_#_Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy
rainfall
_#_Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin
_#_Natural resources: timber
_#_Land use: arable land 9%; permanent crops 13%; meadows and pastures
3%; forest and woodland 41%; other 34%
_#_Environment: flash floods a constant hazard; occasional hurricanes
_#_Note: located 550 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea
_*_People
_#_Population: 86,285 (July 1991), growth rate 1.7% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 13 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 79 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Dominican(s); adjective--Dominican
_#_Ethnic divisions: mostly black; some Carib indians
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%,
Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%),
none 2%, unknown 1%, other 5%
_#_Language: English (official); French patois widely spoken
_#_Literacy: 94% (male 94%, female 94%) age 15 and over having ever
attended school (1970)
_#_Labor force: 25,000; agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%,
services 28% (1984)
_#_Organized labor: 25% of labor force
_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Commonwealth of Dominica
_#_Type: parliamentary democracy
_#_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)
_#_Constitution: 3 November 1978
_#_Legal system: based on English common law
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1978)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly
_#_Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
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)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES;
Dominica Labor Party (DLP), Michael DOUGLAS;
United Workers Party (UWP), Edison JAMES
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
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
_#_Communists: negligible
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Dominica Liberation Movement
(DLM), a small leftist group
_#_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
_#_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
_#_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)
_*_Economy
_#_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.
_#_GDP: $153 million, per capita $1,840; real growth rate - 1.7%
(1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.3% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: 10% (1989 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $48 million; expenditures $85 million,
including capital expenditures of $41 million (FY90)
_#_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%
_#_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%
_#_External debt: $73 million (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 4.5% in manufacturing (1988
est.); accounts for 11% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 7,000 kW capacity; 16 million kWh produced,
190 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: soap, beverages, tourism, food processing, furniture,
cement blocks, shoes
_#_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
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-88), $115 million
_#_Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar
(EC$) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70
(fixed rate since 1976)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*_Communications
_#_Highways: 750 km total; 370 km paved, 380 km gravel and earth
_#_Ports: Roseau, Portsmouth
_#_Civil air: NA
_#_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
_#_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
_*_Defense Forces
_#_Branches: Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: NA
_#_Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
_%_
_@_Dominican Republic
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 48,730 km2; land area: 48,380 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New
Hampshire
_#_Land boundary 275 km with Haiti
_#_Coastline: 1,288 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;