Dominica
The Country of the Week
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Roseau
- Population
- 74,661 (2024 est.)
- Area
- 751 sq km
- Government
- parliamentary republic
- Languages
- English (official), French patois
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 52.7%, Protestant 29.7% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 6.7%, Pentecostal 6.1%, Baptist 5.2%, Christian Union Church 3.9%, Methodist 2.6%, Gospel Mission 2.1%, other Protestant 3.1%), Jehovah's Witness 1.3%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 4.3%, none 9.4%, unspecified 1.4% (2011 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- African descent 84.5%, mixed 9%, Indigenous 3.8%, other 2.1%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
- Currency
- East Caribbean dollars (XCD)
- Life Expectancy
- 78.7 years (2024 est.)
- Internet Domain
- .dm
- Climate
- tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
- Terrain
- rugged mountains of volcanic origin
- Natural Resources
- timber, hydropower, arable land
- Major Exports
- iron blocks, medical instruments, excavation machinery, power equipment, soap (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)
Overview
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 Britain in 1763, and Dominica became a British colony in 1805.