Dominica

With few natural resources and a fledgling tourist industry, Dominica is attempting to reduce its reliance on bananas, traditionally its main export earner.

Dominican bananas have faced stiffer competition since the European Union was forced by the World Trade Organisation to phase out preferential treatment for producers from former colonies.

A mountainous, forest-clad island with a warm year-round tropical climate, national parks, rare indigenous birds and the second-largest boiling lake in the world, Dominica is potentially a great tourist attraction. But poor infrastructure and the absence of a large airport has impeded the growth of the tourism sector. The country is also vulnerable to hurricanes.

There has been much debate over proposals to build an airport capable of taking large jet aircraft, but there is concern that an increase in tourist arrivals, as well as the promotion of eco-tourism, would damage the island's finely-balanced environment.

The offshore business sector has also had its problems. For a time, Dominica was included on a list of countries deemed to be non-cooperative in the fight against money-laundering. The government subsequently tightened up banking rules and set up a financial intelligence unit.

Dominica has a relatively low crime rate for the Caribbean. Moreover, although it is among the poorest countries in the region, its disparities in wealth are not as marked as in the larger Caribbean islands.