Dominica Passport

[Country Name] Commonwealth of Dominica

【 Area 】 751 square kilometers.

【 Population 】 73000 (2023). Mainly black and mixed race people. Most residents believe in Catholicism. The official language is English.

Roseau, the capital, has a population of approximately 20000.

Independence Day: November 3rd.

Head of State: President Sylvanie Burton, inaugurated in October 2023.

【 Overview 】 Located in the northeast of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean Sea. It faces the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Caribbean Sea to the west, Martinique Island across the Martinique Strait to the south, and Guadeloupe across the Dominica Strait to the north. The island is mountainous with an average annual temperature of 25 to 32 degrees Celsius and a tropical marine climate.

Originally inhabited by Arawak and Caribbean tribes from South America. Columbus arrived on the island in 1493. In 1763, the Treaty of Paris transferred the island to Britain and it was subsequently occupied twice by France. In 1805, French occupiers set fire to Rosso, and Britain officially occupied the island after paying a ransom of 8000 pounds. Joined the West India Federation in 1958. Internal autonomy was implemented in 1967. It gained independence on November 3, 1978 and is now a member of the Commonwealth.

After independence, the Liberal Party held power for a long time. Afterwards, the Liberal Party and the United Workers' Party alternated in power. In January 2000, the Labour Party narrowly won the general election and formed a coalition government with the Liberal Party. In January 2004, Prime Minister Charles passed away during his tenure, and Education Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT took over as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party. He led the Labour Party to win five consecutive elections in 2005, 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2022, and was re elected as Prime Minister. Currently, many political situations are stable.

The current Constitution came into effect upon independence in 1978. The Constitution stipulates that the President is elected by the Parliament for a term of 5 years, not exceeding two terms.

The current government was formed on December 13, 2022, and the main members of the cabinet are: Prime Minister and Minister of Investment and Governance, Roosevelt Skerrit; Minister of Finance, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, and Social Security, Irving MCINTYRE; Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade, and Energy, Vince HENDERSON; Minister of National Security and Legal Affairs, Rayburn BLACKMOORE; Minister of Health, Health, and Social Services, Cassanni LAVELLE; and Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Melissa POPONNE-SKERRIT. Roland Roy, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy ROYER, Minister of Tourism Denise CHARLES-PEMBERTON, Minister of Public Works, Public Facilities and Digital Economy Fidel GRANT, Minister of Labour, Public Service Reform, Social Partnership, Business Innovation and Small Business Development Miriam BLANCHARD, Minister of Culture, Youth, Sports and Community Development Gretta ROBERT, Minister of Environment, Rural Modernization, Indigenous Affairs and Constituency Empowerment Cozier FREDERIK, Minister of Education, Human Resources Planning, Vocational Training and National Talent Octavia BLANCHARD Alfred (female) (Octavia) ALFRED, Daren PINARD, Minister of State for Labor, Public Service Reform, Social Partnership, Enterprise Innovation and Small Business Development, Jullan DEFOE, Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, Oscar George, Minister of State for Culture, Youth, Sports and Community Development, Chekira LOCKHART HYPOLITE, Minister of State for Public Works, Public Facilities and Digital Economy, Cassandra WILLIAMS, Minister of State for Health, Health and Social Services, Education, Human Resources Planning, Vocational Training and National Development. Fenella, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Talent WENHAM, Darron LLOYD, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Rural Modernization, Indigenous Affairs and Constituency Empowerment, LaKeyia JOSEPH, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Blue and Green Economy, and Kent EDWARDS, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Health and Social Services.

[Parliament] A unicameral system with a term of 5 years. There are a total of 30 seats, with 21 seats elected as members of the House of Representatives and 9 seats nominated by the Prime Minister and opposition leaders (5 nominated by the Prime Minister and 4 nominated by the opposition leader) as senators. The current parliament will be formed in February 2023, with 19 seats held by the Labour Party and 2 seats held by independent candidates among the 21 members of parliament. Speaker Joseph ISSAC took office in February 2020 and was re elected in February 2023.

The judicial system consists of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and the local courts of first instance. One of the six jury judges of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court must be resident and responsible for making impromptu rulings. The local court of first instance handles cases involving a maximum of EC $500. In July 2014, the Dominican Parliament passed a bill to replace the Privy Council of the United Kingdom with the Caribbean Court of Justice as the multi final appellate court.

The main political parties are:

(1) Dominica Labor Party (DLP): The ruling party. Established in 1955 and in power from 1978 to 1980. In 2000, a coalition government was formed with the Liberal Party. He won the general elections in 2005, 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2022. Party leader Roosevelt Skerrit.

(2) United Workers' Party (UWP): The opposition party. Established in July 1988 and in power from 1995 to 2000. Party leader Thomson Fontaine.

(3) The Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), founded in 1968, was formerly known as the United People's Party. He was in power from 1980 to 1995 and formed a coalition government with the Labour Party in 2000. He did not win any seats in the 2005 and 2009 elections, and did not participate in the elections in 2014, 2019, and 2022.

Other political parties: (1) The Alternative People's Party (APP) of Dominica, established in June 2020, aims to widely listen to the voices of various sectors and promote electoral political reform. It did not participate in the 2022 general election.

(2) The Dominica Team Unity Party (TUP), founded in June 2022, participated in the 2022 general election but did not win a seat.

