Dominica

Commonwealth of Dominica

parliamentary democracyIndependence 3 November 1978 (from UK)

Dominica as the 1998 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 91 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalRoseau

Position13 30 N, 61 20 W

Area750 sq km

LocationCaribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North

Populationas each edition published it

65,777 people July 1998 est. · 84,854 in 1990

Population growth% a year

-1.33% 1998 est. · 1.31% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 28.4 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

77.8 years 1998 est. · 76.72 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.9 children per woman 1998 est. · 2.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

9.04 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 13 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$2,500 1996 est. · $2,100 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3.7% 1996 est. · 2.1% in 1993

Geography

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North | Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad | and Tobago

17 fields

Land useshare of 750 sq km

arable land 9%permanent crops 13%permanent pastures 3%forests and woodland 67%other 8% (1993 est.)

Area

750sq km

land: 750 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmslightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

148km

land boundaries: 0 kmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

1,447m

Morne Diablatinslowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

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

Climate

tropical;
moderated by northeast trade winds;
heavy rainfall

Natural hazards

flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months

Environment-international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

People

15 fields

Population

65,777

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: -1.33% (1998 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1998 est.)

Birth

17.35Death

6.29Net migration

-24.36

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)77.8

74.94 · 80.8

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1970 est.)94%

94% · 94%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

Religions

Roman Catholic 77%Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%)none 2%unknown 1%other 5%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 27% (male 8,987; female 8,826)
15-64 years:: 63% (male 21,231; female 20,464)
65 years and over:: 10% (male 2,572; female 3,697) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

9.04 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Dominican(s)
adjective:: Dominican

Government

Parliamentary democracy; President Crispin Anselm SORHAINDO (since 25 October 1993); Prime Minister Edison C. JAMES (since 12 June 1995)

20 fields

House of Assembly, 21 seatsone dot, one seat

UWP 12DLP 5DFP 4

Country name

conventional long form:: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form:: Dominica

Administrative divisions

10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Crispin Anselm SORHAINDO (since 25 October 1993)
head of government:: Prime Minister Edison C. JAMES (since 12 June 1995)
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 4 October 1993 (next to be held NA October 1998);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results:: Crispin Anselm SORHAINDO elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21 elected by popular vote representatives; members serve five-year terms)

elections:: last held 12 June 1995; byelections held 13 August 1996 (next to be held by October 2000)
election results:: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-UWP 12, DLP 5, DFP 4

Judicial branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme 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 [Rosie DOUGLAS];
United Workers Party or UWP [Edison JAMES]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)

International organization participation

ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery:: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone:: [1] (202) 364-6781

FAX

[1] (202) 364-6791; consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the Ambassador to Dominica resides in Bridgetown (Barbados), but travels frequently to Dominica

Flag description

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

The economy is dependent on agriculture and thus is | highly vulnerable to climatic conditions, notably tropical storms. | Agriculture, primarily bananas, accounts for 26% of GDP and employs | 40% of the labor force.

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GDP, purchasing power parity

-$208million

purchasing power parity · (1996 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$2,500

purchasing power parity · (1996 est.)

Real growth rate

3.7%

(1996 est.)industrial production growth: -0.4% (1996 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

1.7%

(1996)

Budget

Revenues

$77 millionExpenditures

$78 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of $22 million (FY95/96)

Fixed lines

14,613

(1993 est.)

Economy-overview

The economy is dependent on agriculture and thus is highly vulnerable to climatic conditions, notably tropical storms. Agriculture, primarily bananas, accounts for 26% of GDP and employs 40% of the labor force. Development of the tourist industry remains difficult because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the lack of an international airport.

Hurricane Luis devastated the country's banana crop in September 1995; tropical storms had wiped out one-quarter of the crop in 1994 as well. The government is attempting to develop an offshore financial industry in order to diversify the island's production base.

GDP-composition by sector

agriculture:: 26%
industry:: NA%
services:: NA% (1995)

Labor force

total:: 25,000
by occupation:: agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28% (1984)

Unemployment rate

15% (1992 est.)

Industries

soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes

Electricity-capacity

8,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production

37 million kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

448 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products

bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts; forestry and fisheries potential not exploited

Exports

total value:: $51.8 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities:: bananas 50%, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges
partners:: Caricom countries 47%, UK 36%, US 7% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value:: $98.1 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities:: manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals
partners:: US 41%, Caricom 25%, UK 13%, Netherlands, Canada

Debt-external

$110 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1-2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June Communications

Telephone system

domestic:: fully automatic network
international:: microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia