Dominica (2005) | Norfolk Island (2008) | |
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Administrative divisions | 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter | none (territory of Australia) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 26.7% (male 9,328/female 9,125)
15-64 years: 65.4% (male 23,225/female 21,900) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 2,193/female 3,258) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 20.2%
15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited | Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry |
Airports | 2 (2004 est.) | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Area | total: 754 sq km
land: 754 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 34.6 sq km
land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC | about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC |
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. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean. | Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. |
Birth rate | 15.73 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | NA |
Budget | revenues: $73.9 million
expenditures: $84.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2001) |
revenues: $4.6 million
expenditures: $4.8 million (FY99/00) |
Capital | Roseau | name: Kingston
geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E time difference: UTC+11.5 (16.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall | subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 148 km | 32 km |
Constitution | 3 November 1978 | Norfolk Island Act of 1979, as amended in 2005 |
Country name | conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica
conventional short form: Dominica |
conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island |
Death rate | 6.81 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | NA |
Debt - external | $161.5 million (2001) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Dominica | none (territory of Australia) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Swinburne LESTRADE
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791 consulate(s) general: New York |
none (territory of Australia) |
Disputes - international | joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $22.8 million (2003 est.) | $NA |
Economy - overview | The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and international economic developments. Production of bananas dropped precipitously in 2003, a major reason for the 1% decline in GDP. Tourism increased in 2003 as the government sought to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. Development of the tourism industry remains difficult, however, because of the rugged coastline, lack of beaches, and the absence of an international airport. The government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy in 2003 - including elimination of price controls, privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to address Dominica's economic crisis and to meet IMF targets. In order to diversify the island's production base the government is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is planning to construct an oil refinery on the eastern part of the island. | Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. |
Electricity - consumption | 63.62 million kWh (2002) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | - |
Electricity - production | 68.41 million kWh (2002) | NA kWh |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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 |
- |
Ethnic groups | black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian | descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesian |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since October 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004); note - assumed post after death of Prime Minister Pierre CHARLES 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 1 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
Exports | NA | $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY91/92) |
Exports - commodities | bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges | postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados |
Exports - partners | UK 21.6%, Jamaica 14.8%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.8%, Guyana 7.5%, Japan 5.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, US 4.3%, Saint Lucia 4% (2004) | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 July - 30 June |
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 vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 18%
industry: 24% services: 58% (2002 est.) |
- |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | -1% (2003 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 15 25 N, 61 20 W | 29 02 S, 167 57 E |
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 include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world | most of the 32 km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated |
Highways | total: 780 km
paved: 393 km unpaved: 387 km (1999 est.) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
- |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering | - |
Imports | NA | $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) |
Imports - commodities | manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals | NA |
Imports - partners | China 20.4%, US 16.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.3%, UK 6.9%, South Korea 4.6%, Japan 4.3% (2004) | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2006) |
Independence | 3 November 1978 (from UK) | none (territory of Australia) |
Industrial production growth rate | -10% (1997 est.) | - |
Industries | soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes | tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete |
Infant mortality rate | total: 14.15 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1% (2001 est.) | - |
International organization participation | ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | UPU |
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) | Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions |
Labor force | 25,000 (1999 est.) | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28% | agriculture: 10%
industry and services: 90% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 6.67%
permanent crops: 20% other: 73.33% (2001) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | English (official), French patois | English (official), Norfolk - a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian |
Legal system | based on English common law | based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats, 9 appointed senators, 21 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by 5 August 2010); note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five years of the last election, but technically it is five years from the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace period election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 52.08%, UWP 43.6%, DFP 3.15%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 74.65 years
male: 71.73 years female: 77.71 years (2005 est.) |
total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94% male: 94% female: 94% (2003 est.) |
NA |
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 | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 13,771 GRT/19,736 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 19, chemical tanker 2, container 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 21 (Estonia 6, Greece 3, Pakistan 1, Russia 2, Singapore 6, Syria 2, UAE 1) (2005) |
- |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Australia |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes Coast Guard) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 3 November (1978) | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) |
Nationality | noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican |
noun: Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) |
Natural hazards | flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months | typhoons (especially May to July) |
Natural resources | timber, hydropower, arable land | fish |
Net migration rate | -11.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | NA |
Political parties and leaders | Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; United Workers Party or UWP [Edison JAMES] | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party) | none |
Population | 69,029 (July 2005 est.) | 2,114 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 30% (2002 est.) | - |
Population growth rate | -0.27% (2005 est.) | 0.006% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Portsmouth, Roseau | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), other 6%, none 2% | Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.2%, none 18.1% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
NA |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: fully automatic network international: country code - 1-767; microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia |
general assessment: adequate
domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia and New Zealand; satellite earth station |
Telephones - main lines in use | 23,700 (2002) | 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 9,400 (2002) | 0; note - proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2004) | 1 (local programming station plus 2 repeaters that air Australian programs by satellite) (2005) |
Terrain | rugged mountains of volcanic origin | volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains |
Total fertility rate | 1.96 children born/woman (2005 est.) | NA |
Unemployment rate | 23% (2000 est.) | - |