【 Important Person 】 Sylvana Burton: President, female, born on December 31, 1965. He graduated from Saint Francis Xavier University in Canada and the University of Manchester in England. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Rural Development and a Master's degree in Project Management. I have served as a magistrate in multiple places, a development project officer in the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, and a regional development officer. Since 2014, he has served as a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Community Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Youth and Social Services, and other departments. Before becoming president, he served as a permanent secretary in the Department of Multi Environment, Rural Modernization, Indigenous Affairs, and Constituency Empowerment. The President will be inaugurated on October 2, 2023.

Roosevelt Skerrit: Prime Minister, born on June 8, 1972. Graduated from multiple national universities and the University of Mississippi in the United States, with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and English. Formerly worked as a high school teacher, company consultant, and national university lecturer. Elected as a member of the House of Representatives in 2000, he successively served as Minister of Education and Minister of Education, Sports and Youth Affairs. He took over as Prime Minister in January 2004 and led the Labour Party to consecutive victories in elections in 2005, 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2022, winning consecutive terms as Prime Minister.

The economy is mainly based on agriculture. In September 2017, it was hit by the strongest hurricane in history, Hurricane Maria, causing severe damage to the island's infrastructure. According to incomplete statistics, the hurricane caused losses of $1 billion. In recent years, affected by the COVID-19, the multi economy is facing severe challenges. In 2022, with the improvement of the epidemic situation, many economies will gradually recover.

The main economic indicators for 2023 are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 650 million US dollars

Growth rate: 4.7%

Inflation rate: 3.5%

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 8954 US dollars

Currency Name: Eastern Caribbean Dollar

Exchange rate: 1 US dollar ≈ 2.7 Eastern Caribbean dollar

(Information)

【 Resources 】 It contains a large amount of pumice, with an annual output of 100000 tons. Geothermal and hydraulic resources are abundant and need to be developed. The forest area is approximately 360 square kilometers.

The foundation of industry is weak, with light industries such as small-scale fruit processing, clothing, cigarettes, brewing, soap making, and oil extraction. The construction and manufacturing industries account for a relatively small proportion of the gross domestic product.

Agriculture mainly grows bananas, coconuts, citrus fruits, mangoes, etc. Committed to promoting diversified agricultural production, developing the flower industry, aquaculture, and vegetable production.

The tourism industry is rich in tourism resources, with great potential for the development of landscapes such as tropical rainforests, hot springs, cold springs, and waterfalls. In recent years, more efforts have been made to develop ecotourism. Tourists mainly come from the United States, Canada, Europe, and other Caribbean countries.

In recent years, the offshore financial industry has been vigorously developed, but the scale is still small.

Transportation mainly relies on road transportation, without railways.

Highway: There are 1200 kilometers of all-weather highways and 200 kilometers of other highways on the island.

Water transportation: The largest port is Rosso, followed by Portsmouth. The annual throughput is about 100000 tons.

Air freight: There are two airports for small aircraft takeoff and landing only. The annual passenger volume is about 20000 people.

In the fiscal year 2021/22, the excess fiscal revenue was 204 million US dollars and the expenditure was 182 million US dollars. In the fiscal year 2022/23, the multi fiscal revenue was 418 million US dollars and the expenditure was 444 million US dollars. (Information)

Foreign trade mainly exports agricultural products such as bananas, and imports petroleum, daily necessities, food, etc. In 2023, the total import and export volume of goods trade in Dominica was 317 million US dollars, of which exports amounted to 15 million US dollars and imports amounted to 302 million US dollars. In 2023, the total import and export volume of service trade in Dominica was 311 million US dollars, of which exports amounted to 162 million US dollars and imports amounted to 149 million US dollars. (Information)

Economic groups

(1) The Dominican Export&Import Agency, DEXIA）： Established in 1986, engaged in the import and export of agricultural products. Address: P.O.Box 173, Bayfront，Roseau。 Phone: 1-767-4482780.

(2) The Dominican Association of Industry&Commerce, DAIC）： Established in 1973. Address: P.O.Box 85, 14 Church Street, Roseau。 Phone: 1-767-4491962.

The average life expectancy in 2023 is 71.13 years. There is one comprehensive hospital (Zhongduo Friendship Hospital), seven health centers, and 44 health clinics nationwide, with approximately 81 doctors and 230 nurses. The overall medical level is relatively weak.

There is no military force. There are about 600 police officers, special police teams, and coast guards.

Education: Implement free compulsory education for teenagers aged 5 to 15.

The main newspapers include the Chronicle, which is published every Friday; The Sun newspaper is published every Tuesday. The main television stations include Government News Television, Ma Pin Cable Television, and Sartre Cable Television. The main radio stations are Dominic Broadcasting Company, Kerry FM Q95。 The main news website is "Dominic News Online".

Promote pragmatic diplomacy and advocate for mutually beneficial cooperation in foreign relations. Emphasize the development of relations with developed countries such as the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Japan, attach importance to the development of relations with countries such as China, Cuba, and Venezuela, and continuously expand relations with countries in Africa and the Middle East.

We support and actively participate in the integration process with Caribbean countries, and are members of regional organizations such as the Caribbean Community, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, the Association of Caribbean States, and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas.