The common law constitutes the basis of the legal systems of: England and Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, federal law in the United States and the law of individual U. S. states ( except Louisiana ), federal law throughout Canada and the law of the individual provinces and territories ( except Quebec ), Australia ( both federal and individual states ), Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Pakistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Granadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, and many other generally English-speaking countries or Commonwealth countries ( except Scotland, which is bijuridicial, and Malta ).

Hurricane David is the most powerful and devastating hurricane ever recorded in Dominica.

Dominica is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located about halfway between the French islands of Guadeloupe ( to the north ) and Martinique ( to the south ).

Geographically, Dominica is distinctive in many ways.

According to a popular West Indian belief, Dominica is the only New World territory that Columbus would still recognize.

Dominica is the largest and most northerly of the Windward Islands.

Oblong-shaped and slightly smaller than New York City, Dominica is in area, in length, and in width.

Dominica is especially vulnerable to hurricanes as the island is located in what is referred to as the hurricane region.

Geologically, Dominica is part of the rugged Lesser Antilles volcanic arc.

Dominica is water-rich with swift-flowing highland streams, which cascade into deep gorges and form natural pools and crater lakes.

The Caribbean Sea offshore of the island of Dominica is home to many cetaceans.

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Dominica, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Dominica is the only island in the eastern Caribbean to retain some of its pre-Columbian population — the Carib Indians — about 3, 000 of whom live on the island's east coast.

Politics of Dominica takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Dominica is the head of government, and of a multi-party system.

Dominica is also a member of the Caribbean Development Bank ( CDB ), and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Dominica is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military ( as covered under Article 98 ).

* 2004 – The island of Dominica is hit by the most destructive earthquake in its history.

* Dominica is claimed by France.

Another example is an array of fumaroles in the Valley of Desolation in Morne Trois Pitons National Park in Dominica.

Because Dominica is mostly volcanic and has few beaches, development of tourism has been slow compared with that on neighboring islands.

Dominica is a member of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union ( ECCU ).

The Dominican Republic, Antigua, Aruba, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Barbados, Dominica, Haiti, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Maarten, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts, Saint Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are also known for lengthy carnival seasons and large celebrations.

J ' ouvert is celebrated on many islands, including Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sint Maarten, the U. S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

The current side represents the now independent states of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago, and the British dependencies of Anguilla, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands along with the U. S. Virgin Islands and St. Maarten.

Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominica, St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, Puerto Rico and the U. S Virgin Islands issued tropical storm watches.

Founded in 1976 by Michael Foster, Coastal Air Transport is a St. Croix, U. S. Virgin Islands based airline that provides regular and on-demand service to several Caribbean destinations including Nevis, Dominica, Anguilla and St. Kitts.

* Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados

Bahamas, Bhutan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Dominica, Kiribati, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Niger, Palau, Rwanda, St. Kitts and Nevis, Somalia, Swaziland, Tonga, Tuvalu.

While it was able to establish itself on some islands, such as Barbados, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, other introductions, such as in Cuba before 1900 and in 1946, and on the islands of Dominica and Grand Cayman, were unsuccessful.

More recently, the cane toad has been spotted in Carriacou and Dominica, the latter appearance occurring in spite of the failure of the earlier introductions.

The small Caribbean republic of Dominica has used the official style Commonwealth of Dominica since 1970.

The Arawaks were guided to Dominica, and other islands of the Caribbean, by the South Equatorial Current from the waters of the Orinoco River.

In 1635 France claimed Dominica along with all the other ' Petite Antilles ' but no settlement was attempted.

In 1660 the French and English agreed that both Dominica and St. Vincent should not be settled, but instead left to the Caribs as neutral territory.

Dominica was officially neutral for the next century, but the attraction of its resources remained ; rival expeditions of English and French foresters were harvesting timber by the start of the 18th century.

In 1715 the French established their first permanent settlements in Dominica following a revolt of " poor white " smallholders in the north of Martinique, known as La Gaoulé, which caused an exodus of them to southern Dominica.

In 1727 the first French commander, M. Le Grand, took charge of the island and established a rudimentary government thus making Dominica formally a colony of France.

In 1761 during the Seven Years War a British expedition against Dominica led by Lord Rollo was successful and the island was conquered along with several other Caribbean islands.

The abolition of slavery in 1834 enabled Dominica by 1838 to became the only British Caribbean colony to have a Black-controlled legislature in the 19th century.

In 1871, Dominica became part of the Leeward Island Federation.

Marshaling public frustration with the lack of a voice in the governing of Dominica, this group won one-third of the popularly elected seats of the legislative assembly in 1924 and one-half in 1936.

Shortly thereafter, Dominica was transferred from the Leeward Island Administration and was governed as part of the Windwards until 1958, when it joined the short-lived West Indies Federation.

In 1961, a Dominica Labor Party government led by Edward Oliver LeBlanc was elected.