Total area:
750 km2
Land area:
750 km2
Comparative area:
slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
148 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
24 nm
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
Terrain:
rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Natural resources:
timber
Land use:
arable land 9%; permanent crops 13%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and
woodland 41%; other 34%
Environment:
flash floods a constant hazard; occasional hurricanes
Note:
located 550 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea
:Dominica People
Population:
87,035 (July 1992), growth rate 1.6% (1992)
Birth rate:
24 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-3 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
11 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
74 years male, 79 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Dominican(s); adjective - Dominican
Ethnic divisions:
mostly black; some Carib Indians
Religions:
Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), none 2%, unknown 1%, other
5%
Languages:
English (official); French patois widely spoken
Literacy:
94% (male 94%, female 94%) age 15 and over having ever attended school
(1970)
Labor force:
25,000; agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28% (1984)
Organized labor:
25% of labor force
:Dominica Government
Long-form name:
Commonwealth of Dominica
Type:
parliamentary democracy
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)
Constitution:
3 November 1978
Legal system:
based on English common law
National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 November (1978)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly
Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Sir Clarence Augustus SEIGNORET (since 19 December 1983)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES (since 21 July 1980, elected for a
third term 28 May 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES; Dominica Labor Party
(DLP), Pierre CHARLES; United Workers Party (UWP), Edison JAMES
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
House of Assembly:
last held 28 May 1990 (next to be held May 1995); results - percent of vote
by party NA; seats - (30 total; 9 appointed senators and 21 elected
representatives) DFP 11, UWP 6, DLP 4
President:
last held 20 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results -
President Sir Clarence Augustus SEIGNORET was reelected by the House of
Assembly
Other political or pressure groups:
Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a small leftist group
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:
there is no Chancery in the US
US:
no official presence since the Ambassador resides in Bridgetown (Barbados),
but travels frequently to Dominica
:Dominica Government
Flag:
green with a centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical part is
yellow (hoist side), black, and white - 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)
:Dominica Economy
Overview:
The economy is dependent on agriculture and thus is highly vulnerable to
climatic conditions. Agriculture accounts for about 30% of GDP and employs
40% of the labor force. Principal products include bananas, citrus, mangoes,
root crops, and coconuts. In 1990, GDP grew by 7%, bouncing back from the
1.6% decline of 1989. The tourist industry remains undeveloped because of a
rugged coastline and the lack of an international airport.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $170 million, per capita $2,000; real growth
rate 7.0% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.7% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
10% (1989 est.)
Budget:
revenues $48 million; expenditures $85 million, including capital
expenditures of $41 million (FY90)
Exports:
$59.9 million (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
bananas, coconuts, grapefruit, soap, galvanized sheets
partners:
UK 72%, Jamaica 10%, OECS 6%, US 3%, other 9%
Imports:
$103.9 million (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
food, oils and fats, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods,
machinery and equipment
partners:
US 23%, UK 18%, CARICOM 15%, OECS 15%, Japan 5%, Canada 3%, other 21%
External debt:
$73 million (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 4.5% in manufacturing (1988 est.); accounts for 11% of GDP
Electricity:
7,000 kW capacity; 16 million kWh produced, 185 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
soap, beverages, tourism, food processing, furniture, cement blocks, shoes
Agriculture:
accounts for 30% of GDP; principal crops - bananas, citrus, mangoes, root
crops, and coconuts; bananas provide the bulk of export earnings; forestry
and fisheries potential not exploited
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
$120 million
Currency:
East Caribbean dollar (plural - dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
:Dominica Communications