Dominica

Full name of country: Commonwealth of Dominica

Region: Central America and Caribbean

Official language: English

Population: 74,661 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Dominican(s) (noun), Dominican (adjective)

Land area: 751 sq km (290 sq miles)

Capital: Roseau

National anthem: "Isle of Beauty," by Wilfred Oscar Morgan Pond/Lemuel McPherson Christian

National holiday: Independence Day, November 3 (1978)

Population growth: -0.01% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC –4

Flag: The flag of Dominica uses a tricolored cross design superimposed across a green field. The cross consists of three vertical and horizontal bands of yellow (top and left), black (center), and white (bottom and right), representing, respectively, the native population, the soil, and the purity of the water. A red circle, or disk, is centered in the flag’s field; within the circle is the indigenous Sisserou parrot, Dominica’s national bird, which is encircled by ten green stars, representing the island nation’s ten parishes.

Motto: “Après le Bondié, C’est la Ter” (After God is the earth)

Independence: November 3, 1978 (from the UK)

Government type: parliamentary republic

Suffrage: universal for those eighteen years of age

Legal system: common law structured on the English model

Dominica is a small island nation in the West Indies. It is officially known as the Commonwealth of Dominica and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The country is one of the largest of the Windward Islands; it lies to the north of Martinique and south of Guadeloupe.

Formed by volcanic activity, the island is extremely rugged. It has extensive tropical rainforests and hot springs. Tropical fruits such as bananas, coconuts, mangoes, limes, and grapefruits are grown there; however, because much of the land is unsuitable for agriculture, most of the nation's food must be imported.

Dominica was one of the islands documented by fifteenth-century explorer Christopher Columbus, and has a long history of colonialism. Most of the native population of Dominica is descended from Africans who were enslaved and brought there to work the plantations during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Today, Dominica is a popular destination for tourists interested in its tropical environment and beautiful scenery.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: Most Dominicans are descendants of enslaved Africans. There is a small population of native Caribs. “Carib” is a term that was assigned to these people by European colonists; there is some dispute over what the people actually called themselves, although “Kalinago” is another term commonly used today. They live primarily on a reservation on the eastern coast of the island. Many have a mixed African heritage.

The majority of Dominicans are Christian. Most belong to the Roman Catholic faith, and the remainder belong to different Protestant denominations.

English is the official language of the country, although many Dominicans speak a French patois.

Dominica ranked 97 on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index, which measures quality-of-life indicators.

Indigenous People: The Kalinago people were living on Dominica when the Spanish arrived in the fifteenth century. Christopher Columbus named the island in 1493, after catching sight of it from his ship. This began a colonization process in which the Spanish, French, and British fought over control of the island, while the Kalinago people fiercely resisted colonization. The French eventually won control of part of Dominica in 1633.

Throughout the early seventeenth century, the Kalinagos plagued the French colonists by raiding their settlements. While the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle granted control of Dominica to the Kalinagos, the French slowly began an economic incursion into the island. They became involved with trade and also created plantations that were worked by enslaved Africans. While at first the Kalinagos tolerated the colonists, they began warring with the French once again in the mid-eighteenth century.

The British intervened in the fighting on the pretext of protecting the Kalinagos, and eventually gained control of the island in 1764 after the Treaty of Paris was signed. Soon the Kalinagos were relegated to a small reservation on land that was poor in natural resources, and the rest of the island was divided up for private British investment. The Kalinagos continued to fight the British in the island's interior, with the help of escaped slaves. However, they were ultimately defeated by the British in 1795.

Education: Education in Dominica is directed by the Ministry of Education and is based on the school systems in Great Britain and the United States. Schooling is compulsory for children beginning at the age of five. Primary school lasts for seven years, lower secondary for three, and upper secondary for two.

The government provides free education for all in state-run schools and has been focusing on providing its teachers with necessary training and preparation. The Catholic Church also has a large number of schools in the country.

There are four levels of education: pre-primary, primary, secondary, and tertiary. Basic education stresses reading, writing, and mathematics. Students must pass examinations to continue on to the secondary level of education.

Dominica State College offers students the opportunity to earn an associate's degree in a number of subjects or a bachelor's degree in nursing or midwifery. The University of the West Indies has an Open Campus location in Dominica as well. Tertiary education also includes technical education and certification.

Health Care: Health care in Dominica is administered by the Ministry of Health, and the government launched a national health insurance pilot plan in 2017. By 2014, the island had sixty-one health posts and three hospitals. The largest hospital is the Princess Margaret Hospital, located in Roseau, the capital.

Ischemic heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in the country. Neonatal disorders, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and lower respiratory infections were also among the causes of premature death in Dominica.

Pregnant women have access to government-funded prenatal care. Around 99 percent of children received DTP3 immunizations, and the rate of infant mortality was 10.7 deaths per 1,000 live births (2024 estimates).

Food: Because Dominica cannot grow large enough quantities of staple food crops, much of its food must be imported. The country's cuisine is often characterized by spicy curry and hot peppers. Root crops are an important source of nutrition and include yams, tannia, and dasheen.

