World Atlas 2010 (4th edition)

(Marvins-Underground-K-12) #1

206


Dominica


NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA


FACTFILE


OFFICIAL NAME: Commonwealth of


Dominica


DATE OF FORMATION: 1978


CAPITAL: Roseau


POPULATION: 70,400


TOTAL AREA: 291 sq. miles (754 sq. km)


DENSITY: 243 people per sq. mile


LANGUAGES: French Creole, English*


RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 77%,


Protestant 15%, other 8%


ETHNIC MIX: Black 87%, Mixed race 9%,


Carib 3%, other 1%


GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary system


CURRENCY: East Caribbean dollar


= 100 cents


Dominica is renowned as the Caribbean island that


resisted European colonization until the 18th century.


It achieved independence from the UK in 1978.


GEOGRAPHY


Mountainous and densely forested.


Volcanic activity has given the land very


fertile soils, hot springs, geysers, and


black sand beaches.


CLIMATE


Tropical, cooled by constant trade


winds. Heavy annual rainfall. Tropical


depressions and hurricanes are likely


June–November.


PEOPLE & SOCIETY


The majority of Dominicans


are descendants of African slaves


brought over to work on banana


plantations. The Carib Territory on


the northeast of the island is home


to the only surviving indigenous


community in the Caribbean. Wealth


disparities are not as marked as


elsewhere in the region, but the


alleviation of poverty has become a


major plank of government policy.


THE ECONOMY


Based on bananas, but has lost


preferential access to EU market. Some


diversification: flowers, coffee, fruit.


Agriculture vulnerable to hurricanes.


Eco-tourism. Some offshore banking.


INSIGHT: Dominica is known as


“Nature Island,” due to its spectacular


flora and fauna


2000m/6562ft
1000m/3281ft
500m/1640ft
200m/656ft
Sea Level

10 km

10 miles

0

0

Prince
Rupert
Bay

Do

mi

nic

a^ Pa

ssage^

Caribbean
Sea

Martinique
Passage

ATLANTIC
OCEAN

Northern Forest

Reserve

Canefield
Airport

Portsmouth
Marigot

Mahaut

ROSEAU
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