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Guide
Introduction
| |
| 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 |
|
