Dominica

• tropical;
• moderated by northeast trade winds;
• heavy rainfall

total:

0.02 cu km/yr

per capita:

213 cu m/yr (1996)

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

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• 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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 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 (2008 est.)

noun:

Dominican(s)

adjective:

Dominican

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of Dominica

conventional short form:

Dominica

name:

Roseau

geographic coordinates:

15 18 N, 61 24 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

chief of state:

President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since October 2003)

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 1 October 2003 (next to be held in October 2008);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA%

• Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN];
• Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT];
• Dominica United Workers Party or UWP [Earl WILLIAMS]

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); note - Judith Ann ROLLE (Charge d'Affaires)

chancery:

3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

telephone:

[1] (202) 364-6781

FAX:

[1] (202) 364-6791

consulate(s) general:

New York

• 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 encircled by 10 green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow;
• the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)

agriculture:

40%

industry:

32%

services:

28% (2000 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

NA

domestic:

fully automatic network

international:

• country code - 1-767;
• landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 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

total:

780 km

paved:

393 km

unpaved:

387 km (2000)

male:

756

female:

713 (2008 est.)

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

• transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe;
• minor cannabis producer;
• anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering