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 Tavel Tips Dominica
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Find important informations
about Dominica
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| OVERVIEW |
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Dominica is a Caribbean island country between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago. It is often 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 island 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.
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. |
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| HISTORY |
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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. |
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| GEOGRAPHY |
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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 |
Coordinates: |
15 25 N, 61 20 W |
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 |
Natural hazards: |
flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months |
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 |
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| POPULATION |
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Population: |
68,910 (July 2006 est.) |
Age structure: |
0-14 years: 26.1% (male 9,084/female 8,885)
15-64 years: 66% (male 23,419/female 22,079)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,186/female 3,257) |
Median age: |
30.1 years |
Growth rate: |
-0.08% |
Infant mortality: |
13.71 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 74.87 years
male: 71.95 years
female: 77.93 years |
Fertility rate: |
1.94 children born/woman |
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 : 94%
male: 94%
female: 94% |
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| ECONOMY |
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The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and international economic developments. Production of bananas dropped precipitously in 2003, a major reason for the 1% decline in GDP. Tourism increased in 2003 as the government sought to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. Development of the tourism industry remains difficult, however, because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international airport. The government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy in 2003 - including elimination of price controls, privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to address Dominica's economic crisis and to meet IMF targets. In order to diversify the island's production base, the government is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is planning to construct an oil refinery on the eastern part of the island.
| GDP: |
$384 million (2003 est.) |
GDP growth rate: |
-1% |
GDP per capita: |
$5,500 |
GDP composition by sector: |
agriculture: 18%
industry: 24%
services: 58% (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate: |
1% (2001 est.) |
Labor force: |
25,000 (1999 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28% |
Unemployment: |
23% (2000 est.) |
Budget: |
revenues: $73.9 million
expenditures: $84.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001) |
Electricity production by source: |
fossil fuel: 47.1%
hydro: 52.9%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
Industries: |
soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes |
Agriculture: |
bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited |
Exports: |
bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges |
Export partners: |
UK 25.9%, Jamaica 14.8%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.8%, Guyana 7.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, Saint Lucia 4% (2005) |
Imports: |
manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals |
Import partners: |
US 24.2%, China 19.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.3%, UK 4.7%, South Korea 4.6%, Japan 4.4% (2005) |
Currency: |
East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
| Communications: |
Telephones: main lines in use: 23,700 (2002); mobile cellular: 9,400 (2002). Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004). Television broadcast stations: 1 (2004). Internet hosts: 681 (2003). Internet users: 12,500 (2002). |
| Transportation: |
Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 780 km; paved: 393 km; unpaved: 393 km (1999 est.). Ports and harbors: Portsmouth, Roseau. Airports: 2 (2004 est.). |
| International disputes: |
Joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea. |
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| GOVERNMENT |
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Country name: |
conventional long form: Commonwealth of 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 Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL
head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT; note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES
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; prime minister appointed by the president. |
Legislative branch: |
unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms) |
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) |
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