Dominica History

By | March 8, 2021

Dominica is a country located in the Caribbean, bordered by Guadeloupe and Martinique. According to homosociety, it has a population of around 73,000 people and an area of 751 square kilometers. The capital city is Roseau while other major cities include Portsmouth and Marigot. The official language of Dominica is English but many other languages such as French Patois are also widely spoken. The currency used in Dominica is the East Caribbean Dollar (XCD) which is pegged to the US Dollar at a rate of 1 XCD : 0.37 USD. Dominica has a rich culture with influences from both African and European cultures, from traditional music such as jing ping to unique art forms like basket weaving. It also boasts stunning natural landscapes such as Morne Trois Pitons National Park and Cabrits National Park which are home to an abundance of wildlife species.

Discovered by C. Colombo in 1493 (on Sunday, hence the name), Dominica was colonized by the French in the 17th century. and contention between France And England until the Battle of the Saintes (1782), which established the English dominance on the island, then united (1833) to the other English Antilles. A state associated with Great Britain since 1967, Dominica became an independent republic within the Commonwealth in 1978. The dominant political force from the 1960s was the Dominica Labor Party (DLP) which gave way to the conservative Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) in 1980. A long season of conservative governments followed until the tightening of austerity measures enacted in agreement with international creditors and the involvement of government officials in corruption episodes in 2000 brought the Labor Party of Dominica back to government (since 1985 new denomination of the DLP) which inaugurated an unprecedented alliance with the DFP and was reconfirmed again in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2014.

History

Columbus discovered Dominica in 1493; it happened on a sunday (latin dominica), and hence came the name dominica. The hard-to-reach and mountainous island, then populated by caribou, was only formally owned by the Spaniards. French pirates used Dominica as a base during the 17th century. During the 18th century, France and Britain disputed the sovereignty over the island. The dispute was settled in 1783, when Dominica became a British colony. The Caribs, who had actively participated in the conflict, were almost completely destroyed over the coming years. The majority of the population then consisted of black African slaves and mulattos. There are still residents who are descended from Caribbean Indians.

  • COUNTRYAAH.COM: Provides latest population data about Dominica. Lists by Year from 1950 to 2020. Also includes major cities by population.

Between 1833 and 1940, Dominica and the Leeward Islands formed an administrative unit in the British Empire. During the years 1940–58, Dominica was part of a new administrative unit together with Windward Islands. See abbreviationfinder for geography, history, society, politics, and economy of Dominica. Dominica became part of the Federation of the West Indies in 1958, and in 1967 the island gained internal autonomy within the framework of the West Indies Associated States. In 1978 Dominica became independent.

The first years of independence were literally stormy. Terrible storms devastated the island in 1979 and 1980. Most of the banana crops were destroyed, as was the settlement. Politically, Dominica was shaken by major scandals, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Patrick John (born 1938). The 1980, 1985 and 1990 elections were won by the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), led by Eugenia Charles, who focused on modernizing the island’s business based on foreign investment, tourism and new businesses such as the export of additional products alongside coconuts and bananas. Charles advocated US intervention in Grenada in 1983, and the United States has since offered Dominica military and financial support.

After 15 years in power, in the 1995 election, Eugenia Charles handed over the Prime Minister’s post to Edison James (born 1943), who represented Dominica United Worker’s Party(UWP). The new government’s goal was to pursue a more expansive economic policy, including through privatization of state-owned companies, expansion of the communications network, development of agriculture and growth of the tourism industry. However, severe tropical cyclones have hit banana production hard (most recently in 2017), and the country’s economy is still dependent on commodity production and foreign aid, mainly from the United States and France. UWP lost the election in 2000 and DLP and DFP formed joint government. Since 2005, only the UWP and the DLP have received some seats in Parliament with the latter as the victors in all elections. Roosevelt Skerrit (born 1972) has been Prime Minister since 2004.