none of the selected agreements; geography note Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt;

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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. government type parliamentary democracy; capital Port-of-Spain; administrative divisions 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, and 1 ward borough corporations: Arima, Point Fortin, Chaguanas; independence 31 August 1962 (from UK); national holiday Independence Day, 31 August (1962); constitution 1 August 1976; legal system based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; suffrage 18 years of age; universal;

people

Trinidad and Tobago population 1,088,644 (July 2005 est.); age structure 8.3% (male 40,638/female 49,782) (2005 est.); median age 31.44 years (2005 est.); population growth rate -0.74% (2005 est.); birth rate 12.81 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 9.37 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate -10.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 1.06 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 26.23 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 71.3 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 1.75 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate 3.2% (2003 est.); hiv people with aids 29,000 (2003 est.); hiv deaths 1,900 (2003 est.); nationality Trinidadian, Tobagonian; ethnic groups East Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern India) 40.3%, black 39.5%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and other 1.2%; religions Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7%; languages English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese; literacy 98% (2003 est.);

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Cities