Language: English
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Calling Code: +1-767
Dominica, officially the Commonwealth of Dominica,
is an island and a republic of America, which is part of the Lesser
Antilles, in the Caribbean Sea. It is located, specifically, between
the French overseas territories of Guadeloupe in the north and
Martinique in the south. It belongs to the Commonwealth of Nations.
It should not be confused with the Dominican Republic, another
Caribbean nation.
In the fourteenth century the Caribs
exterminated or expelled the indigenous population of the Arawak
from the island. Christopher Columbus arrived in Dominica on
November 3, 1493, being the first island discovered on his second
trip to America. The name with which Columbus baptizes the island is
derived from the name of the day of the week in which the island is
sighted, Sunday. Spanish ships arrived frequently during the
sixteenth century, but fierce resistance by the Caribs dissuaded
Spain from its efforts to settle there.
In 1627 the British
also failed to try to capture the island. The first Europeans to
succeed in colonizing the island were the French. In the 17th
century, French woodcutters arrived in the area3, which they renamed
a Caribbean town by the name of Roseau, developing a city that is
now the capital of the country. The new colony managed to have its
own church in 1730, which today is the Catholic cathedral. Although
the British took the island by force a century later, the French
presence transcended the passage of time, since today we continue to
speak, as will be seen below, a language derived from French and
likewise, the majority of the population professes The Catholicism.
For almost a century Dominica remained isolated and more Carib
Indians from other islands were arriving to settle in Dominica,
after leaving the neighboring islands and taking refuge in Dominica
because the Europeans dominated the region. France formally ceded
possession of the island to the United Kingdom in 1763, which turned
the island into a colony in 1805 and finally a government was
established by the British.
Cabrits National Park was established in 1986 to protect an abandoned ruins of an old British Shirley Fort those spectacular ruins are mostly covered by a lush Caribbean jungle.
Indian River Untouched wildness and seclusion of the magnificent Indian River is a nice way to explore deep Dominica jungle.
Morne Trois Pitons National Park covers an area of 68.57 sq km of pristine jungles that are protected by Dominica Forestry and Wildlife Division.
Waitukubuli National Trail is an extensive hiking trail that will take you through the heart of the island of Dominica.
Dominica is an island of volcanic origin. It is
mountainous, there are several volcanoes. The highest of them, Diabloten
(1447 m), is also the highest point of the island. Now there are no
active volcanoes in Dominica, but volcanic activity manifests itself in
the form of geysers, hot springs and small lakes with boiling water. On
the coast there are beaches with black and yellow sand.
Dominica
is sometimes referred to as the "Nature Island of the Caribbean" which
seems to reflect its pristine natural beauty. This is the youngest
island among the Lesser Antilles, formed by volcanic activity, the echo
of which can be considered the existence of the second largest boiling
lake in the world. The island has lush montane rainforests that are home
to many animals, including endemic species. While there are relatively
dry areas in some of the western coastal regions, there are often
prolonged downpours inland. The Sisserou Parrot (also known as the
Imperial Amazon) is the island's national bird and is featured on the
country's flag and coat of arms.
Dominica's economy is heavily
dependent on tourism and agriculture.
In 1896, Great Britain
changed the system of government control over the island, improving the
legal status of this British colony. Over fifty years later, from 1958
to 1962, Dominica was part of the short-lived Federation of the West
Indies. In 1978, the Commonwealth of Dominica finally became an
independent state.
Christopher Columbus named the island after the day of
the week he discovered it, Sunday (lat. Dominicus) November 3, 1493.
For the next hundred years after this event, Dominica remained
isolated from the rest of the world, even longer than the rest of the
Caribbean islands, which were gradually mastered by Europeans, since the
Spaniards did not find gold here and faced a fierce rebuff from the
local Caribs.
In 1635, France formally claimed Dominica as its
territory.
Shortly thereafter, French missionaries became the
island's first European inhabitants.
In 1660, the French and
British entered into an agreement under which Dominica and St. Vincent
were to be left to their then inhabitants by the Carib Indians.
The island remained officially a draw for the next century due to the
stubborn resistance of the native Carib Indians, but the attractiveness
of its resources naturally continued.
Competing expeditions of
the British and French harvested wood in the first half of the 18th
century, but the Europeans could not gain a foothold on the island at
that time.
Due in large part to Dominica's geographic position
between the French colonies of Martinique and Guadeloupe, French
influence over Dominica eventually became dominant. The French
administration of the island was organized, the degree of its
development gradually increased.
Under the Peace of Paris
concluded in 1763, which marked the end of the Seven Years' War,
Dominica became a British possession. The British established a
legislative assembly representing only the white population.
