Dominica (2001) | Luxembourg (2008) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter | 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
28.72% (male 10,300; female 10,027) 15-64 years: 63.45% (male 23,056; female 21,855) 65 years and over: 7.83% (male 2,267; female 3,281) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 18.8% (male 46,478/female 43,656)
15-64 years: 66.6% (male 161,466/female 158,261) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 28,530/female 41,831) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited | wine, grapes, barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits; dairy products, livestock products |
Airports | 2 (2000 est.) | 2 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total:
754 sq km land: 754 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 2,586 sq km
land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Rhode Island |
Background | 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. | Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union), and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area. |
Birth rate | 17.81 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 11.84 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$72 million expenditures: $79.9 million, including capital expenditures of $11.5 million (FY97/98) |
revenues: $14.29 billion
expenditures: $13.92 billion (2007 est.) |
Capital | Roseau | name: Luxembourg
geographic coordinates: 49 36 N, 6 07 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall | modified continental with mild winters, cool summers |
Coastline | 148 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 3 November 1978 | 17 October 1868; occasional revisions |
Country name | conventional long form:
Commonwealth of Dominica conventional short form: Dominica |
conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg |
Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | - |
Death rate | 7.19 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $108.9 million (1999) | $NA |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; US interests are served by the embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados | chief of mission: Ambassador Ann WAGNER
embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail) telephone: [352] 46 01 23 FAX: [352] 46 14 01 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (resident in Dominica) chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph WEYLAND
chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171/72 FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $235.6 million (2004) |
Economic aid - recipient | $24.4 million (1995) | - |
Economy - overview | The economy depends on agriculture and is highly vulnerable to climatic conditions, notably tropical storms. Agriculture, primarily bananas, accounts for 21% of GDP and employs 40% of the labor force. Development of the tourist industry remains difficult because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the lack of an international airport. Hurricane Luis devastated the country's banana crop in September 1995; tropical storms had wiped out one-quarter of the crop in 1994 as well. The subsequent recovery has been fueled by increases in construction, soap production, and tourist arrivals. The government is attempting to develop an offshore financial industry in order to diversify the island's production base. | This stable, high-income economy - benefiting from its proximity to France, Belgium, and Germany - features solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, initially dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. Growth in the financial sector, which now accounts for about 28% of GDP, has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign-owned and have extensive foreign dealings. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and cross-border workers for about 60% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg, like all EU members, suffered from the global economic slump in the early part of this decade, the country continues to enjoy an extraordinarily high standard of living - GDP per capita ranks first in the world. After two years of strong economic growth in 2006-07, Luxembourg's economy probably will slow in 2008 as a result of turmoil in the world financial markets, but growth will remain above the European average. |
Electricity - consumption | 57.7 million kWh (1999) | 6.315 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 3.131 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 6.392 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
Electricity - production | 62 million kWh (1999) | 3.156 billion kWh (2005 est.) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
48.39% hydro: 51.61% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m |
lowest point: Moselle River 133 m
highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
Ethnic groups | black, Carib Amerindian | Celtic base (with French and German blend), Portuguese, Italian, Slavs (from Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo) and European (guest and resident workers) |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) | euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President Vernon Lordon SHAW (since 6 October 1998) head of government: Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES (since 1 October 2000); note - assumed post after death of Roosevelt DOUGLAS cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 6 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2003); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vernon Lordon SHAW elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch)
head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 20 January 1995); Deputy Prime Minister Jean ASSELBORN (since 31 July 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following popular elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the monarch; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies note: government coalition - CSV and LSAP |
Exports | $60.7 million (2000 est.) | 283 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges | machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass |
Exports - partners | Caricom countries 47%, UK 36%, US 7% (1996 est.) | Germany 19.3%, France 15.5%, Italy 9.5%, UK 9.5%, Belgium 8.8%, Spain 5.3%, Netherlands 4.5% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
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) | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $290 million (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
21% industry: 16% services: 63% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 13% services: 86% (2005 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.5% (2000 est.) | 5% (2007 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 15 25 N, 61 20 W | 49 45 N, 6 10 E |
Geography - note | - | landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world |
