Dominica
Bureau of Western Hemisphere
Affairs
June
2007
Background Note:
Dominica
Flag of Dominica is 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).
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Commonwealth of
Dominica
Geography
Area: 754 sq. km. (290 sq.
mi.).
Cities: Capital--Roseau (population
14,500).
Terrain: Mountainous volcanic island with rainforest
cover.
Climate:
Tropical.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Dominican
(Dom-i-nee-can).
Population (2005):
72,000.
Annual growth rate (2005):
0.8%.
Ethnic groups: Mainly of African descent, mixed Black and European,
Syrian and some Carib
Amerindians.
Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant (Methodist, Pentecostal,
Seventh-Day Adventist, and Baptist), Islam, Baha'I,
Rastafarianism, Anglican, Jehovah's Witnesses, Nazarene, Church
of Christ, and Brethren Christian Churches.
Languages: English (official); a French patois is widely
spoken.
Education (2005): Adult
literacy--94%.
Health (2006): Infant mortality rate--13/1,000. Life expectancy--men
72 years; women 77.9
years.
Work force (2005):
24,370.
Unemployment (2005):
13.1%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy; republic within the
Commonwealth.
Independence: November 3,
1978.
Constitution: November
1978.
Branches: Executive--president (head of state), prime minister (head
of government), cabinet.
Legislative--unicameral House of
Assembly.
Judicial--magistrate and jury courts, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
(High Court and Court of Appeals), Privy
Council.
Subdivisions: 10
parishes.
Political parties: Dominica Labour Party (incumbent), United Workers
Party, and Dominica Freedom
Party.
Suffrage: Universal at
18.
Economy
GDP (2005): $283.6
million.
GDP growth rate (2006):
4.0%.
Per capita GDP (2005):
$3,790.
Inflation (2005):
4.6%.
Natural resources: timber, water (hydropower),
copper.
Agriculture (10% of GDP in 2005): Products--bananas, citrus,
coconuts, cocoa, herbal oils and
extracts.
Manufacturing (3% of GDP in 2005): Types--agricultural processing,
soap and other coconut-based products,
apparel.
Trade (2005): Exports--$41.0 million (merchandise) and $82.0
million (commercial
services). Major markets--European Union (27.8%),
Jamaica (12.7%), Antigua
and Barbuda (11.3%), Trinidad and Tobago (9.0%), and Saint
Lucia (6.8%). Imports--$165 million (merchandise) and $49 million
(commercial services). Major suppliers--United States (36.6%),
Trinidad and Tobago (20.5%),
China (19.4%), European Union (13.4%), and Japan
(4.6%).
PEOPLE
Almost all Dominicans are descendants of African slaves brought in
by colonial planters in the
18th century. Dominica is the only island in the
eastern Caribbean to retain some of its pre-Columbian population--the
Carib Indians--about 3,000 of whom live on the island's east
coast. The population growth rate is very low, due primarily to
emigration to more prosperous Caribbean
Islands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and
Canada.
English is the official language; however, because of historic
French domination, the most
widely spoken dialect is a French patois. Nearly 80% of the
population is Catholic. In recent years, a number of Protestant churches
have been
established.
HISTORY
The island's indigenous Arawak people were expelled or exterminated
by Caribs in the 14th century. Columbus landed there in November 1493.
Spanish ships frequently landed on Dominica during the
16th century, but fierce resistance by the Caribs discouraged Spain's
efforts at
settlement.
In 1635, France claimed Dominica. Shortly thereafter, French
missionaries became the first European inhabitants
of the island. Carib incursions
continued, though, and in 1660, the French and British agreed that
both Dominica and St. Vincent should be
abandoned. Dominica was officially neutral for the next century, but
the attraction of its resources remained; rival
expeditions of British and French foresters were harvesting timber by
the start of the 18th
century.
Largely due to Dominica's position between Martinique and Guadeloupe,
France eventually became predominant, and a French settlement was
established and grew. As part of the 1763 Treaty of Paris
that ended the Seven Years' War, the island became a
British possession. In 1778, during the
American
Revolutionary War, the French mounted a successful invasion with the
active cooperation of the population. The 1783 Treaty of Paris,
which ended the war, returned the island to Britain. French invasions
in 1795 and 1805 ended in
failure.
