Trinidad and Tobago Passport

【 Country Name 】 The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

【 Area 】 5128 square kilometers, including 4828 square kilometers for Trinidad Island and 300 square kilometers for Tobago Island.

Population: 1.534 million (2023). Indian and African Americans are the two main ethnic groups, accounting for approximately 35.4% and 34.2% of the total population, respectively. The rest are mixed race, European, Arab descendants, and Chinese. English is the official language and lingua franca. Most residents believe in Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, and a few believe in Islam.

The capital is Port of Spain, with a population of 546000.

[Head of State] President Christine KANGALOO, female, will take office in March 2023 for a term of 5 years.

[Important Festival] Independence Day: August 31st; Carnival: Every February.

【 Overview 】 Located at the southeastern end of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, facing Venezuela across the sea to the west. Tropical maritime climate with temperatures ranging from 20 to 34 degrees Celsius. Trinidad Island was originally inhabited by the Arawak and Caribbean indigenous peoples. In 1498, Columbus passed by the island and declared it to be owned by Spain. It was occupied by France in 1781. In 1802, it was transferred to Britain according to the Treaty of Amiens. Tobago Island has been contested by Spain, the Netherlands, France, and Britain multiple times, and became a British colony under the Treaty of Paris in 1814. In 1889, both islands became British colonies. Internal autonomy was implemented in 1956. Independence was achieved on August 31, 1962. On August 1, 1976, it became a republic and is now a member of the Commonwealth.

Political parliamentary democracy. The President is the head of state and is elected by the parliament. The Prime Minister is the head of government and is held by the leader of the majority party in the parliament. Since independence, the People's National Movement Party, which represents the interests of African Americans, has been in power for a long time. In August 2020, the party won the election again. Currently, the political situation in Trinidad and Tobago is stable.

The current Constitution came into effect on August 1, 1976. The Constitution stipulates that many are republics; The President is the Head of State, elected by the Parliament for a term of 5 years; Elections are held every 5 years, and the government is composed of the political party that wins the majority of seats in the House of Representatives and is accountable to the parliament. Tobago has a Parliament and enjoys a certain degree of autonomy.

The parliament is divided into two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, with a term of 5 years each. There are 31 seats in the Senate, appointed by the President, including 16 nominated by the Prime Minister, 6 nominated by opposition leaders, and 9 elected by the President from among social celebrities. The current Speaker of the Senate, Nigel de Freitas, will take office in January 2023. 41 seats in the House of Representatives, elected by universal suffrage. Speaker of the House, Bridget ANNESETTE-GEORGE (female), took office in September 2015 and was re elected in August 2020.

The current government was established in August 2020. At present, the main members of the cabinet are: Prime Minister Keith ROWLEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Caribbean Community Affairs Amery BROWNE, Minister of National Security Fitzgerald HINDS, Minister of Energy and Energy Industry and Minister of Prime Minister's Office Affairs Stuart YOUNG, Minister of Finance Colm IMBERT, Minister of Trade and Industry Paula GOPEE-SCOON (female), Minister of Rural Development and Local Government Affairs Faris AL-RAWI, Minister of Education Nyan GADSBY-DOLLY (female)), Health Minister Terrence DeYALSINGH, Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Minister Kazim Hossein, Minister of Labor Stephen MCCLASHIE, Attorney General Reginald ARMOUR, Minister of Housing and Urban Development Camille Robinson Rigis, female, and others.

The country is divided into 9 counties, 2 cities, 3 districts, and 1 semi autonomous administrative region (Tobago Island).

The judicial system consists of the Supreme Court (composed of the High Court and the Court of Appeal) and local courts. Both local courts and high courts have the power of first instance in civil and criminal cases. The appellate court accepts appeal cases that have been tried by local courts and high courts.

The main political parties are:

(1) People's National Movement (PNM): The ruling party. Established in January 1956. He was in power from 1956 to 1986, 1991 to 1995, and 2001 to 2010. He returned to power in 2015 and has been re elected ever since. Mainly representing the interests of African Americans, belonging to a moderate nationalist political party. Advocate for political freedom, social equality, and racial fraternity. Political leader Raleigh.

(2) United National Congress (UNC): The opposition party. Established in April 1989. He was in power from 1995 to 2001. In May 2010, the People's Alliance, formed with four political parties including the People's Congress Party, won the general election. Mainly representing the interests of Indian people. Advocate for equality in power distribution and racial issues. Political leader Kamla Persad Bissessar (female).

[Important Person] Christina Kangalu: President. Born in Tedo in 1961. Graduated from the University of the West Indies and the Law School of Huddersfield, and began practicing as a lawyer in 1985. Elected as a senator in 2001, he was later appointed as Vice President of the Senate and Minister of Prime Minister's Office Affairs. Served as Minister of Justice from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives and appointed as the Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education. Served as the President of the Senate in 2015. Elected president in January 2023 and inaugurated on March 20th.