Coconut milk is a common ingredient in Dominican recipes, as are tropical fruits such as bananas, breadfruit, and avocados, and vegetables such as spinach, watercress, and callalou. Some recipes include native seafood such as crayfish, spiny lobster, and octopus. Coffee is grown in Dominica, and is a popular beverage there.

Arts & Entertainment: Natives of Dominica have made important contributions to Western culture in the arts and literature. Jean Rhys (1894–79), who was also known as Ella Gwendolen Rees Williams, authored the 1966 novel Wide Sargasso Sea. Phyllis Shand Allfrey (1908–86) was a Dominican writer who also helped start the Dominican Labor Party.

The country is also known for its music. Drums are an important traditional instrument, and represent connections with the African heritage of Dominica; they are frequently made from wood and animal skins or metal. Flutes in Dominica are traditionally crafted from bamboo. Other folk instruments include a drum called the tambal, a wind instrument known as the "boom boom," and the accordion. Accordion music is called "jing pang" music in Dominica.

Steel bands are a traditional part of Dominica's street culture. Steel band music, or pan playing, became especially popular during the 1960s. The music is related to calypso, which is often played during festivals such as Carnival. Calypso has become the country's most popular kind of music, and is sometimes mixed with electronic instruments in a modern rock style. Famous steel band musicians include Willard Whyllis and Ulrick Jackson.

The most popular sport in Dominica is cricket. Other sports enjoyed by the Dominicans include soccer (football), tennis, basketball, and volleyball. Visitors to Dominica often participate in hiking trips and scuba diving.

Holidays:Carnival is a celebration in Dominica that traditionally begins in February or March before the Catholic season of Lent. Two days of Carnival are devoted to street festivals, parades, and musical performances. Traditional Carnival performers include stilt walkers, who are known as "moko jumbies." Calypso music is frequently played throughout the holiday.

Kalinago Week (or Carib Week) is celebrated in Dominica in September to commemorate a violent conflict that occurred between the government and the Kalinago population in 1930. It involves youth rallies, debates, and events that celebrate the Kalinago culture and people.

Public holidays include New Year's Day (January 1), Good Friday and Easter Monday (March or April), Labour Day (May 1), Whit Monday (May), Emancipation Day (August Monday), Independence Day (November 3), National Day of Community Service (November), Christmas Day (December 25), and Boxing Day (December 26).

Environment and Geography

Topography: Although it is a small country, Dominica is one of the largest of the Windward Islands. It is 47 kilometers (29 miles) long and reaches a maximum width of 25 kilometers (16 miles).

Dominica has a steep and rugged coastline with few beaches or natural harbors. The interior of the island is mountainous and is covered with tropical rainforest. On the western side of the island, the interior mountains slope gradually down to the sea, while steep cliffs characterize the eastern coast.

The island of Dominica is volcanic; its highest peak, Morne Diablotin, has an altitude of 1,447 meters (4,748 feet). Volcanic features that can be found on the island include solfataras or volcanic vents, and a number of hot springs. The largest active sulfur geyser in the country is known as Boiling Lake, which is located just outside the capital in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park. Occasionally this lake empties and emits dangerous sulfuric fumes.

Natural Resources: From colonial times, timber has been an important natural resource for Dominica. Water is plentiful and is used to create hydropower.

Pumice, a type of stone created by volcanic activity, is important to the island's construction industry. Other useful mineral deposits and soil resources include copper, limestone, and clay.

Plants & Animals: Because of its large expanse of tropical rainforest, Dominica has a wide variety of tropical birds, plants, and animals. Over 170 species of bird have been observed there. Two native species are the imperial parrot (Amazona imperialis), which is the national bird of Dominica, and the red-necked parrot (Amazona arausiaca). The blue-headed hummingbird (Cyanophaia bicolor) is also native to the island. Other birds found there include the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), the grey kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), and the smooth-billed ani (Crotophaga ani).

Tropical flowering plants are common in Dominica. Orchids are plentiful there; the Carib wood, bois Caraibe, or bwa Kwaib (Sabinea carinalis) is the country's national flower.

Large marine mammals, including whales, can be seen off the coast of the country. On land, the largest mammals are the agouti and the manacou, which is similar to the opossum.

There are no poisonous snakes in Dominica; common snake species include the boa constrictor and the kouwes. Land crabs live in the forests and are used in Creole cooking.

Climate: Dominica has a tropical climate and receives large amounts of precipitation each year. Elevation, air masses, and the topography of the island play a role in weather and temperature patterns, which can vary a great deal throughout the country.

The rainy season lasts from June to October, with the dry season occurring between February and May. On average, Dominica receives around 2,500 millimeters (98 inches) of rainfall per year. Roseau sees around 1,980 millimeters (78 inches) of rain, while higher altitudes can receive around 4,700 millimeters (185 inches). The most precipitation is generally recorded between July and October.

