Caribbean Community Information

Dominica:

The island's official name is the Commonwealth of Dominica - originally dubbed Waitukubuli which means “tall is her body” by the Kaliango tribe of the Carib Indians who had conquered the indigenous Tainos (Arawak Indians). Dominica is the largest of the Windward Islands and is the only island in the eastern Caribbean which still has around 3,000 of its original inhabitants. Many of these indigenous indians still live on the island's east coast 3,700 acre Carib Reserve which was granted to them in 1903 by the British. English is the official language but a large portion of the population speaks French Creole and two villages in the northeast of the island speak Kokoy Creole English

The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus on November 3, 1493 during his second voyage to the West Indies. The first wave of spanish settlers were discouraged from establishing settlements on the island due to the warlike cannibalistic Caribs they encountered. In 1627 the English lay claim to the island, however, in 1632 French settlers began arriving bringing enslaved Africans with them, and by 1660 both the British and French had agreed to leave the Caribs in possession of the island.

During the 16th and 17th century, Dominica changed hands several times between the French and British and in 1763 France ceded possession of the island to the British as part of the Treaty of Paris. However, during the American Revolutionary War in 1778, the French, with active cooperation of the largely French population on the island, invaded the island. In 1783 (under the Treaty of Paris which ended the war) the island was returned to British ownership. Two other invasions in 1795 and 1805 by the French to retake the island ended in failure.

In 1833 the island was linked to Antigua and the other Leeward Islands under a governor-general in Antigua. In 1838, following the abolition of slavery Dominica became the first and only British West Indies colony to have a Black-controlled legislature in the 19th century. In 1871 it became a part of the Federation of the Leeward Islands Colony (which was known as the West Indies Associated States WISA), and the British successfully eroded the power of the Black population and re-established it as a crown colony in 1896. This move ensured that the political rights of the majority of the population were curtailed. The British then offered development aid as a form of bribery for their disenfranchisement, which however had minimal effect on the majority. By 1940 the island became a member of the Windward Islands group (until 1960). Dominica was one of the 10 British colonies which joined the short-lived West Indies Federation (WIF) in 1958 and remained a member until differences between the larger members led to the WIF dissolution in 1962.

Following the WIF demise, Dominica became an associated state of the United Kingdom and in 1967 it formally took responsibility for its internal affairs. On November 3, 1978, the Commonwealth of Dominica was granted independence by the United Kingdom. In 1980 the corrupt government of Oliver James "O. J." Seraphin was replaced by Dame Mary Eugenia Charles, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Following the 1983 bloody coup in Grenada, where the socialist leader Maurice Bishop and four Cabinet members were killed by Bernard Coard, the deputy Prime Minister Ms. Charles was the foremost regional supporter of the US invasion of Grenada and was at President Reagan's side when he announced America's intention to the world.

After its independence, the island was plagued with chronic economic problems which were compounded by severe impacts of hurricanes in 1979 and in 1980. Nevertheless, by the end of the 1980s, the economy had made a healthy recovery, which weakened in the 1990s due to a decrease in banana prices.

Dominica is a member of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, which is the first regional bank in the world to issue a common currency for use by its member countries. Dominica is also a member of the 15-member Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States OECS which is the successor of the WISA. Dominica is also a principal beneficiary of the US Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI).

TOURISM: Known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna which makes it an eco-tourism destination in the Caribbean. Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a protected area and is the first UNESCO World Heritage Site. The island is the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles and its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world.

When the producers of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest went scouting for a location to shoot its legendary tale of Caribbean pirates, the island's barefaced beauty was so irresistible to scouts searching for untouched natural scenery that they decided to shoot scenes of Pirates 3: At World's End at the same time.

Basic facts and figures
Capital City: Roseau
Population (2007 est): 72,386
Ethnic makeup: Black 86.8%, mixed 8.9%, Carib Amerindian 2.9%, white 0.8%, other 0.7%
GDP (2006): US$299.81 million
GDP per capita: (2004) US$3,794
Population living below the poverty line (2002): 30%
Unemployment rate (2000): 23%
External debt (2005): US$231.48 million
Net Official Development Assistance (ODA), 2006: US$ 19.36 million
Foreign Direct Investment (2005): US$26.06 million
Human Development Index - Rank (2000): 68
Human Development Index - Rank (2006): 71