Dominica on Pixibot

The Commonwealth of Dominica which geographically lies between two overseas departments or "territories" of France: Guadeloupe to the North, and Martinique to the South, Dominica is sometimes referred to as "French Dominica" or by the nickname "The Nature Isle of the Caribbean" due to its seemingly unspoiled natural beauty in comparison to other isles in the region. Sometimes Dominica may even go by its pre-columbian name Wai'tu kubuli - "Tall is her body."

Dominica is a lush island of mountainous rainforests and plenty of rare exotic plants, animals and bird species. The isle of Dominica is one of the youngest islands in the Lesser Antillies, and is actually still being formed by naturally occurring geothermal and volcano-related activity. Dominica is currently heavily dependent on its tourism industry.

Commonwealth of Dominica

Flag of Dominica (In Detail) Coat of Arms (Full size)

National motto: AprÃ¨s le Bondie, C'est la Ter (French patois) English translation: After God is the Earth

Location of Dominica

Official language English

Capital Roseau

President Nicholas Liverpool

Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit

Area - Total - % water Ranked 221st 754 kmÂ² 1,6%

Population
- Total (2002) - Density

Ranked 183rd
70,000 92.8/kmÂ²

Currency East Caribbean Dollar

Time zone UTC -4

Independence

From UK
November 3, 1978

National anthem Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour

Internet TLD .dm

Calling Code 1-767

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The name is pronounced "do-min-EE-ka" (IPA: /ËŒdÉ’.mÉªnËˆiË.kÉ™/) with the emphasis on the third syllable, the name in Latin, means Sunday. It should not be confused with the Dominican Republic ("do-MIN-i-kun"), another Caribbean nation.

History

History of Dominica

First sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1493, the Spanish first encounter Dominica's community of pre-Columbian peoples indigenous to the region known as the Caribs and left the island after being defeated. In 1627 the British also tried and failed at capturing Dominica. Soon after in 1635 the French claimed the island and sent missionaries, but were also unable to wrench Dominica from the Carib Indians and ended up abandoning the island along with the island of Saint Vincent in the 1660s.

For the next one-hundred years Dominica Republica Dominicana remained isolated and even more Caribs from other islands settled there after being driven from surrounding islands as European powers were entering into the region. France formally ceded possession of Dominica to Britain in 1763, which then made the island a colony in 1805 and a government was setup by the British. The Emancipation of African slaves occured through-out the British Empire in 1834 and by 1838 Dominica became the first and only British Caribbean colony at the time to have a Black-controlled legislature. In 1896 Britain re-took government control of Dominica, and turned it into a crown colony. Half a century later Dominica became a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation in 1958 to 1962. In 1978 Dominica became an independent nation. In 1980, 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.

Politics

Politics of Dominica

Dominica is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth. The President is head of state, while executive power rests with the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. The unicameral parliament consists of the 30-member House of Assembly, which consists of twenty-one directly elected members and nine Senators, who may either be appointed by the President or elected by the other members of the House.

Unlike other former British colonies in the region, Dominica was never a Commonwealth realm with the British monarch as head of state, as it instead became a republic on independence.

Dominica is a full & participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Parishes

Parishes of Dominica

Geography

Map of Dominica

Geography of Dominica

The Commonwealth of Dominica Dominica Leoni is an island nation and borderless country in the Caribbean. The size of the country is about 751 sq. km. (290 square miles), Dominica is often time cited as the Nature Island of the Caribbean, it is largely covered by lush rainforest, and is home to the world's second-largest boiling lake. Being a mountainous island Dominica also has large amount of fresh water waterfalls, springs and rivers (365 of them allegedly). Some plants and animals thought to be long extinct from surrounding islands are observed to be thriving in many of Dominica's unspoiled forests.

The Commonwealth of Dominica is engaged in a long running dispute with Venezuela, over the laters claim over Bird Island located 110 km(70 miles) west of the island of Dominica.

The capital of the Commonwealth of Dominica is Roseau.

Economy Dominica News

The Dominican economy is dependent on tourism and agriculture, especially the banana industry. 40% of Dominican workers are in the agricultural sector, and Dominica's primary exports (bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, and oranges) are mainly agricultural. The country has some industries (soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, and shoes), and 32% of the workforce is in the industrial sector.

The Dominican economy has high poverty (30%), unemployment (23%), and a low per capita GDP (US$5,400). The Dominican economy has been hurt by problems in the banana industry. The entire economy suffers when weather conditions damage the banana crop or when the price of bananas falls. The EU has phased out preferred access of bananas to its market, causing banana demand to fall. In response, the government has privatized the banana industry. Also, the Dominican government has attempted to diversify the economy and lifted price controls in attempt to improve the lagging economy. The government is also trying to develop tourism, especially ecotourism. A lack of a large international airport and beaches make opportunities for standard tourism lacking, but the heavily rainforested island could lure those who want unconventional ecotourism experiences. Indeed, it is remarked that of all the islands of the Caribbean, Dominica is the only one Christopher Columbus would still recognise.

Dominica is further benefited by the presence of an offshore medical school, Ross University, in the northern town of Portsmouth. About 900 students live and study in Portsmouth currently.

Demographics

Demographics of Dominica

Dominica's East coast territory of the Kalinago(Carib tribe)

Almost all of the seventy thousand nationals of Dominica today are descendants of African slaves, brought in by colonial planters in the 18th century. However, Dominica is also one of the only islands in the Eastern Caribbean to possesses a pre-Columbian population refered to as --the Carib Indians--about 3,000 of whom live on the island's east coast in their own territory.

The population growth rate of Dominica is very low, due primarily to emigration to more developed Caribbean Islands, the United Kingdom, the United States, or Canada. English is the official language of Dominica and is universally understood; however, because of historic French domination, Antillean Creole "Patwa", a French-based creole language, is also widely spoken. About 80% of the population is Catholic, though in recent years a number of Protestant churches have been established.

Culture

Culture of Dominica Dominica Map

The famed novelist Jean Rhys was born and raised in Dominica. The island is obliquely depicted in her most well-known book, Wide Sargasso Sea.