Dominica
_Dominica.jpg)
See regional map III
Geography
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
- Extended economic zone: 200 nm
- Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Natural resources: timber
Land use: 9% arable land; 13% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 41% forest and woodland; 34% other
Environment: flash floods a constant hazard; occasional hurricanes
Note: located 550 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea
People
Population: 84,854 (July 1990), growth
rate 1.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: -4 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 13 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 79 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Dominican(s); adjective—Dominican
Ethnic divisions: mostly black; some Carib indians
Religion: 80% Roman Catholic; Anglican, Methodist
Language: English (official); French patois widely spoken
Literacy: 80% (est.)
Labor force: 25,000; 40% agriculture, 32% industry and commerce, 28% services (1984)
Organized labor: 25% of labor force
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 (includes 9 appointed senators and 21 elected representatives)
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)
Political parties and leaders: Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia Charles; Labor Party of Dominica (LPD, a leftist-dominated coalition), Michael Douglas; United Workers Party (UWP), Edison James
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 20 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); the president is elected by the House of Assembly;
House of Assembly—last held 1 July 1985 (next to be held July 1990); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(21 total) DFP 17, LPD 4
Communists: negligible
Other political or pressure groups: Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a small leftist group
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT (de facto), G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, OAS, OECS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, 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
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)
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, coconuts, citrus,
and root crops. In 1988 the economy
achieved a 5.6% growth in real GDP on
the strength of a boost in construction,
higher agricultural production, and
growth of the small manufacturing sector
based on soap and garment industries.
The tourist industry remains undeveloped
because of a rugged coastline and the lack
of an international-class airport.
GDP: $137 million, per capita $1,408; real growth rate 5.6% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.9% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 10% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $60 million; expenditures $52 million, including capital expenditures of $18 million (FY88)
Exports: $46 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—bananas, coconuts, grapefruit, soap, galvanized sheets; partners—UK 72%, Jamaica 10%, OECS 6%, US 3%, other 9%
Imports: $66.0 million (c.i.f., 1987); 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: $63.6 million (December 1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.9% in manufacturing (1987)
Electricity: 7,000 kW capacity; 16 million kWh produced, 190 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: agricultural processing, tourism, soap and other coconut-based products, cigars, pumice mining
Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP; principal crops—bananas, citrus fruit, coconuts, root crops; bananas provide the bulk of export earnings; forestry and fisheries potential not exploited
