Commonwealth of Dominica
- 75% African
- 19% Multiracial
- 4% Kalinago
- 0.8% European or Other
- 0.2% Unspecified
- 94.4% Christianity
- 3.0% Folk religions
- 1.7% Other
- 0.9% None[3]
Dominican
(pronounced /ˌdɒmɪˈniːkən/)
Unitary dominant-party parliamentary republic
1 March 1967
3 November 1978
750 km2 (290 sq mi) (174th)
1.6
72,000[6]
105/km2 (271.9/sq mi) (95th)
2018 estimate
$688 million[7]
$9,726[7]
2018 estimate
$485 million[7]
$7,860[7]
left
Dominica (locally /ˌdɒmɪˈniːkə/ dom-in-EE-kə;[9] UK: US: /ˌdɒmɪˈniːkə/[10][11][12] or /dəˈmɪnɪkə/ ⓘ;[13] Dominican Creole French: Dominik; Kalinago: Waitukubuli), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean.[14] It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. Dominica's closest neighbours are two constituent territories of the European Union, the overseas departments of France, Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Dominica comprises a land area of 750 km2 (290 sq mi), and the highest point is Morne Diablotins, at 1,447 m (4,747 ft) in elevation. The population was 71,293 at the 2011 census.[6]
The island was settled by the Arawak arriving from South America in the fifth century. The Kalinago displaced the Arawak by the 15th century. Christopher Columbus is said to have passed the island on Sunday, 3 November 1493. It was later colonised by Europeans, predominantly by the French from the 1690s to 1763. The French imported enslaved people from West Africa to Dominica to work on coffee plantations. Great Britain took possession in 1763 after the Seven Years' War, and it gradually established English as its official language. The island gained independence as a republic in 1978.
Dominica has been nicknamed the "Nature Island of the Caribbean" for its natural environment.[15] It is the youngest island in the Lesser Antilles, and in fact it is still being formed by geothermal-volcanic activity, as evidenced by the world's second-largest hot spring, called Boiling Lake. The island has lush mountainous rainforests and is the home of many rare plants, animals, and bird species. There are xeric areas in some of the western coastal regions, but heavy rainfall occurs inland. The Sisserou parrot, also known as the Imperial amazon, is critically endangered and found only on Dominica. It is the island's national bird and is featured on the national flag, making Dominica one of only two sovereign nations whose official flag features the color purple.[16][17] The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and the Non-Aligned Movement.
Etymology[edit]
The Kalinago called the island Wai‘tu kubuli, which means "Tall is her body."[18]
Christopher Columbus, sailing for Spain, named the island Dominica, after the Latin term dies Dominica for Sunday, the day on which he first saw it in November 1493.[19]
Dominica's name is pronounced with emphasis on the third syllable,[10][11] following the Spanish pronunciation of its name[20] given to it by Christopher Columbus.
The similar names and the identical demonym with the Dominican Republic has caused some in Dominica to advocate a change in its name to establish its own identity.[21]
Dominica Act 1938
An Act to provide for the separation of Dominica from the Leeward Islands, and for purposes connected therewith.
1 & 2 Geo. 6. c. 10
30 March 1938
Dominica is divided into 10 parishes, given below with their 2011 Census populations:
Infrastructure[edit]
Air[edit]
There are two airports on the island. The primary airport, Douglas-Charles Airport (DOM), has direct flights from Miami on American Eagle. It is on the northeast coast and is about a 45-minute drive from Portsmouth (1 hour from Roseau). The second is Canefield Airport (DCF), about 15 minutes from Roseau on the southwest coast. Douglas-Charles Airport is suitable for limited use of commercial jets because of runway length. Douglas-Charles has regular service by Air Sunshine, Winair and Seaborne Airlines using twin turboprop aircraft like the ATR and Saab 340, as well as Conviasa and Amerijet, which, using Boeing 727 Freighters, is the only airline with jet service to the republic. A runway extension and service upgrade project began at Douglas-Charles Airport around 2006 and was finished in 2010. In March 2013, airline American Eagle halted flights to the island citing high labour costs.[93]
Roads[edit]
Dominica's road network runs primarily along the coastline and along river valleys. Major roads are two-lane highways which connect the capital, Roseau, with Portsmouth (Edward Oliver Leblanc Highway) and the Douglas Charles Airport (Dr. Nicholas Liverpool Highway). It takes about 45 minutes to drive from Portsmouth to Roseau. Private minibuses form the major public transport system. These major roads were reconstructed from the early 2010s to 2015 with assistance from the People's Republic of China and the European Union.[94][95]
Due to Tropical Storm Erika of 2015 several road surfaces and bridges were damaged by flooding and landslides, including on the just completed E.O. LeBlanc Highway (Roseau to Portsmouth) and Dr. Nicholas Liverpool Highway (Pont Cassé to Douglas Charles Airport). To alleviate this, the government announced that it intended to install emergency bridges in Roseau Valley near the Trafalgar Falls to Wotten Waven and in Emshall.[96] Hurricane Maria of 2017 also damaged the road network.
Green energy[edit]
Dominica's electricity sector includes power from hydroelectricity, solar energy, and geothermal energy.[97] Following on from the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in September 2017, the Dominican government claimed it would invest in geothermal energy. In early March 2018 Dominica signed an International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement, in an attempt to exploit solar energy to power the country with a source of renewable energy.[98]
Media[edit]
Dominica has two major newspapers, The Sun [124] and The Chronicle and two national television stations. Radio stations include the Dominica Broadcasting Corporation and independent stations come and go. Digicel and LIME operate mobile phone services. Dominica's wireless customers. Historical newspapers include The Dominican, The Dominica Guardian Archived 29 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine, and the Dominica Colonist, available for free in the Digital Library of the Caribbean.
Reference
Government
Geography