Keith Raleigh: Prime Minister. Born in 1949 in Tedo. PhD in Geography from the University of the West Indies. From 1987 to 1990, he served as a senator for the opposition People's National Movement Party. In 1991, he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives and has been re elected ever since. Formerly served as Minister of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources, Minister of Planning and Development, Minister of Housing, and Minister of Trade and Industry. Appointed as the leader of the opposition party in parliament in June 2010.

Economy mainly focuses on energy development and processing. The energy industry is the backbone of many economies. In recent years, the manufacturing, construction, tourism, and financial insurance industries have developed rapidly. The COVID-19 has seriously affected the economy of Trinidad and Tobago. At present, the economy of Trinidad and Tobago has begun to recover. The main economic data in 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 28.14 billion US dollars.

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 19800 US dollars.

Growth rate: 2.1%.

Currency name: Trinidad and Tobago Dollar.

Exchange rate: 1 USD ≈ 6.79 TWD.

Inflation rate: 4.6%.

(Information)

【 Resources 】 It is an important natural asphalt producing area and exporter of liquefied natural gas, ammonia fertilizer, and methanol in the world, as well as an important oil exporting country in the Caribbean region.

Industry is mainly focused on oil and gas extraction and refining, followed by construction and manufacturing. The processing and manufacturing industry has a relatively complete range of categories, mainly producing fertilizers, food, tobacco, etc.

Agriculture mainly cultivates cassava, taro, chili, cocoa, coconut, and rice, among which cocoa has excellent quality. The vast majority of food relies on imports.

The government is vigorously developing the tourism industry. Tourists mainly come from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other Caribbean countries.

Transportation mainly relies on road transportation. The total length of the highway is 9592 kilometers, with over 5000 kilometers of all-weather roads.

Water transportation: The main ports include Port of Spain, Cape Lissa, Chaguaramas, and Cape Tabarado. Among them, the Spanish port has the largest scale and has shipping lines to major ports around the world.

Air freight: Trinidad and Tobago each have an airport that can accommodate large aircraft such as Boeing 747s. Pico International Airport, located in the capital Port of Spain, is the most modern airport in the English speaking Caribbean region, with direct flights to Europe, the United States, and Canada.

Foreign trade mainly exports oil, natural gas, chemical products, finished products, and raw materials, while importing steel products, construction machinery, fuel, transportation equipment, and food. The main trading partners are the United States, China, Mexico, Guyana, Brazil, and Canada.

People's livelihood: Social welfare is relatively complete. The government provides pensions and unemployment benefits to the elderly and unemployed respectively. In 2023, the average life expectancy in Trinidad and Tobago will be 74.03 years, with a population growth rate of 0.25%.

The National Defense Force was founded in 1962 and consists of the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The President is the Commander of the National Defense Forces, and the Chief of the General Staff is responsible for the daily affairs of the military.

Primary and secondary schools implement free compulsory education. There are universities including the University of the West Indies, the University of Trinidad and Tobago, and the Eastern Caribbean College of Agriculture.

The main newspapers include Trinidad and Tobago Express, Trinidad Guardian, and News Daily. The main news organizations include Caribbean New Media Group (with 3 television channels and 3 radio stations), Caribbean Communications Network (private), and Trinidad Broadcasting Corporation Limited. There are over 30 radio stations, mostly privately owned. The main radio stations include the state-owned medium wave 610 radio station and the Trinidad radio station. There are multiple television stations, mainly TV6, CNC3, and CNMG.

We pursue an independent and non aligned foreign policy, uphold national independence and sovereignty, adhere to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, oppose colonialism and racism, advocate the establishment of a new international economic order, and engage in equal and mutually beneficial international economic cooperation. The core task of diplomacy is to promote the economic development of Trinidad and Tobago. Actively promote the process of Caribbean integration and participate in the affairs of international and regional organizations such as the Caribbean Community, the Association of Caribbean States, the Organization of American States, and the United Nations. While maintaining close relations with traditional Western allies, we also focus on strengthening our connections with major developing countries such as China and India.

Relations with the United States: The two countries have close exchanges. The United States is the largest trading partner of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago has a high degree of dependence on the US economy, and the two sides cooperate closely in areas such as taxation, healthcare, and human resources.

Relations with Caribbean countries: Actively promoting the process of regional integration, being one of the founding members of the Caribbean Community and the Association of Caribbean States. It is the headquarters of the Association of Caribbean States and a member state of the Caribbean Community Single Market.