In
1778, during the War of Independence of the American Colonies, the
French successfully occupied the island, in which they were greatly
helped by the loyalty of the population.
The Peace of Paris in
1783, which ended the war, returned the island to Great Britain.
French invasions in 1795 and 1805 ended in failure.
The United
Kingdom made the island a full colony in 1805.
In 1831,
reflecting the liberalization of official British views on race
relations, Brown's Bill appeared, granting political and social rights
to free people of color.
Three Africans were elected to the
Dominica legislature in 1832.
The abolition of slavery in all
parts of the British Empire took place in 1834.
Shortly after the
abolition of slavery, in 1838, Dominica became the first and only
British Caribbean colony in the 19th century to have a truly
African-majority, predominantly African legislature. Most of the African
MPs were small farmers or merchants who held economic and social views
sharply intolerant of the interests of the small but wealthy class of
English planters. Reacting to a possible threat to their position, the
planters began to actively lobby for the idea of more direct British
control.
In 1865, after many years of such agitation, which
created considerable tension in the society of the island, the Colonial
Office replaced the electoral assembly with such a body, half of whose
members were still elected and half were appointed. The planters
interacted with the colonial administration, quite effectively blocking
the decisions of the elected deputies.
In 1871, Dominica became
part of the Federation of the Leeward Islands. The power of the African
population gradually more and more came to naught.
In 1896,
direct control of the colony by Britain was established. All political
rights of the vast majority of the population were severely curtailed.
Financial development assistance offered as compensation for
disenfranchisement had little effect.
The World War I that soon
followed, as well as the increase in the political consciousness of the
population in the Caribbean Sea, led to the formation of the
Representative Government Association, which skillfully used the
disappointment of society in the existing electoral system, which did
not contribute to the effective participation of the majority of the
population in the management of Dominica.
In 1924, the
Representative Government Association managed to take one-third of the
seats in the Legislative Assembly of the island.
In 1936, the
Representative Government Association took half of the seats in the
Legislative Assembly of the island. Almost immediately, Dominica seceded
from the Leeward Islands Federation and was placed under separate
British administration.
In 1958, Dominica joined the short-lived
West Indies Federation.
After the federation collapsed, Dominica
became a state associated with Great Britain.
In 1967, Dominica
formally assumed responsibility for its internal affairs.
On
November 3, 1978, the United Kingdom officially granted full
independence to the Commonwealth of Dominica.
Independence gave
very little to solve the problems of centuries of economic backwardness
of the island. Chronic economic problems were exacerbated by the severe
impact of a hurricane in 1979. In the middle of the year, political
discontent led to the formation of an interim government.
It was
replaced after another hurricane and the 1980 elections by a government
led by the Dominica Freedom Party leader, Prime Minister Eugenia
Charles, the first female Prime Minister of any country in the
Caribbean.
In the spring of 1981, Dominica was threatened with
the loss of sovereignty due to the invasion of foreign military
mercenaries, but this plan was thwarted. At the end of the year, Major
Frederick Newton's coup attempt was crushed. The conspirators aimed to
restore former Prime Minister Patrick John to power.
In 1987, the
Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreement between Dominica and France was
signed.
In late August 2015, Hurricane Erica hit Dominica. Prime
Minister Roosevelt Skerrit expressed the opinion that as a result of the
devastating impact of the hurricane, the country was thrown back in
development by 20 years.
Political structure
Political system
Republic,
the president is elected by the parliament (consisting of 32 deputies,
21 of them are elected by popular vote, 9 are appointed, 2 are special
positions).
Main political parties (represented in parliament,
following the December 2019 elections):
Dominica Labor Party
(left) - 18 deputies
United Workers' Party (centrist) - 3 deputies
There are also the Dominica Freedom Party (right-wing), the Dominica
People's Party (center-right), the Progressive Party of Dominica and a
number of others that are not represented in parliament. There is an
illegal Dominica Liberation Movement (ultra-left).
In January
2008, Dominica joined the ALBA (Alternativa Bolivariana para las
Americas) organization, which previously included Venezuela, Cuba,
Bolivia, Honduras and Nicaragua, pursuing a tough anti-American policy.
Administrative division
Administratively, Dominica is divided
into 10 parishes:
Saint Andrew
Saint David
Saint George
Saint John
St. Joseph
Saint Luke
Saint Mark
St. Patrick
Saint Paul
Saint peter
The population is 74,243 (July 2020 est.). According
to the 2011 census, the population was 71,293, of which 36,411 were men
and 34,882 were women.
Annual growth - 0.13% (high level of
emigration from the country).
The average life expectancy is 75
years for men, 81 years for women.
Urban population - 71.1%
Adult literacy is 94% (2003 estimate).
