World Facts

Capital: -
Type of Government: parliamentary democracy; republic within the Commonwealth-
Administrative Divisions: 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 26.7% (male 9,328/female 9,125)
Agriculture: bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited
Airports: 2 (2004 est.)
With Paved Runways: total: 2-
With Unpaved Runways:
Area: -. -
Background:
Birth rate: 15.73 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget: revenues: $73.9 million-
Coastline: -
Climate: -
Communications:
Constitution: 3 November 1978-
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)-
Current account balance:
Death rate: 6.81 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external: $161.5 million (2001)-
Dependency status: -
Dependent areas: -
Diplomatic representation from the US: -
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Disputes - international: joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea-
Distribution of family income: -
Economic aid - donor: -
Economic aid - recipient: -
Economy - overview:
Electricity - consumption:
Electricity - exports:
Electricity - imports:
Electricity - production:
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m-
Environment - current issues:
Environment - International Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
Ethnic groups: black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - NA (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)-
Executive branch:
Exports: $74 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - partners: UK 21.6%, Jamaica 14.8%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.8%, Guyana 7.5%, Japan 5.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, US 4.3%, Saint Lucia 4% (2004)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June-
Flag description:
GDP (official exchange rate): NA
GDP (purchasing power parity): $384 million (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -1% (2003 est.)-
Geographic coordinates: -
Geography - note: -
Government - note:
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA-
Heliports:
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering
Imports: $234 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - partners: China 20.4%, US 16.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.3%, UK 6.9%, South Korea 4.6%, Japan 4.3% (2004)
Independence: 3 November 1978 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate: -10% (1997 est.)-
Industries:
Infant mortality rate: total: 14.15 deaths/1,000 live births
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (2001 est.)
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet country code: .dm
Internet hosts: 681 (2003)
Internet users: 12,500 (2002)-
Investment (gross fixed):
Irrigated land: NA sq km
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)
Labor force: 25,000 (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Land boundaries:
Land use: arable land: 6.67%-
Languages: -
Legal system:
Legislative branch:
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.65 years
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school-
Location: -
Major infectious diseases: -
Manpower available for military service: -
Manpower fit for military service: -
Manpower reaching military service age annually: -
Map references:
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
Median age: total: 29.59 years
Merchant marine: total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 13,771 GRT/19,736 DWT-
Military - note:
Military branches: no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA-
Military service age and obligation:
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1978)
Nationality: noun: Dominican(s)-
Natural gas - consumption: -
Natural gas - exports: -
Natural gas - imports:
Natural gas - production: -
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Natural hazards: flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months
Natural resources: timber, hydropower, arable land
Net migration rate: -11.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 800 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: NA (2001)
Oil - imports: NA (2001)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003)-
Oil - proved reserves: -
People - note: -
Political parties and leaders: Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; United Workers Party or UWP [Edison JAMES]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)-
Population:
Population below poverty line: 30% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.27% (2005 est.)
Ports and terminals: Portsmouth, Roseau-
Public debt:
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)-
Railways: -
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
Religions: Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), other 6%, none 2%-
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Roadways: total: 780 km
Sex ratio:
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system: general assessment: NA
Telephones - main lines in use: 23,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 9,400 (2002)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (2004)
Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Total fertility rate: 1.96 children born/woman (2005 est.)-
Transportation - note:
Unemployment rate: 23% (2000 est.)-
Waterways: