Introduction
The Commonwealth of Dominica is a small country located on an island in the Caribbean. It lies halfway between the countries of Trinidad and Tobago, and Puerto Rico. With a tropical climate, the country receives heavy rainfall and, in the late summer months, hurricanes that can be disastrous. In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused massive damage to the island, accounting for heavy agriculture damage as well as damage to the country’s transportation and infrastructure.
Dominica was originally colonized in 1805 by the British, 42 years after it had been acquired from the French. The country was the last of the Caribbean countries to be colonized due to the ferocity of the native Caribs. On November 3, 1978, Dominica obtained its independence, and in 1980 the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, Eugenia Charles, was appointed and served for 15 years. The population of Dominica is 74,027 people. The most common religions include Roman Catholic, comprising 61.4 percent of the population, and Protestant, comprising 28.6 percent. Education accounts for 3.4 percent of GDP as of 2015. Being a small country with few resources, the total GDP of Dominica was only $783 million in 2017. This number was down, primarily due to the destructive nature of Hurricane Maria. The Dominican economy is comprised mainly of agriculture, tourism, and some industries. The most important source of agriculture is in bananas. An interesting program allows for investors to acquire citizenship in Dominica for a fee, bypassing the five-year residency requirement for citizenship. This fee contributes to government revenues. The official language of Dominica is English. French Creole is also spoken, although to a lesser degree than it used to be. The origin of English in the country is attributed to over 150 years of colonization by the British. English here is widely spoken and known. -D. Foster (Winter quarter 2019) |
Official flag of Dominica
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