| Background: |
Dominica was the
last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans,
due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs.
France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made
the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after
independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt
and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary
Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the
Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. |
| Location: |
Caribbean, island
between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,
about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and
Tobago |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
15 25 N, 61 20 W |
| Map
references: |
Central America
and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total:
754 sq km
land: 754 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly more
than four times the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical;
moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall |
| Terrain: |
rugged mountains
of volcanic origin |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m |
| Natural
resources: |
timber,
hydropower, arable land |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
9%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 67%
other: 8% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
flash floods are
a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected
during the late summer months |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
| Population: |
70,786 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
28.72% (male 10,300; female 10,027)
15-64 years: 63.45% (male 23,056; female
21,855)
65 years and over: 7.83% (male 2,267; female
3,281) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
-0.98% (2001
est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
17.81
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.19 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-20.37 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
16.54
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 73.6 years
male: 70.74 years
female: 76.61 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.03 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican |
| Ethnic
groups: |
black, Carib
Amerindian |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), none 2%,
other 6% |
| Languages: |
English
(official), French patois |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94%
male: 94%
female: 94% (1970 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form: Dominica |
| Government
type: |
parliamentary
democracy; republic within the Commonwealth |
| Administrative
divisions: |
10 parishes;
Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint
Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul,
Saint Peter |
| Independence: |
3 November 1978
(from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
3 November (1978) |
| Constitution: |
3 November 1978 |
| Legal
system: |
based on English
common law |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Vernon Lordon SHAW (since 6
October 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Pierre
CHARLES (since 1 October 2000); note - assumed post after
death of Roosevelt DOUGLAS
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on
the advice of the prime minister
elections: president elected by the House of
Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 6 October
1998 (next to be held NA October 2003); prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: Vernon Lordon SHAW elected
president; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral House
of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21 elected by
popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 31 January 2000 (next to
be held by NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party -DLP 11, UWP 8, DFP 2 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Eastern Caribbean
Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal and the
High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges
must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of
Summary Jurisdiction) |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
Dominica Freedom
Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP
[Pierre CHARLES]; United Workers Party or UWP [Edison JAMES] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Dominica
Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party) |
| International
organization participation: |
ACCT, ACP, C,
Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM
(observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL
(resident in Dominica)
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791
consulate(s) general: New York |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
the US does not
have an embassy in Dominica; US interests are served by the
embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados |
| Flag
description: |
green, with a
centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical part is
yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal
part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the
center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot
encircled by 10 green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow;
the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions
(parishes) |
| Economy
- overview: |
The economy
depends on agriculture and is highly vulnerable to climatic
conditions, notably tropical storms. Agriculture, primarily
bananas, accounts for 21% of GDP and employs 40% of the
labor force. Development of the tourist industry remains
difficult because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches,
and the lack of an international airport. Hurricane Luis
devastated the country's banana crop in September 1995;
tropical storms had wiped out one-quarter of the crop in
1994 as well. The subsequent recovery has been fueled by
increases in construction, soap production, and tourist
arrivals. The government is attempting to develop an
offshore financial industry in order to diversify the
island's production base. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $290 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
0.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $4,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
21%
industry: 16%
services: 63% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 40%,
industry and commerce 32%, services 28% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
20% (1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$72 million
expenditures: $79.9 million, including capital
expenditures of $11.5 million (FY97/98) |
| Industries: |
soap, coconut
oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
-10% (1997 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
62 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
48.39%
hydro: 51.61%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
57.7 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
bananas, citrus,
mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery
potential not exploited |
| Exports: |
$60.7 million
(2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
bananas, soap,
bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges |
| Exports
- partners: |
Caricom countries
47%, UK 36%, US 7% (1996 est.) |
| Imports: |
$126 million
(2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
manufactured
goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 41%, Caricom
countries 25%, UK 13%, Netherlands, Canada (1996 est.) |
| Debt
- external: |
$108.9 million
(1999) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$24.4 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
East Caribbean
dollar (XCD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
East Caribbean
dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 July - 30 June |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
19,000 (1996) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
461 (1996) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: microwave radio relay and SHF
radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and
UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 3, FM 10,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
0 (however, there
is one cable television company) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
6,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.dm |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
16 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
2,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
750 km
paved: 375 km
unpaved: 375 km (2001) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Portsmouth,
Roseau |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Commonwealth of
Dominica Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast
Guard) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment
point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor
cannabis producer; banking industry is vulnerable to money
laundering |
|