In 1763, the British established a legislative assembly, representing
only the white population. In 1831, reflecting a
liberalization of official
British racial attitudes, the Brown Privilege Bill conferred political
and social rights on free nonwhites. Three Blacks were
elected to the legislative assembly the following year. Following the
abolition of slavery, in 1838 Dominica became
the first and only British Caribbean colony to have
a Black-controlled
legislature in the 19th century. Most Black legislators were
smallholders or merchants who held economic and social views
diametrically opposed to the interests of the small,
wealthy English planter class.
Reacting to a perceived threat, the planters lobbied for more direct
British
rule.
In 1865, after much agitation and tension, the colonial office
replaced the elective assembly with one comprised of one-half
elected members and one-half appointed. Planters allied with colonial
administrators outmaneuvered the elected
legislators on numerous occasions. In 1871, Dominica became part of
the Leeward Island Federation. The power of the Black
population
progressively eroded. Crown Colony government was re-established in
1896. All political rights for the vast majority of the population
were effectively curtailed. Development aid,
offered as compensation for disenfranchisement, proved to have
a negligible
effect.
Following World War I, an upsurge of political consciousness
throughout the Caribbean led to the formation of the
Representative Government Association. Marshaling public frustration
with the lack of a voice in the governing of Dominica,
this group won one-third of the popularly elected seats of
the legislative assembly in 1924 and one-half
in 1936. Shortly thereafter,
Dominica was transferred from the Leeward Island Administration and
was governed as part of the Windwards
until 1958, when it joined the short-lived West Indies
Federation.
After the federation dissolved, Dominica became an associated state
of the United Kingdom in 1967 and formally took
responsibility for its internal affairs. On
November 3, 1978, the Commonwealth of Dominica was
granted independence by the
United
Kingdom.
Independence did little to solve problems stemming from centuries of
economic underdevelopment, and in mid-1979, political discontent led
to the formation of an interim government. It was replaced after the
1980 elections by a government led by
the Dominica Freedom Party under Prime Minister Eugenia
Charles, the Caribbean's first female prime minister. Chronic
economic problems were compounded
by the severe impact of hurricanes in 1979 and in 1980.
By the end of the 1980s, the economy recovered, but weakened again in
the 1990s due to a decrease in banana
prices.
In the January 2000 elections, the Edison James United Workers Party
(UWP) was defeated by the Dominican Labour Party (DLP),
led by Roosevelt P. "Rosie" Douglas. Douglas died after only a few
months in office and was replaced by Pierre Charles, who died
in office in January 2004. Roosevelt Skerrit, also of the DLP,
replaced Charles as Prime Minister. Under Prime
Minister Skerrit's
leadership, the DLP won elections in May 2005 that gave the party
12 seats in the 21-member Parliament to the UWP's 8 seats. An
independent candidate affiliated with the DLP won a
seat as
well.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
Dominica has a Westminster-style parliamentary government, and there
are three political parties--the Dominica
Labour Party (the majority party), the Dominica United Workers Party,
and the Dominica Freedom Party. A president and prime
minister make up the executive branch. Nominated by the
prime minister in consultation with the
leader of the opposition party, the
president is elected for a 5-year term by the parliament. The
president appoints as prime minister
the leader of the majority party in the parliament and also appoints,
on the prime minister's recommendation, members of the
parliament from the ruling party as cabinet ministers. The prime
minister and cabinet are responsible to the parliament and can be
removed on a
no-confidence
vote.
The unicameral parliament, called the House of Assembly, is composed
of 21 regional representatives and nine senators. The
regional representatives are elected by universal suffrage and, in
turn, decide whether senators are to be elected or appointed. If
appointed, five are chosen by the president with the advice of the
prime minister and four with the advice of the
opposition leader. If elected, it is by
vote of the regional representatives. Elections for representatives
and senators must be held at least every 5
years, although the prime
minister can call elections any time. The last election
was held in May
2005.
Dominica's legal system is based on English common law. There are
three magistrate's courts, with appeals
made to the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal
and, ultimately, to the Privy Council in
London.
Councils elected by universal suffrage govern most towns. Supported
largely by property taxation, the councils are responsible for
the regulation of markets and sanitation and
the maintenance of secondary roads and other
municipal amenities. The island is also divided into 10 parishes,
whose governance is unrelated to the
town
governments.
Although the Dominican ambassador to the United States has
customarily been resident in Dominica, the country maintains an
embassy in the United States at 3216 New Mexico Ave., NW,
Washington, D.C. 20016 (tel. 202-364-6781).
