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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 colonized the island 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. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago

Natural Resources

timber, hydropower, arable land

Population - distribution

population is mostly clustered along the coast, with roughly a third living in the parish of St. George, in or around the capital of Roseau; the volcanic interior is sparsely populated

English (official), French patois
ROSEAU (capital) 15,000 (2014)
Conventional long form
Commonwealth of Dominica
Conventional short form
Dominica
Local long form
Local short form
parliamentary republic
Name
Roseau
Geographic coordinates
15 18 N, 61 24 W
Time difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
The Dominican economy has been dependent on agriculture - primarily bananas - in years past, but increasingly has been driven by tourism as the government seeks to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. Moreover, Dominica has an offshore medical education sector. In order to diversify the island's economy, the government is also attempting to foster an offshore financial industry and plans to sign agreements with the private sector to develop geothermal energy resources. In 2003, the government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy - including the elimination of price controls, privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to address an economic and financial crisis and to meet IMF requirements. In 2009 and 2013, the economy contracted as a result of the global recession; growth remains anemic. Although public debt levels continue to exceed pre-recession levels, the debt burden declined from 78% of GDP in 2011 to approximately 70% in 2012.
Inflation
-0.786%
External debt stocks
US$ 314,211,000
Total tax rate (% of commercial profits)
35.2%
Real Interest Rate
7.591%
Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP)
2.31%
Current Account Balance
US$ -72,149,157
Labor Force, Total
4,547,491
Employment in Agriculture
12%
Employment in Industry
14.90%
Employment in Services
52.40%
Unemployment Rate
12.40%
Imports of goods and services
US$ 288,616,224
Exports of goods and services
US$ 218,249,713
Total Merchandise Trade
50.63%
FDI, net inflows
US$ 35,956,667
Commercial Service Exports
US$ 115,002,456
bananas, citrus, mangos, root crops, coconuts, cocoa
soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes
Commodities
bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges
Partners
Japan 37.9%, Jamaica 18.9%, Antigua and Barbuda 10.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 6.2%, St. Lucia 4.7%, St. Kitts and Nevis 4.2% (2015)
Commodities
manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals
Partners
Japan 42.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 17.1%, US 11.9%, China 6.1% (2015)
Country Risk Rating
Business Climate Rating

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