Dominica

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

• population is mosly clustered along the coast, with roughly a third living in the parish of St. George, in or around the capital of Roseau;
• the volcanic interior is sparsely populated

• 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

noun:

Dominican(s)

adjective:

Dominican

• population is mosly clustered along the coast, with roughly a third living in the parish of St. George, in or around the capital of Roseau;
• the volcanic interior is sparsely populated

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.68 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

improved:

urban: 95.7% of population

unimproved:

urban: 4.3% of population

total:

6.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

1.64 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

4.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• 3,000-3,500 Kalinago (Carib) still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the Caribbean;
• only 70-100 may be "pure" Kalinago because of years of integration into the broader population

• water shortages a continuing concern;
• pollution from agrochemicals and from untreated sewage;
• forests endangered by the expansion of farming;
• soil erosion;
• pollution of the coastal zone by agricultural and industrial chemicals, and untreated sewage

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, 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

particulate matter emissions:

18.17 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

0.18 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.04 megatons (2020 est.)

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

urban population:

72% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal:

19 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

0 cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Commonwealth of Dominica

conventional short form:

Dominica

etymology:

the island was named by explorer Christopher COLUMBUS for the day of the week on which he spotted it, Sunday ("Domingo" in Latin), 3 November 1493

name:

Roseau

geographic coordinates:

15 18 N, 61 24 W

time difference:

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

etymology:

the name is French for "reed"; the first settlement was named after the river reeds that grew in the area

history:

previous 1967 (preindependence); latest presented 25 July 1978, entered into force 3 November 1978

amendments:

• proposed by the House of Assembly;
• passage of amendments to constitutional sections such as fundamental rights and freedoms, the government structure, and constitutional amendment procedures requires approval by three fourths of the Assembly membership in the final reading of the amendment bill, approval by simple majority in a referendum, and assent of the president;
• amended several times, last in 2015

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Charles A. SAVARIN (since 2 October 2013)

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/appointments:

• president nominated by the prime minister and leader of the opposition party and elected by the House of Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 1 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2023);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

Charles A. SAVARIN (DLP) reelected president unopposed

description:

unicameral House of Assembly (32 seats; 21 representatives directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 9 senators appointed by the president - 5 on the advice of the prime minister, and 4 on the advice of the leader of the opposition party, plus 2 ex-officio members - the house speaker and the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

• last held on 6 December 2022 (next to be held in 2027);
• note - tradition dictates that the election is held within 5 years of the last election, but technically it is 5 years from the first seating of parliament plus a 90-day grace period

election results:

• percent of vote by party - DLP 82.3%, independents 16.9%;
• seats by party - DLP 19, independents 2;
• composition - men 21, women 11, percent of women 34.4%

highest court(s):

• the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States;
• the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges;
• the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts;
• High Court judges reside in the member states, with 2 in Dominica;
• note - in 2015, Dominica acceded to the Caribbean Court of Justice as final court of appeal, replacing that of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, in London

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II;
• other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, an independent body of judicial officials;
• Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65;
• High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62

subordinate courts:

Court of Summary Jurisdiction; magistrates' courts

• Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Bernard HURTAULT]
• Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]
• Dominica United Workers Party or UWP [Lennox LINTON]

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Judith-Anne ROLLE (since 16 December 2021)

chancery:

3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

telephone:

[1] (202) 364-6781

FAX:

[1] (202) 364-6791

email address and website:

[email protected]

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, 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

name:

"Isle of Beauty"

lyrics/music:

Wilfred Oscar Morgan POND/Lemuel McPherson CHRISTIAN

note: adopted 1967

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (natural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Pitons Management Area

agriculture:

40%

industry:

32%

services:

28% (2002 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

production:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports:

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves:

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

total petroleum production:

0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

1,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate exports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports:

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

0 barrels (2021 est.)

production:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

consumption:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves:

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

• no terrestrial TV 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 (2019)

total:

1,512 km (2018)

paved:

762 km (2018)

unpaved:

750 km (2018)

Dominica has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since its creation in 1982; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security (2022)