Dominica also has a consulate general co-located with its UN mission in
New York at Suite 900, 820 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017
(tel:
212-599-8478).
ECONOMY
Dominica's economy grew by 3.5% in 2005 and 4.0% in 2006, following a
decade of poor performance. The country nearly had a financial crisis
in 2003 and 2004. Growth in 2006 was attributed to gains
in tourism, construction,
offshore and other services, and some sub-sectors of the banana industry.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently praised the Government
of Dominica for its successful macroeconomic reforms. The IMF also
pointed out remaining challenges, including further reductions in
public debt, increased financial sector regulation, and market
diversification.
Bananas and other agriculture dominate Dominica's economy, and
nearly one-third of the
labor force works in agriculture. This sector, however, is
highly vulnerable to weather conditions and to external events
affecting commodity prices. In response to
decreasing European Union (EU) banana trade preferences, the
government has diversified the agricultural sector
by introducing coffee, patchouli,
aloe vera, cut flowers, and exotic fruits such as mangoes, guavas, and
papayas. Dominica has had some success in increasing its manufactured
exports, primarily
soap.
Dominica is mostly volcanic and has few beaches; therefore, tourism
has developed more slowly than on
neighboring islands. Nevertheless, Dominica's high, rugged
mountains, rainforests, freshwater lakes, hot
springs,
waterfalls, and diving spots make it an attractive eco-tourism
destination. Cruise ship stopovers have increased following the
development of modern docking and waterfront
facilities in the
capital.
Dominica's currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$), a
regional currency shared
among members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). The
Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) issues the EC$, manages
monetary policy, and regulates and supervises commercial
banking activities in its member countries. The
ECCB has kept the EC$ pegged at EC$2.7=U.S.
$1.
Dominica is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative that
grants duty-free entry into the United States for many goods.
Dominica also belongs to the predominantly English-speaking Caribbean
Community and Common Market (CARICOM), the CARICOM Single
Market and Economy (CSME), and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean
States
(OECS).
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Like its Eastern Caribbean neighbors, the main priority of Dominica's
foreign relations is economic development. The country maintains
missions in
Washington, New York, London, and Brussels and is represented jointly
with other Organization of Eastern Caribbean States
(OECS) members in Canada. Dominica also is a
member of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the
British Commonwealth. It became a member of the United Nations and
the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) in 1978 and of the World Bank
and
Organization of American States (OAS) in
1979.
U.S.-DOMINICAN
RELATIONS
The United States and Dominica have friendly bilateral relations. The
United States supports the Dominican Government's efforts to expand
its economic base and to provide a higher standard
of living for its citizens. U.S.
assistance is primarily channeled through multilateral agencies such as
the World Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), as
well as through the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) office in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The Peace Corps also provides technical assistance to Dominica, and
has volunteers on the island working primarily in education,
youth
development, and
health.
In addition, the United States and Dominica work together in the
battle against illegal drugs. Dominica
cooperates with U.S. agencies
and
participates in counternarcotics programs in an effort to
curb
narco-trafficking and marijuana cultivation. In 1995, the
Dominican
Government signed a maritime law enforcement agreement with the United
States to strengthen counternarcotics coordination, and in 1996, the
government signed mutual legal assistance and
extradition treaties to enhance joint efforts
in combating international
crime.
Dominica had around 252,000 visitors in 2005, which represented a
contraction in both cruise line and stay-over arrivals over the record
performance set in 2004. It is estimated that 4,500 Americans reside
in the
country.
The United States maintains no official presence in Dominica. The
Ambassador and Embassy officers are resident in Barbados and
frequently travel to
Dominica.
The U.S. Embassy in Barbados is located in the Wildey Business Park,
Wildey, St. Michael (tel: 246-436-4950; fax:
246-429-5246).
Other Contact
Information
U.S. Department of
Commerce
International Trade
Administration
Trade Information
Center
14th and Constitution,
NW
Washington, DC
20230
Tel:
1-800-USA-TRADE
Caribbean/Latin America
Action
1818 N Street, NW, Suite
310
Washington, DC
20036
Tel:
202-466-7464
Fax:
202-822-0075
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe
trip abroad, are also available at http://www.travel.state.gov.
For additional information on international
travel, see http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizens who traveling or
residing abroad to register via the State Department's travel
registration website or at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate
abroad. Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in
case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency and will
enable you to receive up-to-date information on security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http:// www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities, and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.
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Dominica
