Dominica ( Dominica) is a country in Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago. Dominica geographic coordinates 15 25 N, 61 20 W; area 754 sq km; area comparative slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC; land boundaries 0 km; coastline 148 km; maritime claims exclusive economic zone:<; climate tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall; terrain rugged mountains of volcanic origin; elevation extremes Morne Diablatins 1,447 m; natural resources timber, hydropower, arable land; land use 73.33% (2001); irrigated land NA sq km; natural hazards flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer mo; environment current issues NA; environment international agreements none of the selected agreements; geography note known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and;

introduction

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 made the island a colony 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. government type parliamentary democracy; republic within the Commonwealth; capital Roseau; administrative divisions 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter; independence 3 November 1978 (from UK); national holiday Independence Day, 3 November (1978); constitution 3 November 1978; legal system based on English common law; suffrage 18 years of age; universal;

people

Dominica population 69,029 (July 2005 est.); age structure 7.9% (male 2,193/female 3,258) (2005 est.); median age 29.95 years (2005 est.); population growth rate -0.27% (2005 est.); birth rate 15.73 births/1,000 population (2005 est.); death rate 6.81 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.); net migration rate -11.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.); sex ratio 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.); infant mortality rate 18.68 deaths/1,000 live births; life expectancy at birth 77.71 years (2005 est.); total fertility rate 1.96 children born/woman (2005 est.); hiv adult rate NA; hiv people with aids NA; hiv deaths NA; nationality Dominican; ethnic groups black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian; religions Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6%; languages English (official), French patois; literacy 94% (2003 est.);

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