What are the Key Facts of Dominica?

Where is Dominica?

Dominica is a West Indian island country that is located between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is around halfway from Trinidad and Tobago and Puerto Rico.

What is the Geography of Dominica?

Dominica is spread across a total area of 750 sq. km (290 sq. mi), out of which 750 sq. km (290 sq. mi) is land area and no water area. It has no land boundary but 148 km (92 mi) long coastline. This West Indian country has a volcanic origin and the terrain is rugged and mountainous (volcanic slopes and gorges) throughout (from east-to-west and north-to-south). Rainforest almost completely covers the landscape.

Morne Diablotins is the highest elevation point of Dominica at 1,447 m, (4,747 ft). Other major mountains in this island nation in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles are Watt Mountain, Morne Nicholls, Morne Trois Pitons, Morne Macaque, Morne aux Diables, Bellevue Mountain, etc.

9 out of the 16 active volcanoes of the Caribbean are located in this country. Morne aux Diables, one of those isolated cones forming a peninsula at the extreme northern part of Dominica, has a height of 848 m (2,826 ft).

There are 3 volcanic peaks in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), located in the extreme south of the country. Boiling mud ponds and small geysers can be found in the famous “Valley of Desolation” in his national park. The Boiling Lake in this area is the 2nd largest hot spring in the world.

There are hundreds of streams, many rivers, and some small crater lakes in the country. Some of the major rivers in Dominica are Layou River, Indian River, Rosalie, Gillon, Dublanc, Castle Bruce, Tubing, Pagua, etc.

A tropical climate is found in Dominica. It remains both hot and humid across the year. From mid-June to mid-November, rainy season prevails and the climate remains hot and humid. Constant northeast trade winds blow steadily at modest intensity during this season.

The dry season starts in January and continues till mid-April. This season remains relatively cool. The northeast trade winds blow irregularly during the dry season. There may be some breaks in it, which increases the feeling of sultriness.

Two transitional periods are there in between. While one is from November to early January, the other is from mid-April to Mid-June. During November-early-January, the northeast wind blows leading to a slight fall in temperature. The weather gets better during this time. During mid-April-mid-June, there is a gradual increase in the frequency of downpour as well as the temperature.

Dominica gets lots of rainfall. The western coast of the country gets around 2,000 mm (78 in) of rainfall every year. In fact, this region gets a per month rainfall of over 200 mm (8 in) during July-November. The least amount of rainfall takes place during February-April when per month average rainfall is around 60-75 mm (2.4-3 in).

The rainfall is more abundant in the hilly and mountainous regions in the interior of the island. The climate here is equatorial, thanks to the presence of rainforests and lots of rainfall.

Dominica gets lots of sunlight throughout the year. The temperature of the sea remains warm round the year. During February-March, the average water temperature revolves around 26 °C (79 °F). During September-October, the sea-water temperature remains around 29 °C (84 °F).

Hurricanes pass over Dominica during June-November. They are most likely to pass during August-October. February-to-April is the best time to visit Dominica.

What is the Economy of Dominica?

The Dominican economy is predominantly dependent upon agriculture (especially bananas) for years. However, the government has now started promoting the country as the preferred ecotourism destination, leading to a handsome growth since 2005. In 2005 and 2006, the economy grew by 3.5% and 4% respectively. This growth was mainly fuelled by growth in tourism, sub-sectors of the banana industry, offshore services, construction, and others.

The economy is highly dependent upon the agriculture sector. Around 1/3rd of the labor force is still dependent upon it. Unlike earlier, the economy has started lessening its dependence on banana and has now diversified to the production of other cash crops such as coffee, aloe vera, papaya, guava, mango, patchouli, cut flowers, and others.

The economy of Dominica grew by -9.5% in 2017, followed by 0.5% in 2018. The nominal GDP was US$504 million in 2018. The unemployment rate was 5.83% in 2016 as well as in 2017. Dominica is one of the poorest economies in the Eastern Caribbean. As of 2003, around 40% of the population lived in poverty.

What is the Transportation System of Dominica?

Dominica has two airports and both have paved runways. While one is Douglas-Charles Airport in Marigot, the other is Canefield Airport in Roseau. The country has 1,512 km (940 mi) long roadway, out of which 762 km (473 mi) is paved and the rest 750 km (466 mi) is unpaved. There are two major seaports in Dominica and they are Roseau and Portsmouth. 100 merchant marine vessels are there in the country.

What International Organizations is Dominica part of?

WTO, IMF, UN, WHO, UNESCO, Commonwealth of Nations, NAM, ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, ECCU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UNCTAD, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WIPO, WMO, ISO (correspondent), ITUC (NGOs)

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