多米尼克(Dominica)

正式名称多米尼克联邦（Commonwealth of Dominica）

加勒比海小安地列斯群岛中之共和国。位於法属瓜德罗普和法属马提尼克岛之间。面积749平方公里。人口约71,700（2001）。首都︰罗梭。居民多为非洲人後裔或欧非混血人种的後裔。语言︰英语（官方语）和法语方言。宗教︰主要信奉天主教。货币︰东加勒比元（EC$）。多山岛屿，山脉中段被一平原隔断，有莱约河流经。多米尼克为温暖的热带气候，雨量充沛。是加勒比海各国中最贫穷的国家之一。主要农作物是香蕉。1975年建立了特鲁瓦峰山国家公园，是一个独具特色的热带山林国家公园，发展旅游业得到帮助。但1979和1980年遭飓风侵袭，该国受到破坏。在英国的经济帮助下，试着保护该国的海岸线。政府形式是共和国，一院制。国家元首是总统；政府首脑为总理。

1493年哥伦布到达时，加勒比人居住在该岛。因为沿海遍布悬崖峭壁，山脉无路攀援，所以该岛是欧洲人最晚开发的一个岛屿。直到18世纪，该岛一直由加勒比人占领，接着由法国人定居，1783年最终由英国人获得。以後殖民者与岛上原住民间的相互敌视使得加勒比人几乎灭绝。1883年合并到背风群岛，1940年画属为向风群岛。1958年成为西印度联邦一员。多米尼克於1978年独立。亦请参阅West Indies。

English version：

Dominica

Island republic of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Area: 289 sq mi (749 sq km). Population (1997 est.): 74,400. Capital: Roseau. The majority of the people are of African or mixed African and European descent. Languages: English (official), French patois. Religion: mainly Roman Catholicism. Currency: Eastern Caribbean dollar. A mountainous island, it is broken midway by a plain drained by the Layou River. It has a warm tropical climate with heavy rainfall. Among the poorest of the Caribbean nations, its main crop is bananas. A developing tourist trade was helped by the establishment in 1975 of Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a unique tropical mountain wilderness, but the country was ravaged by hurricanes in 1979 and 1980. With financial help from Britain, it is trying to protect its coastline. It is a republic with one legislative house; its chief of state is the president, and its head of government is the prime minister. At the time of Christopher Columbus arrival in 1493, it was inhabited by the Caribs. With its steep coastal cliffs and inaccessible mountains, it was one of the last islands to be explored by Europeans, and the Caribs remained in possession until the 18th century; it was then settled by the French and ultimately taken by Britain in 1783. Subsequent hostilities between the settlers and the native inhabitants resulted in the Caribs' near extinction. Incorporated with the Leeward Islands in 1833 and with the Windward Islands in 1940, it became a member of the West Indies Federation in 1958. Dominica became independent in 1978. See also West Indies.

参考文章

• 多米尼克国的历史沿革专项地理