Commonwealth of Dominica

Dominica (300 square miles) is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea located between the French Departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe quite in the centre of the Caribbean archipelago. It should not be confused with the Dominican Republic, another Caribbean nation. The name is pronounced DOM-minika placing the accent on the first syllable as in “Dominique”. In Latin the name means "Sunday", which was the day of its visit by Columbus. The official name is the Commonwealth of Dominica. Dominica's pre-Columbian name was Wai'tu kubuli, which means "Tall is her body" The indigenous people of the island, the Caribs, have a territory which resembles the Indian reserves of Canada. Because the island went through a period of French occupation, and lies between two French overseas departments (Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique to the south), the island is sometimes called "French Dominica". It also has the nickname "The Nature Isle of the Caribbean" due to its seemingly unspoiled natural beauty. The isle of Dominica is one of the youngest islands in the Lesser Antilles, and it is still being formed by geothermal-volcanic activity. It is a lush island of mountainous rainforests, home of many rare plant, animal and bird species. There are xeric areas in some of the western coastal regions but heavy rainfall can be expected inland. The Sisserou parrot is featured on the Dominica flag. Dominica's economy is heavily dependent on both tourism and agriculture .

DOMINICAN LEADERS PAST AND PRESENT

DO MI N I CA

A CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

Autonomy
1951 Britain declares universal adult suffrage established in Dominica .
1958-62 Dominica a member of the British sponsored West Indies Federation .
1960 Britain grants Dominica self government, with a legislative council and a chief minister.
1961 Edward LeBlanc, head of the Dominica Labour Party ( DLP ) becomes chief minister.
1974 LeBlanc retires and is replaced as chief minister by Patrick John, also of the DLP .
Independence
1978 Dominica becomes independent with John as prime minister.
1979 Severe hurricane hits Dominica , causing widespread devastation
1980 Another hurricane hits Dominica ; Eugenia Charles replaces John as prime minister and becomes the Caribbean s first female prime minister, after her Dominica Freedom Party wins a convincing victory.
1981 Two coup attempts, allegedly backed by Patrick John, foiled; John tried and acquitted; Dominican Defence Force disbanded.
1983 Token Dominican force participates in the US invasion of Grenada .
1985 John retried, found guilty and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.
1993 Eugenia Charles resigns as DFP leader but continues as prime minister.
1995 Edison James becomes prime minister following the victory of his United Workers Party (UWP) in the general elections Eugenia Charles retires after 27 years in politics.
1998 Government announces plans to make Dominica a principal provider of offshore financial services not only in the Caribbean , but the world.
1999 Hurricane Lenny causes widespread damage.
2000 January Rosie Douglas becomes prime minister after his Dominica Labour Party ousts the United Workers Party in a closely contested election.
2000 October Douglas dies. He is succeeded by Pierre Charles
2000 December Parliament approves amendments to the legislation allowing the state owned National Commercial Bank to engage in offshore financial services.
2002 May Prime Minister Pierre Charles tells Caribbean Development Bank that Dominica faces economic and financial crisis. Exports and tourism are down. Charles also cites effects of globalisation.
2004 January Pierre Charles dies in office, aged 46. Education Minister Roosevelt Skerrit succeeds the late premier.
2004 March Dominica cuts diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favour of ties with mainland China . China agrees to give aid worth more than $100m over five years.
2004 November An earthquake damages buildings in the north of the island. Prime Minister Skerrit says repairs will cost millions of dollars.
2005 May Roosevelt Skerrit and the governing Labour Party win general elections.
March: Dominica establishes diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China , prompting Taiwan to end ties with Dominica .
June: PM Skerrit presents his first budget as PM, and declaring that the economy has turned the corner, announces the end of the Stabilisation Levy
2005 Election fever grips the island. The filming of Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3 is a major boost to the economy in the early part of the year.
May 5th: PM Skerrit leads the Dominica Labour Party to a General Election victory.
September 6th: Dame Eugenia Charles, former PM, passes away.
2006 Value Added Tax is introduced.
IMF commends Govt. on implementation of its economic programme.
NDC launches new website as part of major rebranding of tourism product 2007 Feb: President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela pays visit to Dominica as part of deepening ties between the two countries.
The CBS reality TV show 'Pirate Master' is filmed in Dominica in early 2007 and aired in summer.