According to estatelearning, Dominica is an island nation located in the Caribbean Sea. It is part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago and lies between the French islands of Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique to the south. The island has a total land area of 750 square kilometers and is covered mostly by rainforest. Dominica’s coastline stretches for 296 kilometers, with many bays, coves, and beaches. The terrain is mountainous with numerous rivers and waterfalls. The climate is tropical with temperatures ranging from 22°C in January to 28°C in July. Dominica experiences significant rainfall throughout the year, making it one of the wettest places on earth.
Before Kristoffer Columbus arrived in Dominica in 1493, the island was populated by the Arabian people and later by the Carib. After Dominica was proclaimed a Spanish colony, French pirates assumed dominion in the 17th century.
During the 1700s, control of Dominica changed between British and French. With the conflict between the two colonial powers, most of the original population was killed or deported. African slaves then constituted the largest population.
- Countryaah: Check to see the location of Dominica on the world map. Also covers major mountains, rivers and lakes in Dominica.
In 1783 the United Kingdom was finally recognized as a colony. From 1833 to 1940, Dominica was administered with the Leeward Islands, and from 1958 to 62 the island was a member of the West Indies Federation. In 1967, Dominica gained internal autonomy within the West Indies Associated States archipelago. On November 3, 1978, the island declared itself independent within the British Commonwealth under the leadership of Prime Minister Patrick John.
The cyclones David and Fredrik caused major devastation in 1979 and 1980, leaving about 70% of the population homeless, and in the wake of the disaster, corruption and political scandals led to John’s resignation. In the 1980 election, the Dominica Freedom Party won, and Mary Eugenia Charles became the Caribbean’s first female head of state. Several riots, including from a group of rastafarians, were fought in the early 1980s, and in 1983 Patrick John attempted to seize power in a coup with US mercenaries. To see more information other than history, please visit Abbreviationfinder to learn more about climate, population, government, and economy for the country of Dominica.
Charles was the spokeswoman for the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean (OECS) which supported the US invasion of Grenada in 1983. The United States has since provided financial and military support to Dominica and the other members of the OECS. Charles was re-elected in 1985 and 1990, but withdrew from politics in 1995. At the death of Charles the same year, 31-year-old Roosevelt took over Skerrit, and the 2005 parliamentary elections renewed his Labor government.
In 2002, Dominica faced an economic crisis, with declining revenues from banana exports and tourism. In his reign (Labor Party, 2000–04), Prime Minister Pierre Charles converted to a more US-critical course, and in 2004 the country signed an aid agreement with China. Vernon Lorden Shaw was president from 1998 to 2003, followed by Nicholas Liverpool and Charles Savarin (2013-).
HUMAN AND ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
State of insular Central America. At the 2001 census the population was equal to 71,727 residents, And a similar value remained at a 2005 estimate due to a very low annual growth coefficient. This trend is due to the consistent migratory flow (- 9.3 ‰ in 2006) and not to natural growth, which remained positive thanks to a birth rate (15.3 ‰) higher than the death rate (6.7 ‰). From an ethnic point of view, blacks and mestizos prevail, with a small minority of Europeans and Asians. The only urban center remains the capital, Roseau (19,700 residents in 2002).
In the late nineties and the beginning of the new century the economy of Dominica went through a phase of stagnation, with GDP in the period 1990-2003, recorded an annual increase of only 0.6 %, but in this average includes the negative result of 2001 (- 4.9 %), 2002 (- 2.7 %) and that, albeit slight, of 2003 (- 0.4%). The government, in agreement with the International Monetary Fund, has promoted, in agreement with the International Monetary Fund, a series of structural reforms in the fiscal field and in that of the Public administration, and launched a privatization and agricultural diversification plan, achieving considerable progress two years after the start of the stabilization program. The agricultural sector was based on some traditional crops, but in particular on bananas, which however had gone through a period of difficulty both in terms of prices (down on international markets) and in terms of production, which from the 64,000 t of the first the nineties fell until 34,000 t in 2000 and 29,000 t in 2003. Fishing, destined for local consumption, is discreet, while the forestry heritage is not adequately exploited. Hydroelectric production is good, accounting for 70 % of domestic demand: in 1998 a plant for the exploitation of geothermal energy in Soufrière, built with the financial help of a US company, also went into operation. The manufacturing industry is growing, but the existing plants concerned only the processing of local products. Tourism is also growing (especially cruise excursions, which went from less than 7,000 arrivals by sea in 1990 to around 240,000 in 2000), offshore financial activities and emigrant remittances.