Ethno-racial
composition: blacks - 86.8%, mulattoes - 8.9%, Caribbean Indians - 2.9%,
whites - 0.8%, others - 0.7% (according to the 2001 census).
Religions: Roman Catholic 61.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 6%, Pentecostal
5.6%, Baptist 4.1%, Methodist 3.7%, Church of God 1.2%, Jehovah's
Witnesses 1, 2% (2.10% in 2011), other Christians - 7.7%, Rastafarians -
1.3%, others - 1.6%, atheists - 6.1% (according to the 2001 census).
The official language is English, and Patois is also common, a local
Creole dialect based on French. In addition to English, there are many
French place names on the island.
In 2008, Dominica had one of the lowest per capita
gross domestic product (GDP) of any Eastern Caribbean nation. The
country experienced a financial crisis in 2003 and 2004, but in 2005 the
Dominica economy grew by 3.5%, and in 2006 by 4.0%, which was undeniable
progress after a decade of stagnation and decline. Growth in 2006 is
attributed to tourism revenue, inland construction and other services,
and the success of the banana industry. The International Monetary Fund
(IMF) recently praised the Dominica government for the success of its
macroeconomic reforms. The International Monetary Fund also pointed to
remaining challenges, including the need for further debt reduction,
over-regulation of the financial sector, and increased market
competition.
Banana cultivation and other agricultural sectors
dominate Dominica's economic structure, with almost one-third of the
workforce concentrated in agriculture. This sector, however, is very
dependent on weather conditions and on external factors that affect
commodity prices. In 2007, Hurricane Deccan caused significant damage to
the agricultural sector, also affecting the country's infrastructure,
especially roads. In response to declining European Union (EU) consumer
demand for bananas, the government has expanded other sectors of the
agricultural sector, supporting the cultivation and production of
coffee, aloe, flowers, and exotic fruits such as mango, guava and
papaya. Dominica has also successfully increased its manufactured
exports, most notably soaps.
Agriculture accounts for less than
15% of the economy, mainly fruits are exported (in 2014 - 6580 tons, of
which 387 tons are bananas and 127 tons are plantains), peaches,
nectarines, mangoes, citrus fruits, tapioca, bananas, potatoes,
tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, figs, pears, apples and other vegetables
and fruits, as well as flowers, root vegetables and spices.
Dominica is a volcanic island, and therefore has very few beaches;
because of this, tourism develops more slowly than on neighboring
islands. However, Dominica's mountains, rainforests, freshwater lakes,
waterfalls and more make it attractive for ecotourism. The arrivals of
large cruise ships have become more frequent after the expansion of
modern infrastructure in the port of the capital Roseau. Of the 22
Caribbean islands for which data are available, Dominica had the fewest
tourist visits in 2008 (55,800 or 0.3% of the regional total). This is
about half of those who visited Haiti.
According to an estimate
for 2014, more than 70% of Dominica's GDP comes from the service sector,
primarily tourism. In 2014, the island was visited by 199 cruise ships
with 287,000 tourists on board, and more than 72,000 people arrived at
airports.
The currency of Dominica is the East Caribbean dollar
(XCD). 1 USD = 2.7 XCD.
Dominica is a beneficiary of the US
Caribbean Initiative, which brings many goods into the United States
duty-free. Dominica is also a member of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM), the Caribbean Common Market, and the Organization of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS).
Dominica grants foreign companies
tax-exempt status. The exact benefit of companies from tax-free status
due to the strict privacy policy enforced by the government is not
known, although many Internet businesses are known to use Dominica for
this very reason.
Since 1993, the so-called economic citizenship program
has been operating on the island, which allows everyone to obtain a
passport of the republic through gratuitous investments in the state's
economy. Moreover, Dominica is the only country that does not require
the holder of this document to reside on its territory, even for a
minimum period. Thus, everyone can contribute a certain amount to the
country's budget, and having received a passport of a citizen of the
republic, freely visit the countries of the British Commonwealth,
including Great Britain. With all this, Dominica recognizes dual
citizenship, which allows you to legally use a passport and the
privileges of the mother state.
There are two options for
obtaining citizenship of Dominica through investment: a gratuitous
payment to the government of the country or the purchase of real
estate[12]. When choosing a non-refundable investment, the cost is
$100,000 for one applicant, for two spouses this amount will be already
$175,000, and for a family with two children under the age of 18, the
total payment will be $200,000. In addition to these investments, there
is a list of registration fees and payments, which are also determined
by the state. For example, $1,000 is a non-refundable application fee
charged only to the investor (in the case of a family in which only the
husband works, he will be the investor and only he will pay this
amount), $215 is a fee for each person for whom citizenship will be
issued (that is, it is also charged for each child).
