1987 Edition

Climate

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Coastline

148 km

Comparative area

about one-fourth the size of Rhode Island

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Environment

flash floods a constant hazard; occasional hurricanes

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Land use

9% arable land; 13% permanent crops; 8% meadows and pastures; 41% forest and woodland; 34% other

Special notes

northernmost and largest of Windward Islands

Terrain

rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

10 km Caribbean Caribbean See See

750 km?; land area: 750 km?

Ethnic divisions

mostly black; some Carib-Indians

Infant mortality rate

24.1/1,000 (1981)

Labor force

25,000; 40% agriculture, 32% industry and commerce, 28% services; 15-20% unemployment (1984)

Language

English (official); French patois widely spoken

Life expectancy

men 57, women 59.

Literacy

about 80%

Nationality

noun—Dominican(s); adjective—Dominican

Organized labor

25% of labor force

Population

94,191 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 3.80%

Religion

80% Roman Catholic; Anglican, Methodist

Administrative divisions

10 parishs

Branches

legislative, 51-member bicameral House of Assembly (1 ex-officio member, 9 appointed members, and 21 popularly elected members; executive, Cabinet headed by Prime Minister; judicial, magistrate’s courts and regional court of appeals

Capital

Roseau

Communists

negligible

Elections

every five years; last held 2 July Political parties and leaders: Labor Party of Dominica (DLP, a leftist-dominated coalition), Michael Douglas; Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia Charles

Government leaders

(Mary) Eugenia CHARLES, Prime Minister (since July 1980); Sir Clarence SEIGNORET, President (since December 1983)

Legal system

based on English common law; three local magistrate courts and the British Caribbean Court of Appeals

Member of

CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT (de facto), G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, OAS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Official name

Commonwealth of Dominica

Other political or pressure groups

Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a small leftist group

Suffrage

universal adult suffrage at age 18

Type

independent state within Commonwealth

Voting strength

(1985 election) House of Assembly seats—DFP 15, LPD 5, independent 1

Agriculture

bananas, citrus, coconuts, cocoa, essential oils

Aid

bilateral ODA and OOF (1970-80), from Western (non-US) countries, $22.6 million

Budget

revenues, $33.4 million; expenditures, $38.5 million (FY84)

Electric power

7,000 kW capacity; 16 million kWh produced, 220 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$28.7 million (f.o.b., 1985); bananas, coconuts, lime juice and oil, cocoa, reexports

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

GDP

$85.4 million (1984 est.), $1,034 per capita; real growth rate 1.2% (1986 est.)

Imports

$57.0 million (f.0.b., 1985); machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured articles, cement

Major industries

agricultural processing, tourism, soap and other coconut-based products, cigars

Major trade partners

(1984) exports— 46% UK, 16% Jamaica, 15% Trinidad and Tobago, 2% US, 0.8% other EC; imports— 27% US, 13% UK, 8% Trinidad and Tobago, 6% other EC

Monetary conversion rate

2.70 East Caribbean dollars=US$1 (November 1986)

Natural resources

timber

Civil air

unknown number of major transport aircraft Airfields; 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Highways

750 km total; 370 km paved, 880 km gravel and earth

Ports

1 major (Roseau), 1 minor (Portsmouth)

Railroads

none

Telecommunications

4,600 telephones in fully automatic network (5.6 per 100 popl.); VHF and UHF link to St. Lucia; new SHF links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; 3 AM, 1 FM, 1 cable TV stations

Branches

Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force

Military budget

for fiscal year 1986, $2.9 million; 4.6% of the central government budget