FACTBOX-Trinidad and Tobago holds general election

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Trinidad and Tobago holds an election on Monday in which an upstart opposition party, founded barely a year ago by former central bank governor Winston Dookeran, could become a power-broker in the energy-rich country.

The following are some facts about the twin island Caribbean state.

* The population of 1.3 million is almost evenly divided between descendants of African slaves and those of Indian indentured servants.

* The ruling party is the People's National Movement, dominated by ethnic Africans and led by Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

* Last year, Trinidad and Tobago posted economic growth of 12 percent.

* Trinidad and Tobago is the world's fifth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and the single largest supplier of LNG to the United States.

* Unemployment has been at historic lows, hitting 5.9 percent in the third quarter of 2006.

* Annual inflation hit double digits last October, rising to 10 percent, the fastest pace in 12 years. Food prices shot up 26 percent from a year earlier, with vegetable prices rocketing 63.4 percent.

* There were nearly 400 murders in each of the past two years, triple the number in 2001. The rising murder rate and a rash of kidnappings have been blamed on the growing influence of the South American drug trade and weak policing.

Sources: Reuters, IMF, Trinidad government ministries