Dominica. English. |
| The World Factbook 2002 | ||
| Dominica | 
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| Introduction | Dominica |
| 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. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean. |
| Geography | Dominica |
| 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
water: 0 sq km land: 754 sq km |
| 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 territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 4% permanent crops: 16% other: 80% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
NA sq km |
| 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 |
| Geography
- note: |
known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world |
| People | Dominica |
| Population: |
70,158 (July 2002 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 28.3%
(male 10,052; female 9,800) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 23,011; female 21,782) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,245; female 3,268) (2002 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
-0.81% (2002 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
17.3 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.11 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-18.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
15.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
73.86 years female: 76.88 years (2002 est.) male: 70.98 years |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.01 children born/woman (2002 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, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, 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.) |
| Government | Dominica |
| 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) 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% cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES (since 1 October 2000); note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister Roosevelt DOUGLAS |
| 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 17 July 2005) note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five years of the last election, but technically it is five years from the first seating of parliament (17 April 2000) plus a 90 day grace period election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -DLP 10, UWP 9, 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, ISO (subscriber), 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 Swinburne LESTRADE chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781 consulate(s) general: New York FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791 |
| 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 | Dominica |
| Economy
- overview: |
The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions. Hurricane Luis devastated the country's banana crop in 1995 after tropical storms wiped out a quarter of the 1994 crop. The subsequent recovery has been fueled by increases in construction, soap production, and tourist arrivals. Development of the tourism industry remains difficult however, because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international airport. Economic growth is sluggish, and unemployment is greater than 20%. The government has been attempting to develop an offshore financial sector in order to diversify the island's production base. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $262 million (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
-3.2% (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2001 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 18%
industry: 23% services: 59% (2001 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
1% (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
25,000 |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
23% (2000 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: |
67 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 48%
hydro: 52% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
62.31 million kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (2000) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited |
| Exports: |
$49 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges |
| Exports
- partners: |
Caricom countries 47%, UK 36%, US 7% (1996 est.) |
| Imports: |
$132 million c.i.f. (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: |
$150 million (2000) (2000) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$24.4 million (1995) (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 |
| Communications | Dominica |
| 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) |
| Transportation | Dominica |
| Railways: |
0 km |
| Highways: |
total: 780 km paved: 390 km unpaved: 390 km (2001) |
| Waterways: |
none |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Portsmouth, Roseau |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2002 est.) |
| Airports: |
2 (2001) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002) |
| Military | Dominica |
| Military
branches: |
Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (including Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Transnational Issues | Dominica |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering |
Source:
The World Factbook 2002
Last Updated: 19 March 2003
2000-2007
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