Dominica — map and facts

About Dominica

Dominica is a small island nation in the Lesser Antilles of the eastern Caribbean Sea, situated between the French territories of Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique to the south. With a population of approximately 72,000 people, it covers just 751 square kilometres. The capital is Roseau, located on the southwestern coast. Dominica is a parliamentary republic within the Commonwealth, with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government; Roosevelt Skerrit has served as prime minister since 2004. Unlike its Caribbean neighbours, Dominica has no white-sand beaches developed for mass tourism; instead it markets itself as the "Nature Isle of the Caribbean," drawing visitors with its volcanic hot springs, lush rainforests, and biodiversity. The economy relies on agriculture — particularly bananas — as well as ecotourism and a citizenship-by-investment programme. Dominica was severely struck by Hurricane Maria in September 2017, which destroyed much of the island's infrastructure and housing stock.

Geography and Landscape

Dominica is a ruggedly volcanic island dominated by steep mountain ranges and dense tropical rainforest. The island is geologically young and highly active, featuring numerous hot springs, fumaroles, and boiling lakes, most famously Boiling Lake — the second-largest thermally active lake in the world — located within Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The highest peak is Morne Diablotins at 1,447 metres. Several rivers cut down from the mountainous interior, including the Layou River, the longest on the island. The coastline is mostly rocky and cliff-lined, with few natural beaches, and the sea drops steeply just offshore. Dominica receives very high rainfall — particularly in the interior highlands — sustaining one of the most intact rainforests in the Caribbean. The island lies along the hurricane belt and is regularly exposed to severe tropical storms. The forest supports rare endemic species, including the Imperial Amazon parrot, the national bird.

History

Dominica was originally settled by the Arawak people and later dominated by the Kalinago (Island Caribs), who fiercely resisted European colonisation. Christopher Columbus sighted the island on 3 November 1493, a Sunday — hence the name Dominica, from the Latin for "Lord's Day." The Kalinago resistance delayed permanent European settlement: France established a colony in 1715, and Britain seized the island in 1761 following the Seven Years' War. Under British rule, sugar plantations worked by enslaved Africans were established, though the island never became as productive as neighbouring colonies due to its difficult terrain. Dominica was the first British Caribbean territory to have a black-majority legislature in the eighteenth century. It gained associated statehood in 1967 and full independence on 3 November 1978. A coup attempt in 1981, backed by American mercenaries, was foiled. Prime Minister Eugenia Charles, "the Iron Lady of the Caribbean," led the country from 1980 to 1995. Today the indigenous Kalinago community survives in a designated territory in the northeast of the island.