Dominica Essay Research Paper OFFICIAL NAME Commonwealth free essay sample

Dominica Essay, Research Paper Official Name: Commonwealth of Dominica Capital: Roseau SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT: Multiparty Republic Area: 751 Sq Km ( 290 Sq Mi ) ESTIMATED 2000 POPULATION 79,800 LOCATION A ; GEOGRAPHY: Dominica is an island located at the northern terminal of the windward concatenation of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It is situated between the Gallic island groups of Guadeloupe to the North and Martinique to the South. The island is about rectangular in form and has a profoundly indented seashore line. It is of volcanic beginning with many fumaroles and sulfur springs. The inside of the island is dominated by a series of high extremums and profoundly incised vales which are carpeted by deep wood. The Clyde, Pagua, Rosalie, Roseau and the Layou Rivers flow from the cardinal ridge of mountain extremums to the seashore. Major Cities ( dad. est. ) ; Roseau 15,900, Portsmouth 3,600, Marigot 2,900 ( 1991 ) . Land Use ; forested 67 % , pastures 3 % , agricultural-cultivated 23 % , other 7 % ( 1993 ) . Climate: Dominica has a tropical clime with utmost humidness and temperatures which are invariably tempered by sea zephyrs. There is a huge dry season on the west side of the island and a hurricane season between July and September while the moisture season is normally between June and October. Average one-year precipitation varies from 1,750 millimeter ( 69 inches ) on the seashore to 6,250 millimeter ( 246 inches ) in the cardinal cragged country. The mean temperature scopes are from 20 to 29 grades Celsius ( 64 to 84 grades Fahrenheit ) in January to 23 to 32 grades Celsius ( 73 to 90 grades Fahrenheit ) in June. Peoples: Most of the population are posterities of the Black African slaves which were imported as plantation slaves during the 17th and 18th centuries. Black Africans account for 91 % of the population and other cultural minorities include the Mulattoes who are of assorted African and European descent and history for 6 % . Additionally, there are besides a little figure Carib AmerIndians who figure around 500. DEMOGRAPHIC/VITAL STATISTICS: Density ; 111 individuals per sq kilometer ( 288 individuals per sq myocardial infarction ) ( 1991 ) . Urban-Rural ; N/A. Sex Distribution ; 46.4 % male, 53.6 % female ( 1989 ) . Life Anticipation at Birth ; 73.0 old ages male, 78.0 old ages female ( 1989 ) . Age Breakdown ; 35 % under 15, 28 % 15 to 29, 15 % 30 to 44, 10 % 45 to 59, 12 % 60 and over ( 1989 ) . Birth Rate ; 19.9 per 1,000 ( 1990 ) . Death Rate ; 7.4 per 1,000 ( 1990 ) . Increase Rate ; 12.5 per 1,000 ( 1990 ) . Infant Mortality Rate ; 18.4 per 1,000 unrecorded births ( 1990 ) . Religion: Largely Christians with about 80 % of the population Roman Catholic. The balance are made up of the Anglican and Methodist churches. Language: The official linguistic communication is English, although a Gallic Patois is widely spoken by most of the people. Education: Aged 25 or over and holding attained: no formal schooling 6.6 % , primary 80.6 % , secondary 11.1 % , higher 1.7 % ( 1981 ) . Literacy ; literate population aged 15 or over 94 % ( 1986 ) . MODERN HISTORY # 8211 ; WWII TO 1993: Dominica gained independency in 1978 after being ruled by Britain since the 1700 # 8217 ; s. Universal adult right to vote was introduced in 1951 and Britain bit by bit increased Dominica # 8217 ; s command over its ain personal businesss, ensuing in the island deriving full internal liberty in 1967 as an associate province. Dominica gained full independency on Nov. 3, 1978 led by Patrick John. In 1979 a major hurricane struck Dominica and killed over 50 people every bit good as doing widespread belongings harm. In the same twelvemonth controversial steps introduced by John # 8217 ; s authorities culminated in his and his cabinets surrender. An interim authorities was installed until elections in July 1980 which were won by Dame Eugenia Charles. In 1981 there were two putsch efforts led by John who was finally tested and sentenced. In 1983 Dominica and several other Caribbean states joined the United States in an invasion of Grenada to subver t the Marxist authorities at that place. In 1985 Charles retained power after the elections. In Apr. 1991 the authorities narrowly survived a ballot of no assurance that was introduced by the Dominica United Workers # 8217 ; Party ( DUWP ) . In 1991 building began on the island # 8217 ; s first international airdrome to be based at Woodford Hill in the North of the island with US military aid. Besides during 1991 there were important additions in tourer reachings while the authorities actively encouraged the building of little hotels through investing inducements. In 1992 the authorities faced resistance on the issue of whether it should # 8220 ; sell # 8221 ; citizenship to Chinese or Hong Kong business communities for investings of US $ 35,000. In Apr. 1992 the DLP resistance leader for seven old ages, Michael Douglas, died of malignant neoplastic disease. In May 1992 the DUWP led presentations that forced the authorities to denote accommodations to the policy in Sept. 1992 th at required an the sedimentation of extra US $ 25,000 in a particular fund and that the investing be maintained for at least 10 old ages. In May 1993, Prime Minister Charles reaffirmed the DFP # 8217 ; s policy of selling province endeavors in the face of resistance. By April 1993 some 466 people, largely Chinese, had become Dominican citizens under the controversial in-migration policy which had contributed an estimated $ 5.8 million to the economic system. In Aug. 1993 the external personal businesss curate, Brian Alleyne, was elected as the new DFP leader to take over from Prime Minister Charles when she retired prior to the planned 1995 elections. Currency: The official currency is the East Caribbean Dollar ( ECD ) divided into 100 Cents. This is equal to 2.7 USD of 4.5 Pounds Sterling. Economy: Gross National Product ; USD $ 193,000,000 ( 1993 ) . Public Debt ; USD $ 85,500,000 ( 1993 ) . Imports ; ECD $ 299,200,000 ( 1992 ) . Exports ; ECD $ 151,400,000 ( 1992 ) . Tourism Receipts ; USD $ 34,800,000 ( 1994 ) . Balance of Trade ; ECD $ 131,200,000 ( 1993 ) . Economically Active Population ; 26,364 or 38.0 % of entire population ( 1991 ) . Unemployed ; 23.0 % ( 1994 ) . MAIN Trading PARTNERS: Its chief trading spouses are the UK, the USA, other EU states and other CARICOM states. MAIN PRIMARY PRODUCTS: Bananas, Cattle, Cocoa, Coconuts, Citrus Fruit, Pigs, Pumice, Timber. Major Industry: Agribusiness, Cigars, Essential Oils, Food Processing, Soap Manufacture, Tourism. Chief Export: Bananas, Cocoa, Copra, Citrus Fruits, Essential Oils, Spices, Soap. Conveyance: Railroads ; nothing. Roads ; length 756 kilometer ( 470 myocardial infarction ) ( 1988 ) . Vehicles ; autos 2,500 ( 1989 ) , trucks and coachs 1,500 ( 1989 ) . Merchant Marine ; vass 8 ( 1990 ) , deadweight tunnage 3,631 ( 1990 ) . Air Transport ; N/A. Communications: Daily Newspapers ; nil. Weekly Newspapers ; sum of 2 with a entire circulation of 5,050 ( 1991 ) . Radio ; receiving systems 45,000 ( 1994 ) . Television ; receiving systems 5,200 ( 1994 ) . Telephones ; units 15,791 ( 1994 ) . Military: nothing. Dominica has been inhabited by human existences for a long clip # 8211 ; there is grounds that the island was inhabited in at least 3100 BC. The first colonists were the Ortoroid people who set out from the South American mainland and bit by bit dispersed due norths through the Caribbean island concatenation. Evidence suggests they became nonextant around 400BC. Subsequently came the Igneri or # 8220 ; Arawak talkers # 8221 ; who settled in about 400AD. Their manner of life was agricultural and peaceable with a chiseled civilization. By 1400 this was about to alter as a similar folk, the Kalinago or as the # 8220 ; Caribs # 8221 ; ( as they became more normally known ) departed South America and sharply moved their manner up the Caribbean. The Gli Gli ( sparrow hawk ) sailed from Dominica to the OrinocoRiver in recollection of the journey undertaken by the Ortoroid people 3000 old ages earlier The Caribs seemed to be really much into busting and the work forces sharply attacked the Igneri, stealing their adult females when it was deemed executable. The Caribs were organised and were really successful in extinguishing the Igneri from many of the Caribbean islands, including Dominica. Columbus was the first European to put eyes on Dominica on 3rd November, 1493 # 8211 ; it was a Sunday # 8211 ; so he named it after the twenty-four hours. Dominica # 8217 ; s history from this point in many ways mirrors that of other Caribbean islands but differs in a few really important ways. The Spanish were the first to seek to colonize islands in the Lesser Antilles and they were met with stiff