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2 definitions found
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Dominica
n 1: a country on the island of Dominica [syn: {Commonwealth of
Dominica}]
2: a volcanic island in the Windward Islands that was once a
stronghold of the Carib Indians
From CIA World Factbook 2002 [world02]:
Dominica
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.
Geography Dominica
------------------
Location: Caribbean, island between the
Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, about one-half of the way
from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and
Tobago
Geographic coordinates: 15 25 N, 61 20 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 754 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 754 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than four times the
size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 148 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast
trade winds; heavy rainfall
Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablatins
1,447 m
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, arable land
Land use: arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 16%
other: 80% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat;
destructive hurricanes can be
expected during the late summer
months
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements
Geography - note: known as "The Nature Island of the
Caribbean" due to its spectacular,
lush, and varied flora and fauna,
which are protected by an extensive
natural park system; the most
mountainous of the Lesser Antilles,
its volcanic peaks are cones of lava
craters and include Boiling Lake,
the second-largest, thermally active
lake in the world
People Dominica
---------------
Population: 70,158 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.3% (male 10,052;
female 9,800)
15-64 years: 63.8% (male 23,011;
female 21,782)
65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,245;
female 3,268) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.81% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 17.3 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 7.11 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -18.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/
female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 15.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.86 years
female: 76.88 years (2002 est.)
male: 70.98 years
Total fertility rate: 2.01 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
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% (1970 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 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 NA 2005)
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 Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM
leaders: (a small leftist party)
International organization ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC,
participation: 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
Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (resident
in Dominica)
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 the US does not have an embassy in
US: 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 Dominica
----------------
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 lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: 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: 47.76%
hydro: 52.24%
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)
Economic aid - recipient: $24.4 million (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
Communications Dominica
-----------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 19,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 461 (1996)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network
international: microwave radio relay
and SHF radiotelephone links to
Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and
UHF radiotelephone links to Saint
Lucia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 46,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (however, there is one cable
television company) (1997)
Televisions: 6,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .dm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
Transportation Dominica
-----------------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 780 km
paved: 390 km
unpaved: 390 km (2001)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Portsmouth, Roseau
Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
Airports: 2 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2001)
Military Dominica
-----------------
Military branches: Commonwealth of Dominica Police
Force (including Special Service
Unit, Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar $NA
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of NA%
GDP:
Transnational Issues Dominica
-----------------------------
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics
bound for the US and Europe; minor
cannabis producer; banking industry
is vulnerable to money laundering
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