THE GEOGRAPHY (Foreign Office UK)
Area: 754 sq km (290 sq mi)
Population: 70,158 (July 2002 estimate)
Capital City: Roseau
People: Dominica is the only island in
the Eastern Caribbean to retain some
of its pre-Colombian population - the
Carib Indians - about 3000 of whom
live on the island's East Coast. The
population growth rate is very low, due
primarily to emigration to more
prosperous Caribbean Islands, the
United Kingdom, the United States, and
Canada.
Languages: The official language is
English. However, because of historic
French domination, the most widely
spoken dialect is the French patois,
Creole.
Religion(s): Roman Catholic 77%,
Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%,
Pentecostal 3%, Seventh Day Adventist
3%, Baptist 2%, other 6%)
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar
(XCD)
Major Political Parties: Dominica
Freedom Party (DFP); Dominica
Labour Party (DLP); United Workers
Party (UWP)
Government: Dominica has a
Westminster-style parliamentary
government. A President and Prime
Minister make up the executive branch.
Nominated by the Prime Minister in
consultation with the leader of the
opposition party, the President is
elected for a 5-year term by the
Parliament. The President appoints as
Prime Minister the leader of the
majority party in the Parliament and
also appoints, on the Prime Minister's
recommendation, members of the
Parliament from the ruling party as
cabinet ministers. The Prime Minister
and cabinet are responsible to the
parliament and can be removed on a
no-confidence vote. The unicameral
Parliament, called the House of
Assembly, is composed of 21 regional
representatives and 9 Senators. The
regional representatives are elected by
universal suffrage and, in turn, decide
whether Senators are to be elected or
appointed. If appointed, five are chosen
by the President on the advice of the
Prime Minister and four with the
advice of the opposition leader. If
elected, it is by the vote of the regional
representatives. Elections for
Representatives and Senators must be
held at least every 5 years, although
the Prime Minister can call elections
any time. Dominica's legal system is
based on English common law. There
are three magistrate's courts, with
appeals made to the Eastern Caribbean
court of appeal and, ultimately, to the
Privy Council in London.
GEOGRAPHY
Dominica, the most northern Windward
Island, is mountainous and forest-clad
and has a warm year-round tropical
climate. Its varied flora and fauna are
protected by an extensive national
parks system. The island has the
highest mountain in the Eastern
Caribbean. Its volcanic peaks are cones
of lava craters and include Boiling
Lake, the second-largest thermally
active lake in the world. The mountains
act as a magnet for rain and serve as a
water source for the hundreds of
rivers that run down the lush green
valleys, many cascading over steep
cliff faces on their way to the coast.
The driest months are February to
June, the wettest month is August.
THE HISTORY (Foreign Office UK)
Spotted by Christopher Columbus in
1493 and named after the day of his
discovery, a Sunday (Dominica in
Latin), Dominica was the last of the
Caribbean islands to be colonised 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 1967, Dominica gained autonomy
in internal affairs, and on November 3,
1978, Dominica became an independent
republic within the Commonwealth.
After a turbulent first year of
independence, marked by a corrupt
government and devastating
hurricanes, Mary Eugenia Charles of
the Dominica Freedom Party was
elected Prime Minister, the first
female prime minister in the Caribbean.
She remained in office for 15 years. In
1995, Edison James became Prime
Minister following the victory of his
United Workers Party (UWP) in the
general elections.
THE ECONOMY (Foreign Office UK)
Dominica's economy is extremely weak
and aid is needed to regenerate the
country. Agriculture is Dominica's
mainstay and bananas in particular, but
less than a quarter of the island is
under cultivation due to the
mountainous terrain. In attempts to
boost the economy Dominica is
increasingly looking to niche markets in
eco-agriculture and eco-tourism.
After years of growth during
1996-1999, GDP stagnated in 2000 and
is estimated to have contracted by
over 4,5%in 2001 and 4.7% in 2002. The
public finances have deteriorated as
capital expenditure has increased
sharply, while saving has been
declining. In 2002 there were
downturns in the agricultural,
manufacturing and tourism sectors.
Weak export prices and the beginning
of the phase out or preferential access
to the EU market affected the banana
industry. Banana exports for the first
half of 2003 were 5,428 tonnes
compared with 9,649 tonnes for the
same period in 2002. In tourism, the
number of visitor arrivals fell by 15.1%.
Cruise ship visitors were down 18.2%.
Unemployment remains high at an
estimated 20 %.
In the adjustment programme agreed
with the IMF, the government has
undertaken among other things to
review the tax system, to conduct a
public expenditure review and to
initiate a civil service reform program.
The aim is to broaden the tax base,
increase the efficiency of public
spending, reduce the public sector
wage and increase the public services'
efficiency. The government also plans
to increase the annual banana
production and has begun to
restructure the banana sector. At the
same time, it is implementing a number
of programs to reduce poverty,
improve education and health services
and protect the environment.
The adjustment programme aims at
structural reforms, but relies heavily
on external financial and other
assistance from institutions like the
IMF, the World Bank, other CARICOM
states, the Eastern Caribbean Central
Bank and the EU. The EU has also
provided funds for several projects.
In October 2002, the Financial Action
Task Force removed Dominica from its
list of non co-operating countries.
Basic Economic Facts
GDP (2002 est):US $380 million
GDP per head (2002 est): US $5,400
Real GDP annual growth (2001 est.): -
4.7%
Inflation (2001 est.): 1%
Major industries: bananas, soap,
coconut oil, tourism
Major trading partners:
Export partners: CARICOM countries
47%, UK 36%, US 7% (1996 est.)
Import partners: US 41%, Caricom
countries 25%, UK 13%, Netherlands,
Canada (1996 est.)
Agriculture: The traditional export
crops are sugar, coffee, cocoa and
tobacco. Today the country's
agricultural sector is moving away
from sugar and other traditional crops,
with increased production and exports
of pineapples, citrus, melons, mangoes.
The government is committed to
attracting new investment to this
sector.
Mining
The mining sector contributes
significantly to GDP. Strong growth
(90%) in 1994 was reflected in greater
extraction of nickel gold and silver.
Figures upto June 2000 showed the
value of the mining sector continuing to
grow by 29.5% as a result of the
increase in the production of nickel.
Nickel prices also rose on the
international market that contributed to
growth. Falconbridge Dominicana
reported that it was investing ú10.3
million to build a pilot plant for the
basic technology involved in enriching
nickel ore.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing sector comprises
two separate subsectors: industries
producing for the domestic market,
notably sugar and rice milling and
production of construction materials.
Light manufacturing is contributing an
ever more important share of national
output, exports and employment.
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