Map of Dominica | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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Location: Caribbean island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean about half way between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates: 15 25 N 61 20 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 751 km²
Rank: 189
Land: 751 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly more than four times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 148 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 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
Extremes highest point: Morne Diablotins 1447 m

Natural resources: timber hydropower arable land

Land use
Arable land: 6.67%
Permanent crops: 21.33%
Other: 72% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: NA

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: 72,969 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 200
Growth rate: 0.214% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 178
Below poverty line: 30% (2002 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Dominican
Adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups: black 86.8% mixed 8.9% Carib Amerindian 2.9% white 0.8% other 0.7% (2001 census)

Languages: English (official) French patois

Religions: Roman Catholic 61.4% Protestant 20.6% (Seventh-Day Adventist 6% Pentecostal 5.6% Baptist 4.1% Methodist 3.7% Church of God 1.2%) Jehovah's Witnesses 1.2% other Christian 7.7% Rastafarian 1.3% other or unspecified 1.6% none 6.1% (2001 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 22.9%
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 25,007/female 23,730)
65 years and over: 10.3% (male 3,246/female 4,247) (2011 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 30.8 years
Male: 30.4 years
Female: 31.3 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.214% (2011 est.)
Rank: 178

Birth rate: 15.62 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 129

Death rate: 8.06 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 102

Net migration rate: -5.43 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 196

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 67% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.3% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 12.78 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 129
Male: 17.11 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 8.23 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.98 years
Rank: 77
Male: 73.03 years
Female: 79.08 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.07 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 121

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.5 physicians/1000 population (1997)
Rank: 123

Hospital bed density: 3.8 beds/1000 population (2009)
Rank: 54

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.7% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 72

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 94%
Male: 94%
Female: 94% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 13 years (2008)

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
Name: Roseau
Geographic coordinates: 15 18 N 61 24 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 10 parishes; Saint Andrew Saint David Saint George Saint John Saint Joseph Saint Luke Saint Mark Saint Patrick Saint Paul Saint Peter

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 November 1978 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 3 November (1978)

Constitution: 3 November 1978

Legal system: common law based on the English model

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL
Head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004)
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 on 1 October 2003 (next to be held in 2013); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: in the absence of an opposition candidate Nicholas LIVERPOOL consented to a second term in 2008 at the request of the prime minister and leader of the opposition and no formal election was held in 2008

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats; 9 members appointed 21 elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 18 December 2009 (next to be held in 2015); 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 (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace period
Election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 61.2% UWP 34.9%; seats by party - DLP 18 UWP 3

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 [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; Dominica United Workers Party or UWP [Earl WILLIAMS]

International organization participation: ACP AOSIS C Caricom CDB FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO (subscriber) ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OAS OECS OIF OPANAL OPCW PetroCaribe UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Hubert J. CHARLES
In the us chancery: 3,216 New Mexico Avenue NW Washington DC 20,016
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 364-6,781
In the us fax: [1] (202) 364-6,791
In the us consulate general: New York
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Dominica

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 unique to Dominica encircled by 10 green five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes); green symbolizes the island's lush vegetation; the triple-colored cross represents the Christian Trinity; the yellow color denotes sunshine the main agricultural products (citrus and bananas) and the native Carib Indians; black is for the rich soil and the African heritage of most citizens; white signifies rivers waterfalls and the purity of aspirations; the red disc stands for social justice

National symbols: Sisserou parrot

National anthem
Name: 'Isle of Beauty Isle of Splendor'
Lyricsmusic: Wilfred Oscar Morgan POND/Lemuel McPherson CHRISTIAN
Note: adopted 1967

National heritage


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Economy overview: The Dominican economy has been dependent on agriculture - primarily bananas - in years past but increasingly has been driven by tourism as the government seeks to promote Dominica as an 'ecotourism' destination. In order to diversify the island's production base the government also is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and has signed an agreement with the EU to develop geothermal energy resources. In 2003 the government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy - including elimination of price controls privatization of the state banana company and tax increases - to address an economic and financial crisis and to meet IMF requirements. This restructuring paved the way for an economic recovery - real growth for 2006 reached a two-decade high - and helped to reduce the debt burden which remains at about 85% of GDP. Hurricane Dean struck the island in August 2007 causing damages equivalent to 20% of GDP. In 2009 growth slowed as a result of the global recession; it picked up only slightly in 2010.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 207
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 173

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 105
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 20.7%
Industry: 23.2%
Services: 56.1% (2010 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas citrus mangos root crops coconuts cocoa
Note: forest and fishery potential not exploited

Industries: soap coconut oil tourism copra furniture cement blocks shoes

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 25,000 (2000 est.)
Rank: 205
By occupation agriculture: 40%
By occupation industry: 32%
By occupation services: 28% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 23% (2000 est.)
Rank: 172

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 30% (2002 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $148.1 million
Expenditures: $111.1 million (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 9.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 6

Taxes and other revenues: 39.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
Rank: 46

Public debt: 85% of GDP (2006 est.)
Rank: 22

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0% (2009 est.)
Rank: 108

Central bank discount rate: 6.5% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 61

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 10.025% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 108

Stock of narrow money: $76.44 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 185

Stock of broad money: $391.9 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 178

Stock of domestic credit: $259.3 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 176

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$123.2 million (2009 est.)
Rank: 78

Exports: $37.79 million (2009 est.)
Rank: 197
Commodities: bananas soap bay oil vegetables grapefruit oranges
Partners: Japan 35.5% Egypt 12.4% Antigua and Barbuda 8% Jamaica 7% Guyana 6.7% Trinidad and Tobago 4.3% (2010)

Imports: $205.5 million (2009 est.)
Rank: 200
Commodities: manufactured goods machinery and equipment food chemicals
Partners: Japan 44.8% US 13.4% Trinidad and Tobago 10.7% China 7.5% (2010)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $213 million (2004)
Rank: 178

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 87 million kWh (2008 est.)
Production rank: 197
Consumption: 80.91 million kWh (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 197
Exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 175
Consumption: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 170
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 87
Imports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 112
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 130

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 15,500 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 197
Mobile cellular: 106,000 (2009)
Mobile cellular rank: 188

Telephone system
General assessment: fully automatic network
Domestic: Fixed-line connections continued to decline slowly with the two active operators providing about 25 fixed-line connections per 100 persons; subscribership among the three mobile-cellular providers continued to increase with teledensity approaching 150 per 100 persons in 2009
International: country code - 1-767; landing points for the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and the Global Caribbean Network (GCN) submarine cables providing connectivity to other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia

Broadcast media: no terrestrial television service available; subscription cable TV provider offers some locally produced programming plus channels from the US Latin America and the Caribbean; state-operated radio broadcasts on 6 stations; privately-owned radio broadcasts on about 15 stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .dm
Hosts: 718 (2010)
Hosts rank: 174
Users: 28,000 (2009)
Users rank: 182

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: NA

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 2 (2010)
Rank: 199
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2010)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 780 km
Rank: 187
Paved: 393 km
Unpaved: 387 km (2001)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 40
Rank: 78
By type: bulk carrier 11 cargo 20 chemical tanker 2 petroleum tanker 4 refrigerated cargo 2 roll on/roll off 1
Foreign owned: 37 (Australia 1 Estonia 6 Germany 2 Greece 9 India 2 Latvia 1 Norway 1 Russia 6 Saudi Arabia 3 Singapore 1 Syria 2 Turkey 1 Ukraine 2)
Registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Portsmouth Roseau


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Disputes international: Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge Venezuela's sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other island nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human habitation a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which permits Venezuela to extend its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf claims over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer (2008)