1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
790 km2 ; 24% arable, 2% pasture, 67% forests, 7% other WATER
Coastline
148 km
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
3 nm (fishing 12 nm)
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
mostly of African Negro descent
Labor force
23,000; about 50% in agriculture; 24% unemployment
Language
English; French patois
Literacy
about 80%
Nationality
noun—Dominican(s); adjective—Dominican
Organized labor
25% of the labor force
Population
80,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.6%
Religion
Roman Catholic, Church of England, Methodist
Government
Branches
legislature, 11-member popularly elected House of Assembly; executive, Cabinet headed by Premier
Capital
Roseau
Communists
negligible
Elections
every five years; most recent 21 July 1980 Political parties and leaders: Dominica Labor Party (DLP), Michael Douglas; Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), Mary Eugenia Charles; Dominica Democratic Labor Party (DDLP), Oliver Seraphin; Dominica Liberation Movement Alliance (DLMA), William Riviere Voting strength (1980 election): House of Assembly seats—DFP 17 seats, DLP 2 seats, independent 2 seats
Government leader
Prime Minister (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES
Legal system
based on English common law; three local magistrate courts and the British Caribbean Court of Appeals
Member of
CARICOM, FAO, GATT (de facto), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMCO, IMF, OAS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WMO
Official name
Commonwealth of Dominica
Political subdivisions
10 parishes
Suffrage
universal adult suffrage over age 18
Type
independent state within Commonwealth as of 3 November 1978, recognizes Elizabeth II as Chief of State
Economy
Agricultural products
bananas, citrus, coconuts, cocoa, dasheen
Aid
economic—bilateral ODA and OOF (1970-79), from Western (non-US) countries, $22.6 million; no military aid
Budget
revenues, $28 million (including grants); expenditures, $30 million (excluding grants) (1980/81)
Electric power
7,000 kW capacity (1981); 15 million kWh produced (1981), 189 kWh per capita
Exports
$8.9 million (f.o.b., 1980 proj.); bananas, lime juice and oil, cocoa, reexports
Fiscal year
1 July-30 June
GNP
$35 million (1980 est. in 1977 prices), $430 per capita; 1980 real growth rate, —1.4% (est.)
Imports
$49 million (c.i.f., 1980 proj.); machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured articles, cement
Major industries
agricultural processing, tourism
Major trade partners
exports—56% UK, 14% East Common Market, 17% rest of CARICOM, 6% other Caribbean, 4% US (1979); imports—25% UK, 12% ECC, 16% rest of Caribbean, 14% US
Monetary conversion rate
2.70 East Caribbean dollars=US$1
Communications
Airfields
1 with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
630 km total; 360 km paved, 270 km gravel and earth
Ports
2 minor (Roseau, Portsmouth)
Railroads
none
Telecommunications
4,000 telephones in fully automatic network (5.1 per 100 popl.); VHF and UHF link to St. Lucia; 2 AM stations and 1 TV station