NAVIGATION
|
HOME
• FLAG FINDER
• MAP FINDER
• SOURCES
• ADD YOURSELF TO THE ATLAS! COUNTRIES A-D • COUNTRIES E-K • COUNTRIES L-R • COUNTRIES S-Z |
NAVIGATION
Commonwealth of Dominica
GOVERNMENT
|
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 Vernon Lordon SHAW (since 6 October 1998)
elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 6 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2003); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vernon Lordon SHAW 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 Pierre CHARLES (since 1 October 2000); note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister Roosevelt DOUGLAS |
|
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 [Pierre CHARLES]; 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, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, 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; US interests are served by the embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados |
|
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) |
ECONOMY
|
Economy - overview:
|
The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions. Hurricane Luis devastated the country's banana crop in 1995 after tropical storms wiped out a quarter of the 1994 crop. The subsequent recovery has been fueled by increases in construction, soap production, and tourist arrivals. Development of the tourism industry remains difficult however, because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international airport. Economic growth is sluggish, and unemployment is greater than 20%. The government has been attempting to develop an offshore financial sector in order to diversify the island's production base. |
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $262 million (2001 est.) |
|
GDP - real growth rate:
|
-3.2% (2001 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2001 est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 18%
industry: 23% services: 59% (2001 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
NA% |
|
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
1% (2001 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
25,000 |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28% |
|
Unemployment rate:
|
23% (2000 est.) |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $72 million
expenditures: $79.9 million, including capital expenditures of $11.5 million (FY97/98) |
|
Industries:
|
soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
-10% (1997 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
67 million kWh (2000) |
|
Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 48%
hydro: 52% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0% |
|
Electricity - consumption:
|
62.31 million kWh (2000) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2000) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
0 kWh (2000) |
|
Agriculture - products:
|
bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited |
|
Exports:
|
$49 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Caricom countries 47%, UK 36%, US 7% (1996 est.) |
|
Imports:
|
$132 million c.i.f. (2000 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals |
|
Imports - partners:
|
US 41%, Caricom countries 25%, UK 13%, Netherlands, Canada (1996 est.) |
|
Debt - external:
|
$150 million (2000) (2000) |
|
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$24.4 million (1995) (1995) |
|
Currency:
|
East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
|
Currency code:
|
XCD |
|
Exchange rates:
|
East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
1 July - 30 June |