gs;
forestry and fisheries potential not exploited
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and
Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $120 million
Currency:
1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

@Dominica, Communications

Highways:
total:
750 km
paved:
370 km
unpaved:
gravel or earth 380 km
Ports:
Roseau, Portsmouth
Airports:
total:
2
usable:
2
with permanent-surface runways:
2
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
1
Telecommunications:
4,600 telephones in fully automatic network; VHF and UHF link to Saint
Lucia; new SHF links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; broadcast stations
- 3 AM, 2 FM, 1 cable TV

@Dominica, Defense Forces

Branches:
Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP

@Dominican Republic, Geography

Location:
Caribbean, in the northern Caribbean Sea, about halfway between Cuba
and Puerto Rico
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
48,730 sq km
land area:
48,380 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundaries:
total 275 km, Haiti 275 km
Coastline:
1,288 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm or the outer edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
6 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal
variation in rainfall
Terrain:
rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Natural resources:
nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Land use:
arable land:
23%
permanent crops:
7%
meadows and pastures:
43%
forest and woodland:
13%
other:
14%
Irrigated land:
2,250 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs;
deforestation
natural hazards:
subject to occasional hurricanes (July to October)
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but
not ratified - Biodi