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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.
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Common Name: Dominica
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Local Official Name: Dominica
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Abbreviated Name: Commonwealth of Dominica
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Official Name: Dominica
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Official Script Name: Dominica
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Local Common Name: Dominica
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Former Name: Dominica
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL
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Government Type: parliamentary democracy
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Independence: 1978 November 3 (from UK)
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Constitution: 1978 November 3
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 3 November
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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, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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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
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on English common law
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: 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%
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 52.07%, UWP 43.6%, DFP 3.15%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1
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)
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Party Leaders: Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; Dominica United Workers Party or UWP [Earl WILLIAMS]
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International Disputes: Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge Venezuela's sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other island nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf claims over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea
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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
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Location of Dominica: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
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Continent: North America
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Land Area Total: 754 sq km
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Region: Caribbean |
Land Area Land: 754 sq km
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Capitol City: Roseau
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Land Area Water: 0 sq km
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Current: -4
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Latitude: 015 25 N
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Border Boundary Land: 0 km
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Longitude: 061 20 W
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Border Boundary Coastline: 148 km
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Arable Land: 6.67 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 21.33 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 1,447 m
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Location: Morne Diablatins
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Caribbean Sea
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Largest City in Dominica: Roseau
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Roseau Largest City Population: 24,000
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Threatened Species: 30
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Environmental Issues: NA
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Environmental 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
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Irrigated Land: 0
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Bordering Countries: NA
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Natural Resources: timber, hydropower, arable land
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Geographical Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin
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Comparative Area of Dominica: slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC
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Dominica's Geography: 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
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Dominica.
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General Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
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Natural Hazards: flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months
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Economic 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.
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GDP: $384,000,000 USD
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Currency: East Caribbean dollar
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GDP per Capita: $3,800 USD
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Currency Code: XCD
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GDP Growth Rate: 3.10 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% XCD
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Currency Exchange Rate History: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 17.70 %
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GDP of Industry: 32.80 %
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GDP of Services: 49.50 % |
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Inflation Rate: -0.10 % |
Population in Poverty: 30.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 23.00 %
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Tourism: 74,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $73,900,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $84,400,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 69,980,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 65,090,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 47.76%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 52.24%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 800 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $213,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $29,200,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited
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Primary Industries: soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes
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Industrial Growth Rate: -10.00 %
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Import Amount in USD: $234,000,000 USD - manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals
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Import Partners: US 25.3%, China 20.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 12.3%, South Korea 7.1%, Japan 4.6%, UK 4.4%
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Export Amount in USD: $74,000,000 USD - bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges
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Export Partners: UK 26.2%, Jamaica 9.8%, South Korea 8.7%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.6%, Guyana 7.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.7%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 25,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture 40%, industry and commerce 32%, services 28%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 6 |
Number of People with Radios: 46,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 1 |
Number of People with Televisions: 6,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 21,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 41,800 |
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Internet Service Providers: 263 |
Internet Users: 20,500 |
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Internet Country Code: .dm |
Newspapers: 0 |
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Two Letter Country Code: DO |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 1-767 |
Electricity Voltage: 230 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: 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
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Highways: 393 km |
Railways: 0 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 2 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 170 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 81,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 1.10 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 48 ships (1000 GRT or over) 634,668 GRT/1,100,558 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 24, chemical tanker 4, container 2, petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 45 (Estonia 11, Germany 1, Greece 5, Latvia 1, Norway 1, NZ 4, Russia 2, Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 9, Syria 1, Turkey 3, UAE 2, Ukraine 2)
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Ports and Harbors: Portsmouth, Roseau
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Population: 68,910 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 15.27 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 105.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 6.73 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: -0.08% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.94 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 9,084 |
Population Female 0-14: 8,885 |
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Population Male 15-64: 23,419 |
Population Female 15-64: 22,079 |
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Population Male 65+: 2,186 |
Population Female 65+: 3,257 |
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Population 0-14: 26.10% |
Literacy Rate: 94.00% |
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Population 15-64: 66.00% |
Literacy rate of Males: 94.00% |
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Population 65+: 7.90% |
Literacy rate of Females: 94.00% |
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Population that is Male: 50.50
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Population that is Female: 49.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 74.87 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 13.71 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 71.95 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 77.93 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.00%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 0
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -9.30
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Nationality: DOMINICAN
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Ethnic Groups: black, mixed black and European, European, Syrian, Carib Amerindian
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Primary Language: English
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Other Languages: English (official), French patois
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Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
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Other Religions: Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), other 6%, none 2%
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Branches: no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes coast guard)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: NA years
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Manpower Available: 18,227 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 15,136 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 602 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 0.00
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Dominica Spa and Resort Directory
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Dominica Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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Dominica Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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Dominica City Information Game Earn Real Money
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