:Dominica 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
  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

Highways:
    750 km total; 370 km paved, 380 km gravel and earth
Ports:
    Roseau, Portsmouth
Civil air:
    NA
Airports:
    2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over
    2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
    4,600 telephones in fully automatic network; VHF and UHF link to Saint
    Lucia; new SHF links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; broadcast stations - 3
    AM, 2 FM, 1 cable TV

:Dominica Defense Forces

Branches:
    Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (including Coast Guard)
Manpower availability:
    NA
Defense expenditures:
    exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP