COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA

• Official name: Commonwealth of Dominica
• Location: Caribbean
• International organisations: African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Commonwealth of Nations, Organisation of American States, United Nations, World Trade Organisation
• Borders: None
• Coastline: Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea
• Land area: 754 Km2
• Population: 73,000
• Annual GDP (PPP) per capita: US$10,200 (2009 CIA estimate). World ranking: 83
• Ethnicity: More than 90% of the population is of African descent. There are small European and Indian minorities.
• Languages: English is the official language and is generally understood, but most of the population speaks a local patois.
• Religion: Most of the population is Christian, the majority (77%) Catholic.
• Form of government: Presidential democratic republic. Dominica is divided into ten parishes
• Capital: Roseau
• Constitution: The Constitution of Dominica came into effect on 3 November 1978.
• Head of state: The President, chosen by the legislature for a five-year term. President Nicholas Liverpool assumed office in October 2003. The President's functions are largely ceremonial.
• Head of government: The Prime Minister, appointed by the President. The Prime Minister is accountable to the legislature.
• Legislature: Dominica has a unicameral legislature, the House of Assembly, which has 21 members elected for five-year terms from single-member constituencies and nine appointed members.
• Electoral authority: Elections are conducted by the Electoral Office of the Dominica government.
• Freedom House 2009 rating: Political Rights 1, Civil Liberties 1

Political history

Dominica was discovered and named by Christopher Columbus in 1493, but the island was not claimed by Spain and was eventually colonised by France in 1632. In 1763 it was surrendered to Britain. In 1833 it became part of the British Leeward Islands. It remained a British colony until 1967 when it gained full internal self-government. Dominica became an independent republic in November 1978.

Dominica politics are dominated by two rival social democratic parties, the Dominica Labour Party (DLP)and the United Workers Party (UWP), and the conservative Dominica Freedom Party (DFP). The DFP was in office from 1975 to 2000, mostly under the leadership of the redoubtable Eugenia Charles, who retired in 1995, but since then it has lost most of its support. The DLP came to power in 2000, but two successive prime ministers died in office before Roosevelt Skerrit assumed office in January 2004. He led to DLP to comfortable victories at the May 2005 and December 2009 elections.

Updated January 2010