Dominica

Airports

2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

NA

Highways

750 km total; 370 km paved, 380 km gravel and earth

Ports

Roseau, Portsmouth

Telecommunications

4,600 telephones in fully automatic network; VHF and UHF link to Saint Lucia; new SHF links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 1 cable TV

Branches

Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability

NA

Agriculture

accounts for 30% of GDP; principal crops--bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, and coconuts; bananas provide the bulk of export earnings; forestry and fisheries potential not exploited

Budget

revenues $48 million; expenditures $85 million, including capital expenditures of $41 million (FY90)

Currency

East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $115 million

Electricity

7,000 kW capacity; 16 million kWh produced, 190 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Exports

$59 million (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--bananas, coconuts, grapefruit, soap, galvanized sheets; partners--UK 72%, Jamaica 10%, OECS 6%, US 3%, other 9%

External debt

$73 million (1990 est.)

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

GDP

$153 million, per capita $1,840; real growth rate - 1.7% (1989 est.)

Imports

$115 million (c.i.f., 1990); commodities--food, oils and fats, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment; partners--US 23%, UK 18%, CARICOM 15%, OECS 15%, Japan 5%, Canada 3%, other 21%

Industrial production

growth rate 4.5% in manufacturing (1988 est.); accounts for 11% of GDP

Industries

soap, beverages, tourism, food processing, furniture, cement blocks, shoes

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

6.3% (1989)

Overview

The economy is dependent on agriculture and thus is highly vulnerable to climatic conditions. Agriculture accounts for about 30% of GDP and employs 40% of the labor force. Principal products include bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, and coconuts. In 1988 the economy achieved a 5.6% growth in real GDP on the strength of a boost in construction, higher agricultural production, and growth of the small manufacturing sector based on the soap and garment industries. In 1989, however, Hurricane Hugo wiped out 70% of the banana crop and affected other economic activity. The tourist industry remains undeveloped because of a rugged coastline and the lack of an international-class airport.

Unemployment rate

10% (1989 est.)

Climate

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Coastline

148 km Contiguous zone: 24 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Comparative area

slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Environment

flash floods a constant hazard; occasional hurricanes

Land boundaries

none

Land use

arable land 9%; permanent crops 13%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 41%; other 34%

Natural resources

timber

Note

located 550 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea

Terrain

rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Total area

750 km2; land area: 750 km2

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Roseau

Communists

negligible

Constitution

3 November 1978

Diplomatic representation

there is no Chancery in the US; US--no official presence since the Ambassador resides in Bridgetown (Barbados), but travels frequently to Dominica

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Cabinet

Flag

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)

Independence

3 November 1978 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Chief of State--President Sir Clarence Augustus SEIGNORET (since 19 December 1983); Head of Government--Prime Minister (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES (since 21 July 1980, elected for a third term 28 May 1990) Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES; Dominica Labor Party (DLP), Michael DOUGLAS; United Workers Party (UWP), Edison JAMES

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Assembly

Long-form name

Commonwealth of Dominica

Member of

ACCT, ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO

National holiday

Independence Day, 3 November (1978)

Other political or pressure groups

Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a small leftist group

Suffrage

universal at age 18 President--last held 20 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); the president is elected by the House of Assembly; House of Assembly--last held 28 May 1990 (next to be held May 1995); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(30 total; 9 appointed senators and 21 elected representatives) DFP 11, UWP 6, DLP 4

Type

parliamentary democracy

Birth rate

26 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate

5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic divisions

mostly black; some Carib indians

Infant mortality rate

13 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force

25,000; agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28% (1984)

Language

English (official); French patois widely spoken

Life expectancy at birth

73 years male, 79 years female (1991)

Literacy

94% (male 94%, female 94%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)

Nationality

noun--Dominican(s); adjective--Dominican

Net migration rate

- 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor

25% of labor force

Population

86,285 (July 1991), growth rate 1.7% (1991)

Religion

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

Total fertility rate

2.6 children born/woman (1991)