Dominica

§1. Dominica 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.

§2. Dominica Geography

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 kmē
  land: 754 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

Area - comparative:
  slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  148 km

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.)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

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

§3. Dominica People

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  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.)

§4. Dominica Government

Country name:
  conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
  conventional short form: Dominica

Government type:
  parliamentary democracy; republic within the Commonwealth

Capital:
  Roseau

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)

§5. Dominica Economy

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:
  25,000

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)

Currency code:
  XCD

Exchange rates:
  East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

§6. Dominica Communications

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)

Radios:
  46,000 (1997)

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)

§7. Dominica Transportation

Railways:
  0 km

Highways:
  total: 750 km
  paved: 375 km
  unpaved: 375 km (2001)

Waterways:
  none

Ports and harbors:
  Portsmouth, Roseau

Merchant marine:
  none (2000 est.)

Airports:
  2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.)

§8. Dominica Military

Military branches:
  Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast
  Guard)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  NA%

§9. Dominica Transnational Issues

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
