Bananas are the chief commercial crop and export. Coconuts, citrus fruits, and coconut oil are also exported, and mangoes and root crops are also raised. Industry is generally limited to food processing and the manufacture of soap and other coconut-based products. Tourism is a growing industry, but Dominica remains one of the poorest Caribbean nations.
The island was sighted by Columbus in 1493. English and French attempts at settlement were thwarted by the Caribs, who had taken it earlier from the Arawaks. An Anglo-French treaty of 1748 left Dominica in Carib hands, but both powers continued to covet it. The island definitively passed to the British in 1815. Hostilities between the British and the Caribs led to the virtual extinction of the Caribs, who number about 500 and occupy a reservation on the eastern side of the island. Dominica gained full independence in 1978. In 1981 there were two failed coup attempts. In 1980, Eugenia Charles Charles, Eugenia (Mary Eugenia Charles), 1919–2005, Dominican politician, first female prime minister of Dominica (1980–95). A lawyer, she was a founder (1968) of the Dominica Freedom party (DFP) and headed the DFP for more than 20 years.
..... Click the link for more information. and the Dominica Freedom party came to power; Charles, who survived two coup attempts in 1981, remained prime minister until she retired in 1995. Edison James, founder of the opposition United Workers' party (DUWP), succeeded her after a win at the polls. He remained prime minister until early 2000, when Rosie Douglas led the Labor party (LPD) to a narrow victory over James and the DUWP. Douglas died in 2000 and was succeeded by Pierre Charles, who died in 2003. Roosevelt Skerrit succeeded Charles as prime minister. Labor was returned to power, again by a narrow margin, in 2005.
Dominica
officially Commonwealth of Dominica){kind=small}
)
Dominica
Official name: Commonwealth of Dominica
Capital city: Roseau
Internet country code: .dm
Flag description: Green, with a centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)
National anthem: “Isle of beauty, isle of splendour” (first line)
National bird: Sisserou parrot
Geographical description: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
Total area: 290 sq. mi. (754 sq. km.)
Climate: Tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
Nationality: noun: Dominican(s); adjective: Dominican
Population: 72,386 (July 2007 CIA est.)
Ethnic groups: African 86.8%, mixed African and European 8.9%, Carib Amerindian 2.9%, white 0.8%, other 0.7%
Languages spoken: English (official), French patois
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 Witness 1.2%, other Christian 7.7%, Rastafarian 1.3%, Other (including Muslim and Baha’i) or unspecified 1.6%, none 6.1%
Legal Holidays:
Dominica
a volcanic island in the Lesser Antilles islands of the West Indies. A possession of Great Britain. Area, 751 sq km. Population, 74,000 (1969). A mountainous island; its summit, the Diablotin volcano, is 1,586 m. It lies in the trade-wind belt and has a tropical moist climate, with about 2,000 mm of precipitation a year. The average monthly temperature is from 25° to 27°C. On the slopes are tropical rain forests; on the coast are plantations, primarily for citrus fruits and bananas. The main city is Roseau.
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|