1986 Edition

Agriculture

bananas, citrus, coconuts, cocoa, essential oils

main crops — sugarcane, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, rice, corn

Aid

economic — bilateral ODA and OOF (1970-80), from Western (non-US) countries, $22.6 million; no military aid

economic — US economic commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), from US, $598 million; ODA and OOF from other Western countries (1970-83), $289 million; military authorized from US (1970-84), $40 million

Airfields

2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

47 total, 34 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 9 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

Area

752.7 km2; about one-fourth the size of Rhode Island; 67% forest; 24% arable; 2% pasture; 7% other Water

Branches

legislative, 51-member bicameral House of Assembly (1 ex-officio member, 9 appointed members, and 21 members popularly elected members; executive, Cabinet headed by Prime Minister; judicial, magistrate's courts and regional court of appeals

Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force

President popularly elected for a four-year term; bicameral legislature (National Congress — 27-seat Senate and 120seat Chamber of Deputies elected for fouryear terms); Supreme Court

Army, Navy, Air Force

Budget

revenues, $33.4 million; expenditures, $38.5 million (FY84)

revenues, $1.2 billion; expenditures, $1.3 million (1984)

Capital

Roseau

Santo Domingo

Civil air

unknown number of major transport aircraft Dominica (continued) Dominican Republic

14 major transport aircraft

CNP

$85.4 million (prelim.), $1,034 per capita; 1984 real growth rate 4.3% (1984)

Coastline

148 km People

1,288 km People

2,237 km (includes Galapagos Islands) People

Communists

negligible

an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 members in several legal and illegal factions; effectiveness limited by ideological differences and organizational inadequacies

Elections

every five years; last held 2 July Political parties and leaders: Labor Party of Dominica (LPD, a leftist front group), Michael Douglas; Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia Charles

last national election May 1982; next election May 1986 Political parties and leaders: Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), Jacobo Majluta and Jose Francisco Pena Gomez; Reformist Social Christian Party (PRSC), Joaquin Balaguer (formed in 1984 by merger of Reformist Party and Revolutionary Social Christian Party); Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Juan Bosch; Democratic Quisqueyan Party (POD), Elias Wessin y Wessin; Antireelection Movement of Democratic Integration (MIDA), Francisco Augusto Lora; National Civic Union (UCN), Guillermo Delmonte Urraca; Dominican Communist Party (PCD), Narciso Isa Conde, Anti-Imperialist Patriotic Union (UFA), Ivan Rodriguez; in 1983 several leftist parties, including the Communists, joined to form the Dominican Leftist Front (FID); however, they still retain individual party structures . 68 Ecuador

Electric power

7,000 kW capacity (1985); 16 million kWh produced (1985), 216 kWh per capita

1,439,000 kW capacity (1985); 3.286 billion kWh produced (1985), 497 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

mostly black; some CaribIndians

73% mixed, 16% white, 11% black

55% mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish), 25% Indian, 10% Spanish, 10% black

Exports

$25.6 million (f.o.b., 1984 prelim.); bananas, coconuts, lime juice and oil, cocoa, reexports

$866 million (f.o.b., 1984); sugar, nickel, coffee, tobacco, cocoa, gold, silver

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June Communications

calendar year Communications

GNP

$11.0 billion (1984 prelim.), $1,090 per capita; real GDP growth 1.0% (1984)

Government leader

(Mary) Eugenia CHARLES, Prime Minister (since July 1980); Sir Clarence SEIGNORET, President (since December 1983)

Salvador JORGE Blanco, President (since May 1982)

Highways

750 km total; 370 km paved, 380 km gravel and earth

12,000 km total; 5,800 km paved, 5,600 km gravel and improved earth, 600 km unimproved

Imports

$55.8 million (c.i.f., 1984 prelim.); machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured articles, cement

$1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1984); foodstuffs, petroleum, industrial raw materials, capital equipment

Infant mortality rate

24. 1/1,000 (1981)