During the day, the temperature averages between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius (75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit), with September being the hottest month. Higher altitudes experience colder weather and more extreme temperature changes than low-lying areas.

Economy

For the most part, Dominica relies on the service sector to support its economy. In the agricultural sector, the banana industry has historically been the most important. Like other agricultural products, the banana crop is susceptible to weather-induced problems and price fluctuations on the world market. For this reason, hurricanes have had a devastating effect on the country's economy.

Roseau and the town of Portsmouth are the country's two major international ports. Dominica belongs to the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU), the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

In 2023, its estimated gross domestic product (GDP) was US$1.159 billion; its per-capita GDP was around $17,400. The rates of poverty and unemployment have historically been high; many Dominican workers continue to emigrate in the effort to find better employment opportunities.

Industry: Among Dominica's most important industrial sectors are soap manufacturing, coconut oil and copra, furniture, shoe manufacturing, and cement block manufacturing. In addition to soap, Dominica's manufactured exports include soap and bay oil.

Agriculture: Because of its steep terrain and its heavy rainforest, there are few large farms in Dominica. Most of these are located in valleys throughout the island. Small farmers often plant banana trees and other crops in steeper areas, where they have cut away the rainforest.

Bananas remain the most important crop in Dominica; however, citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits, and vegetables have become viable exports. Fruit and flower by-products, such as essential oils and extracts, have also become more important to trade. Most staple foods in Dominica must be imported.

Tourism: The tourist trade is becoming more important to Dominica's economy. Tourism contributed 19.3 percent of the country's GDP in 2022 and employed 25.4 percent of the workforce that year. Cruise ships have accounted for much of the country's tourist traffic. Some of Dominica's tourist attractions include rainforest hikes, swimming, scenic waterfalls, hot springs, and diving.

Government

After resolving conflicting territorial claims with Great Britain and Spain, France successfully established a colony on Dominica in 1635 and claimed the island for its own. France lost the island to Britain in the Treaty of Paris, which was signed in 1783 following the Seven Years' War.

Dominica remained a British colony until 1978. Slavery was abolished on the island in 1833, and the black population began to gain political power and civil rights. Unhappy with the rising legislative power of the free black population, white plantation owners lobbied for more control. As a result, civil and political rights of free blacks were scaled back in 1865 following political reforms.

In the latter half of the twentieth century, Britain began to prepare Dominica for independence. In 1967, the country gained more control over its internal administration and was known as an associated state of Great Britain. Dominica was granted full independence from Britain on November 3, 1978.

Twenty-first-century Dominica is a parliamentary republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. Its government and legal system are modeled on those of Great Britain. The president and a prime minister make up the executive branch. The president, who serves for five years, is selected by the prime minister and elected by the parliament.

Parliament, which forms the legislative branch of government, consists of the House of Assembly. The House is made up of twenty-one elected representatives, nine appointed senators, the Speaker of the House, and the Clerk of the House. The country's main political parties are the Dominica Labor Party, the Dominica Freedom Party, and the Dominica United Workers Party.

The judiciary branch of government consists of local magistrates' courts, while appeals are heard by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court's Court of Appeal or High Court. The Caribbean Court of Justice is the final court of appeal for Dominicans. Local government consists of town councils, which manage local affairs. The island is also separated into ten administrative districts known as parishes.

President Savarin, a former Labour Party cabinet minister, was appointed in September 2013, and re-elected in 2018.

Interesting Facts

• Dominica’s Kalinago Territory is home to the largest Indigenous population in the Caribbean.
• Dominica’s Boiling Lake, whose water is heated to the boiling point by lava flows underneath it, is the second-largest hot lake in the world, measuring around 63 meters (200 feet) across.
• Dominica sent its first Olympic competitors in winter sports to the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
• After Hurricane Maria, a category 5 storm, devastated Dominica in 2017, the government pledged that the island nation would become the first "fully climate-resilient" country.

Bibliography

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“Dominica.” Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, 2020, www.healthdata.org/dominica. Accessed 26 Aug. 2020. ‌

"Dominica." The World Bank, 2024, data.worldbank.org/country/dominica. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

"Dominica." The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 16 Jan. 2025, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/dominica/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

Dominica: National Education Profile. Education Policy and Data Center, FHI 360, 2018, www.epdc.org/sites/default/files/documents/EPDC‗NEP‗2018‗Dominica.pdf. Accessed 23 July 2019.

"Dominica Country Profile." BBC News, 2 Apr. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19246342. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

"Dominica—2023 Annual Research: Key Highlights." Economic Impact 2023 Factsheet, World Travel and Tourism Council, 2023, researchhub.wttc.org/factsheets/dominica. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.

"Human Development Insights." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme, 13 Mar. 2024, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.

“WHO Vaccine-Preventable Diseases: Monitoring System. 2020 Global Summary—Dominica.” World Health Organization, 15 July 2020, apps.who.int/immunization‗monitoring/globalsummary/countries?countrycriteria%5Bcountry%5D%5B%5D=DMA&commit=OK. Accessed 26 Aug. 2020. ‌