Introduction
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.
Location
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates
11 00 N, 61 00 W
Area
total: 5,128 sq km
land: 5,128 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Maritime claims
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the outer edge of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
Irrigated land
30 sq km (1998 est.)
Environment - current issues
water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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
Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt
Population
1,096,585 (July 2004 est.)