63/ 1 ,000 (1983)

76.3/1,000(1978)

Labor force

25,000; 40% agriculture, 32% industry and commerce, 28% services; 1520% unemployment (1984)

1.7 million (1984); 45% agriculture, 34% industry, 16% services, 3% other

Land boundaries

361 km Water

1,931 km Water

Language

English (official); French patois widely spoken

Spanish

Spanish (official); Indian languages, especially Quechua

Legal system

based on English common law; three local magistrate courts and the British Caribbean Court of Appeals

based on French civil codes; 1966 constitution

Life expectancy

men 56.97, women 59. 18

60

62

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 nm (200 nm exclusive economic zone)

6 nm (200 nm exclusive economic zone)

200 nm

Literacy

about 80%

68%

Major industries

agricultural processing, tourism, soap and other coconut-based products, cigars

tourism, sugar processing, nickel mining, gold mining, textiles, cement

Major trade partners

(1984) exports — 46% UK, 16% Jamaica, 15% Trinidad and Tobago, 2% US, 0.3% other EC; imports— 27% US, 13% UK, 8% Trinidad and Tobago, 6% other EC

exports — 77% US, including Puerto Rico (1984 prelim.); imports— 45% US, including Puerto Rico (1980)

Member of

CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT (de facto), G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, OAS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO Economy

FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB— Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IRC, ISO, ITU, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO Economy

Military budget

proposed for fiscal year 1986, $2.9 million; 4.6% of the central government budget 100km North Atlantic Ocean Bahta de Samana Caribbean Sea Land 48,734 km2; the size of New Hampshire and Vermont combined; 45% forest, 20% built on or waste, 17% meadow and pasture, 14% cultivated, 4% fallow

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,686,000; 1,112,000 fit for military service; 84,000 reach military age (18) annually Setrtfionil mipIV Galapagos Islands Land 283,561 km2 (including Galapagos Islands); the size of Colorado; 55% forest; 11% cultivated; 8% meadow and pasture; 26% waste, urban, or other (excludes the Oriente and the Galapagos Islands, for which information is not available)

Monetary conversion rate

2.70 East Caribbean dollars= US$1 (February 1984)

3 pesos=US$l (September 1985)

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 February

Nationality

noun — Dominican(s); adjective— Dominican

noun — Dominican(s); adjective— Dominican

noun — Ecuadorean(s); adjective— Ecuadorean

Natural resources

timber

nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Official name

Commonwealth of Dominica

Dominican Republic

Organized labor

25% of the labor force Government

150,000(1984); 12% of labor force Government

Other political or pressure groups

Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a small leftist group

Pipelines

crude oil, 96 km; refined products, 8 km

Political subdivisions

21 districts

26 provinces and the National District

Population

74,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 0.4%

6,785,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 2.5%

9,647,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 2.8%

Ports

1 major (Roseau), 1 minor (Portsmouth)

4 major (Santo Domingo, Haina, San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata), 17 minor

Railroads

none

375 km total of 1.435-meter gauge, privately owned

Religion

80% Roman Catholic; Anglican, Methodist

95% Roman Catholic

95% Roman Catholic (majority nonpracticing)

Suffrage

universal adult suffrage at age 18

universal and compulsory, over age 18 or married, except members of the armed forces and police, who cannot vote

Telecommunications

4,600 telephones in fully automatic network (5.6 per 100 popl.); VHF and UHF link to St. Lucia; new SHF links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; 3 AM stations, 1 FM station, 1 cable TV station Defense Forces

relatively efficient domestic system based on islandwide radiorelay network; 190,000 telephones (3 per 100 popl.); 126 AM, 18 TV stations; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station Defense Forces

Type

independent state within Commonwealth

republic

Voting strength

(1985 election) House of Assembly seats— DFP 15, LPD 5, independent 1

(1982 election) 74% voter turnout; 46.76% PRO, 39.14% PR, 9.69% PLD; 4.41% minor parties