| ||||
| National motto: The Land, The People, The Light | ||||
| Official language | English | |||
| Capital | Roseau | |||
| President | Nicholas Liverpool | |||
| Prime Minister | Roosevelt Skerrit | |||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 221th 754 km² 1,6% | |||
| Population
- Total (2002) - Density | Ranked 212th
70,000 139,5/km² | |||
| Currency | East Caribbean Dollar | |||
| Time zone | UTC -4 | |||
| Independence
| From UK
November 3, 1978 | |||
| National anthem | Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour | |||
| Internet TLD | .dm | |||
| Calling Code | 1-767 | |||
The Commonwealth of Dominica is a Caribbean island nation, a parliamentary democracy within The Commonwealth of Nations.
It should not be confused with the Dominican Republic, another Caribbean nation. The name is pronounced "Dom-in-EEK-a," with the accent on the third syllable.
The island 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.
Commonly referred to as "The Nature Island", Dominica is largely covered by lush rainforest, and is home to the world's second-largest boiling lake.
The capital is Roseau.
From the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the U.S. Department of State website. Not Wikified.