opposition. Spanish attemp T to colonize Dominica and environing islands with their Christian missionaries failed miserably – the Caribs either killed or held the missionaries surety and the Spanish were non willing to oppose their combat accomplishments against a skilled enemy and the rugged terrain of Dominica. In fact, this attitude reasonably much summed up how the following moving ridge of European settlers, the English and the Gallic, were to experience when they arrived in Dominica at the start of the 1600’s. The English and the Gallic were in a race to colonize the Caribbean in order to tap into the wealths that lay in working the natural resources of the Caribbean. They fought long and hard with each other and the Caribs and Dominica bears the cicatrixs of these conflicts. The topographic point names in Dominica are a mixture of French, English and Carib. After unsuccessful efforts by the Gallic to win over the Caribs with Christianity, a more hard-line attack was adopted # 8211 ; particularly by the English # 8211 ; who went out to consistently destruct the Caribs who got in their manner. They managed to cut down the Carib population by coercing them to fly back to the South American mainland and, instead inadvertently, by presenting new diseases against which the Caribs had no opposition. About three 1000 Caribs still inhabit Dominica today, most of them populating in Carib Territory up in the North East of the island. The Gallic were the first to truly put up store in Dominica and by 1727 there were 50-60 Gallic households in Dominica. Most were woodcutters garnering wood for export but some grew baccy and cotton. They were a tough batch and there was no overall program regulating their presence or development. Officially, Dominica was a impersonal state throughout this period belonging neither to the Gallic nor English # 8211 ; but the English were hungry for district and proverb Dominica as strategically of import # 8211 ; so they attacked it in 1761. By twelvemonth terminal the island was fundamentally under British control. In 1763 at The Peace of Paris Dominica was officially ceded to Britain. But the Gallic had left an unerasable grade on Dominica # 8211 ; and it can still be seen to this twenty-four hours through the linguistic communication ( slang ) , imposts, faith and the many Gallic topographic point names. Slaves were imported to supply labor during this period and, as in other Car ibbean islands, this was to go forth a lasting feeling on Dominica # 8217 ; s cultural makeup. The British realised that to direct the Gallic colonists packing would intend interrupting the turning agricultural economic system of the island # 8211 ; so a sort of peaceable co-existence was established. Garrisons were built, the largest at The Cabrits above Portsmouth and above Roseau at Morne Bruce. The Gallic military attacked the British munitions in 1778, encouraged by the American War of Independence, and won. Thingss did non travel good. Most of the English dwellers left taking their mutual trade links with them. This strained the bing agricultural system ( large hungry Gallic busying force ) and the economic system was under force per unit area. A hurricane decided to hit in 1779 and, evidently non satisfied with the harm, returned in 1780. In 1781 Roseau was destroyed by fire. In 1782 the English saw their opportunity to settle the mark. The resulting naval conflict, The Battle of the Saintes, saw an English triumph and ousted Gallic disposal over Dominica one time and for all. Escaped slaves, known as Maroons, had become good armed during all the recent problems and they took on the English 1785-86. They were cornered and defeated and their leaders imprisoned and/or executed. The Gallic Revolution resulted in a Gallic Republican invasion in 1797. They were finally defeated. Maroon-related contending took topographic point until around 1815 and their effectivity was ever helped by Dominica # 8217 ; s rugged terrain into which they could withdraw to relative safety. This typified the European experience in Dominica whether it be Carib opposition or the Maroons and put the tone for the island doing it palpably different from its English-administered neighbors. Dominica was hit hard by the diminution in colonial agribusiness in the 1800 # 8217 ; s -exacerbated by natural catastrophes and the terminal of the bondage epoch -other hard currency harvests were undertaken, viz. chocolate and and