Dominica - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Dominica. Known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest thermally active lake in the world. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is
Geographical data of Dominica
| Location | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 15 25 N, 61 20 W |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Tarrain | rugged mountains of volcanic origin |
| Natural Resources | timber, hydropower, arable land |
| Natural Hazards | flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months volcanism: Dominica was the last island to be formed in the Caribbean some 26 million years ago, it lies in the middle of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from the island of Saba in the north to Grenada in the south; of the 16 volcanoes that make up this arc, five are located on Dominica, more than any other island in the Caribbean: Morne aux Diables (861 m), Morne Diablotins (1,430 m), Morne Trois Pitons (1,387 m), Watt Mountain (1,224 m), which last erupted in 1997, and Morne Plat Pays (940 m); the two best known volcanic features on Dominica, the Valley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake thermal areas, lie on the flanks of Watt Mountain and both are popular tourist destinations |
| Irrigated Land | NA |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | |
| Major aquifers | |
| Land Boundaries | 0 km |
| Border Countries | |
| Coastline | 148 km |
| Climate | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 751 sq km |
| Water Area | NEGL |
| comparative Area | slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Morne Diablotins 1,447 m |
| Lowest point | Caribbean Sea 0 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 34.7% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 8% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 24% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 2.7% (2018 est.) |
| Forest | 59.2% (2018 est.) |
| Other | 6.1% (2018 est.) |
Population Distribution
Population is mosly clustered along the coast, with roughly a third living in the parish of St. George, in or around the capital of Roseau; the volcanic interior is sparsely populated
People and Society
In Dominica, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: African descent 84.5%, mixed 9%, Indigenous 3.8%, other 2.1%, unspecified 0.6% (2011 est.)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | -0.01% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 13.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 5.7% of GDP (2020) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | 3.8 beds/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 2.01 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 0.98 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | NA |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 40.3% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | |
| Education expenditures | 5.5% of GDP (2021 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | -5.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Dominican | Dominican(s) |
| Languages | English (official), French patois |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 52.7%, Protestant 29.7% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 6.7%, Pentecostal 6.1%, Baptist 5.2%, Christian Union Church 3.9%, Methodist 2.6%, Gospel Mission 2.1%, other Protestant 3.1%), Jehovah's Witness 1.3%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 4.3%, none 9.4%, unspecified 1.4% (2011 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 20.7% (male 7,891/female 7,530) |
| 15-64 years | 65.6% (male 25,000/female 24,009) |
| 65 years and over | 13.7% (2024 est.) (male 4,862/female 5,369) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 41.2 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 28 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 13.2 |
| Potential support ratio | 7.6 (2021) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 37 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 36.5 years |
| Female | 37.6 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 72% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 0.84% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 15,000 ROSEAU (capital) (2018). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.91 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 10.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 14.5 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 78.7 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 75.8 years |
| Female | 81.8 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 95.7% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 4.3% of population |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 6.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 1.64 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 4.39 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Dominica
Want to know more about Dominica? Check all different factbooks for Dominica below.
