Region: Caribbean

Capital: Roseau

Population: 72,514 (July 2008 est.)

Surface area: 754 sq km

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

GDP per capita: Purchasing power parity US $9,000 (2007 est.)

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.

Economy – Overview
The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and international economic developments. Tourism has increased as the government seeks to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. In 2003, the government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy - including elimination of price controls, privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to address Dominica's economic and financial crisis of 2001-02 and to meet IMF targets. This restructuring paved the way for the current economic recovery - real growth for 2006 reached a two-decade high - and will help to reduce the debt burden, which remains at about 100% of GDP. In order to diversify the island's production base, the government is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is researching Dominica's capability to export geothermal energy.

Major Export Commodities: bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges

Remittances: US $4 million (2006)

Human Development Index 2007/2008 ranking: 71 out of 177

Official Development Assistance and Major Development Partners: Net ODA in 2006 was US $1.84 million. Major development partners include Caribbean Development Bank, the IMF, and the European Community.

Total External Debt: US $213 million (2004)

United Nations membership date: 18 December 1978

New York Mission:
Permanent Mission of the Commonwealth of Dominica
to the United Nations
800 Second Avenue, Suite 400H
New York, N.Y. 10017 USA
Telephone: 212-949-0853
Fax: 212-808-4975, 661-0979

Website: http://dominica.un.int