Heliports | - | 1 (2007) |
Highways | total:
750 km paved: 375 km unpaved: 375 km (2001) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 3.5%
highest 10%: 23.8% (2000) |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; banking industry is vulnerable to money laundering | - |
Imports | $126 million (2000 est.) | 61,070 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals | minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods |
Imports - partners | US 41%, Caricom countries 25%, UK 13%, Netherlands, Canada (1996 est.) | Belgium 26.3%, Germany 20.1%, China 16.7%, France 8.5%, UK 5.5%, Netherlands 4.2% (2006) |
Independence | 3 November 1978 (from UK) | 1839 (from the Netherlands) |
Industrial production growth rate | -10% (1997 est.) | 4.3% (2006 est.) |
Industries | soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes | banking and financial services, iron and steel, information technology, telecommunications, cargo transportation, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 16.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (2000 est.) | 2.1% (2007 est.) |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | ACCT, ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, Benelux, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA |
Judicial branch | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction) | judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace, 2 district courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, administrative courts and tribunals, and the Constitutional Court); judges for all courts are appointed for life by the monarch |
Labor force | 25,000 | 205,000 of whom 121,600 are foreign cross-border workers commuting primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany (2007 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28% | agriculture: 1%
industry: 13% services: 86% (2004 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 359 km
border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km |
Land use | arable land:
9% permanent crops: 13% permanent pastures: 3% forests and woodland: 67% other: 8% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 23.94%
permanent crops: 0.39% other: 75.67% (includes Belgium) (2005) |
Languages | English (official), French patois | Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language), French (administrative language) |
Legal system | based on English common law | based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 31 January 2000 (next to be held by NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -DLP 11, UWP 8, DFP 2 |
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 13 June 2004 (next to be held by June 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 36.1%, LSAP 23.4%, DP 16.1%, Green Party 11.6%, ADR 10%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CSV 24, LSAP 14, DP 10, Green Party 7, ADR 5 note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
73.6 years male: 70.74 years female: 76.61 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 79.03 years
male: 75.76 years female: 82.52 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 94% male: 94% female: 94% (1970 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago | Western Europe, between France and Germany |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 45 ships (1000 GRT or over) 682,955 GRT/858,985 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 7, chemical tanker 14, container 7, liquefied gas 2, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 7 foreign-owned: 44 (Belgium 9, France 14, Germany 10, Netherlands 1, UK 7, US 3) (2007) |
Military branches | Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) | Army |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | 0.9% (2005 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 3 November (1978) | National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June; note - the actual date of birth was 23 January 1896, but the festivities were shifted by five months to allow observance during a more favorable time of year |
Nationality | noun:
Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican |
noun: Luxembourger(s)
adjective: Luxembourg |
Natural hazards | flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months | NA |
Natural resources | timber, hydropower, arable land | iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land |
Net migration rate | -20.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 155 km (2007) |
Political parties and leaders | Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Pierre CHARLES]; United Workers Party or UWP [Edison JAMES] | Alternative Democratic Reform Party or ADR [Robert MENLEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV [Francois BILTGEN] (also known as Christian Social Party or PCS); Democratic Party or DP [Claude MEISCH]; Green Party [Francois BAUSCH]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Alex BODRY]; dei Lenk/la Gauche (the Left); other minor parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party) | ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL (federation of industrialists); Greenpeace (environment protection); LCGP (center-right trade union); Mouvement Ecologique (protection of ecology); OGBL (center-left trade union) |
Population | 70,786 (July 2001 est.) | 480,222 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.98% (2001 est.) | 1.207% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Portsmouth, Roseau | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) |
Radios | 46,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 275 km
standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (243 km electrified) (2006) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6% | Roman Catholic 87%, other (includes Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 13% (2000) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.065 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.682 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: fully automatic network international: microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia |
general assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; market for mobile-cellular phones is virtually saturated with roughly 150 cellular phones per 100 persons international: country code - 352 |
Telephones - main lines in use | 19,000 (1996) | 246,700 (2006) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 461 (1996) | 713,800 (2006) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (however, there is one cable television company) (1997) | 5 (1999) |
Terrain | rugged mountains of volcanic origin | mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast |
Total fertility rate | 2.03 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.78 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 20% (1999 est.) | 4.4% (2007 est.) |
Waterways | none | 37 km (on Moselle River) (2007) |