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| Introduction | Dominica |
| Background: | Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized 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 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean. |
| People | Dominica |
| Population: | 69,278 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 27.3% (male 9,563; female 9,349) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 23,097; female 21,804) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,209; female 3,256) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 29 years male: 28.7 years female: 29.4 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.45% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 16.25 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.9 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -13.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 14.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 19.49 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 74.38 years male: 71.48 years female: 77.43 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican |
| Ethnic groups: | black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6% |
| Languages: | English (official), French patois |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 94% male: 94% female: 94% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Dominica |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica conventional short form: Dominica |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy; republic within the Commonwealth |
| 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) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 3 November (1978) |
| Constitution: | 3 November 1978 |
| Legal system: | based on English common law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since October 2003) elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 1 October 2003 (next to be held NA October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004); note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 31 January 2000 (next to be held by 17 July 2005); note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five years of the last election, but technically it is five years from the first seating of parliament (17 April 2000) plus a 90 day grace period election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DLP 10, UWP 9, DFP 2 |
| Judicial branch: | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal and the High 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 [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; 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, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Swinburne LESTRADE chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781 consulate(s) general: New York FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to Barbados, Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER, is accredited to Dominica |
| Flag description: | 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) |
| Communications | Dominica |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 23,700 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 9,400 (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: NA domestic: fully automatic network international: country code - 1-767; microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Radios: | 46,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 1 (2004) |
| Televisions: | 6,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .dm |
| Internet hosts: | 681 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 16 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 12,500 (2002) |
| Transportation | Dominica |
| Highways: | total: 780 km paved: 393 km unpaved: 387 km (1999 est.) |
| Ports and harbors: | Portsmouth, Roseau |
| Merchant marine: | total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 13,771 GRT/19,736 DWT by type: cargo 3, container 2, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: Bahamas 1, Cyprus 1, Estonia 1, Greece 1, Panama 1, Singapore 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 2 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Dominica |
| Military branches: | no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (including Coast Guard) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | NA |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | NA |
| Transnational Issues | Dominica |
| Disputes - international: | joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea |
| Illicit drugs: | 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 |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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