calcium hydroxides but a long, gradual diminution and long delinquent societal turbulence meant tough times for Dominica. As in many other Caribbean islands, Dominica experienced increasing domestic political conflicts. The priveleged Whites were consisitently challenged for ther conservative positions and attempts to keep the damaging societal construction. As their power dwindled, many in Dominica pushed for greater liberty. It acheived it, easy but certainly # 8211 ; but non without disruptive political relations and sometimes violent confrontations as the island debated a new political system and fundamental law. The late 1960 # 8217 ; s, 1970 # 8217 ; s and early 1980 # 8217 ; s were characterised by serious political instability. This retarded Dominica # 8217 ; s ability to take advantage of the the flourishing touristry industry being experinced by many of its Caribbean neighhbours. The Independence Constitution, after much political haggle, took consequence on 3rd November 1978 dividing Dominica from British control. Increasing poilitical stabilty from the mid-1980 # 8217 ; s allowed Dominica to offer itself as a pristine Caribbean eco-destination, unspoiled by indiscriminate development. The island # 8217 ; s economic development was, and is, shaped in big portion by its topography # 8211 ; the steep mountains, ravines and thick rain forest ever played a function in Dominica # 8217 ; s history. Dominica # 8217 ; s human history has frequently been characterised as a battle between adult male and nature, but in more recent times this Georgian-era analogy has become less relevant. Today sees Dominicans aware of the value of their natural resources and commanding development to protect these resouces every bit much as possible # 8211 ; eco-tourism is a quickly turning industry and offers increased variegation from an economic system traditionally based on agribusiness. Dominica # 8217 ; s Natural History: Dominica is known as # 8220 ; The Nature Island of the Caribbean # 8221 ; . It boasts of a assortment of natural attractive forces including rivers and watercourses, deep river gorges, waterfalls, fumarole countries, a boiling lake ( considered the universe # 8217 ; s largest ) and four cold fresh water lakes, two situated more than 2,500 pess above sea degree. Vegetation: Dominica # 8217 ; s comparatively high scope of height, coupled with its rainfall, has given rise to a broad assortment of flora. The undisturbed woods have been described as the most extended in the Lesser Antilles, while its rain woods are considered the finest in the insular Caribbean. Over 60 % of the island is still under some signifier of natural flora. Native vegetations includes over 1,000 species of blooming workss including 74 species of orchid and 200 ferns. Twenty-two endemic species of workss have been identified, one being Bwa Kwaib, officially designated as the island # 8217 ; s National Flower. Showy workss along the West seashore are the vermilion Bwa Kwaib, violet Savonnet, Campech with its bottle-brush-like flowers and the orange, pink and # 00d600 Lantana. In the inside, the bright orange flowers of Immortelle, the ruddy, # 00d600, or green heliconias and the purple immature foliages of the blue-wax flower gimmick everyone # 8217 ; s attending. Faunas: Dominica has a comparatively varied zoologies and hosts the most diverse gathering of wildlife in the smaller Eastern Caribbean islands, with birds and chiropterans peculiarly represented. To day of the month, 172 species of birds have been recorded and two endemic and endangered species of parrot # 8211 ; the Sisserou ( Dominica # 8217 ; s National Bird ) and the Red-necked or Jaco Parrot. The 12 species of chiropteran on the island are the lone native mammals. Several species of giants and mahimahis are found in the Waterss around Dominica, which is fast positioning itself as the taking whale-watching finish in the part. There are several little coral reefs around Dominica with a assortment of sponges, corals, soft coral and tropical fish. Mollusks and marine workss add to the marine bio-diversity of the island. The phalanger, Dasyprocta aguti, birds, toads, iguana, crab, and several species of fresh water runt and fish are used for nutrient. The island observes an one-year six-month closed season, during which clip it is illegal to catch tellurian wildlife. There are no toxicant serpents on the island, but the elusive boa constrictor is at place here.