When buying
real estate, investments must be at least USD 200,000. At the same time,
collective applications are possible, however, the amount of investment
of each applicant must be at least USD 200,000. For this option, a state
fee is also provided - USD 25,000 for the main applicant, USD 35,000 for
the main applicant and three family members, USD 50,000 for the main
applicant and five family members, USD 70,000 for the main applicant and
six or more family members (such payments are provided until September
1, 2018). The property can be sold after 5 years.
Education
The island has its own public college, formerly called Clifton DuPigny
College. Some Dominicans receive higher education in educational
institutions in Cuba. Others study at the University of the West Indies
or in the UK, US and other countries that provide quality higher
education opportunities. Ross University, a military medical school, is
located in Portsmouth. The Archbold Tropical Research Center and the
Education Center, a biological field station owned by Clemson
University, are located in Springfield, between Canefield and Cassé
Pond. In 2006, another military medical school, called All Saints
Medical University, opened in temporary premises in Lubir, with a
permanent campus built in the Great Bay. Currently, the university is
located in Roseau, the capital of Dominica. There is also a marine
biology school at Mahaut, as well as I.T.M.E (Institute of Tropical
Marine Ecology), 15 minutes north of Roseau. Dominica has established an
annual education-related holiday: National Literacy Day.
The East Coast of Dominica is home to the Kalinago
tribe.
Dominica is home to a wide variety of ethnically diverse
people. Although historically the island was home to several tribes,
when European settlers reached the island, only the Arawaks and the
Caribbean Kalinago tribe lived there. Massacre is the name of a river
commemorating the massacre of locals by French and British settlers
because the river was red with blood for several days. Each rival side
(both French and British) tried to gain a foothold on the island and
imported slaves from Africa, whose descendants now make up the majority
of the population. The surviving Caribs now live on 3,700 acres (15
square kilometers) of land on the island's east coast. They choose their
own leader. This mix of cultures is important to Dominica.
Music
and dance are important aspects of Dominica's culture. The annual
celebration of independence is a festival of traditional song and dance,
preceded since 1997 by a week of Creole culture, in particular such an
event as the World Creole Music Festival. Dominica rose to prominence on
the international music scene in 1973 when Gordon Henderson founded the
Odin group in exile and an original musical genre he called Lypso
Intonation, which marked the beginning of modern Creole music.
The 11th annual World Creole Music Festival was first held on October
27, 2007 as part of the celebration of the island's independence from
Britain on November 3. The year-long festivities began in January 2008,
when the country celebrated 30 years of independence.
Dominica is
often characterized as a society that is evolving from its former
collectivism to individualism. The economy is developing, previously
completely dependent on agriculture. Remnants of collectivist thinking
are still visible in the small towns and villages that are spread
throughout the island.
Dominican cuisine is similar to that of
other Caribbean countries. Common main courses include meat (usually
chicken, but may be goat, lamb or beef) topped with sauce. Sauces are
either spicy pepper sauces or concoctions made from a variety of
abundant local fruits.
Air communication
The island has two regional and
international airports. The main airport, Douglas-Charles Airport (DOM),
is on the northeast coast and is approximately 45 minutes from
Portsmouth (1 hour from Roseau). The second is Canefield Airport (DCF),
about 15 minutes from Roseau on the southwest coast. Douglas-Charles
Airport is suitable for limited commercial aircraft use due to the
length of the runway. Douglas-Charles now regularly serves Air Sunshine,
Winair, Seaborne Airlines and LIAT using twin turboprops such as the ATR
& Saab 340 as well as Conviasa and Amerijet which, using the Boeing 727
Freighter, is the only jet airline flying to the Republic. The runway
deployment and maintenance project began at Douglas-Charles Airport in
2006 and was completed in 2010. In March 2013, American Eagle suspended
flights to the island.
Roads
The road network of Dominica is
laid mainly along the coastline and along river valleys. The basis of
the roads are two-lane highways connecting the capital of Roseau with
Portsmouth (Edward Oliver Leblanc Highway) and Douglas-Charles Airport
(Dr. Nicholas Liverpool Highway). The journey from Portsmouth to Roseau
takes about 45 minutes. Private minibuses form the main public transport
system. These main roads have recently been reconstructed with the
assistance of the People's Republic of China and the European Union. Due
to Tropical Storm Erika, several road surfaces and bridges were damaged
by flooding and landslides, including on the newly completed E.O.
Leblanc (Roseau to Portsmouth) and Dr Nicholas Liverpool Roads (Pont
Cassé to Douglas Charles Airport).
Alternative energy sources
Dominica is a clean and green country. This order can be maintained by
the production of electricity using:
Hydropower, which currently
powers Dominica's electricity sector;
Solar energy, which is becoming
more and more popular on the island;
geothermal energy.