Roads

There is no major highway on the island. Before the road was built between Portsmouth and Roseau, people had to take boats, which took several hours. Now, it takes about one hour to drive from Portsmouth to Roseau. Minibus services form the major public transport system.

Demographics

There is a significant Mixed minority along with Indo-Caribbean or East Indian groups, a small European origin minority (descendants of French, British, and Irish colonists) and there are small numbers of Lebanese, Syrians and Asians. Dominica is also the only Eastern Caribbean island that still has a population of pre-Columbian native Caribs, who were exterminated or driven from neighbouring islands. There are only about 3,000 Caribs remaining. They live in eight villages on the east coast of Dominica. This special Carib Territory was granted by the British Crown in 1903.^[8] There are also about 1,000 medical students from the United States and Canada who study at the Ross University School of Medicine in Portsmouth.

More destinations

Dominica is considered greenest island in the Antilles and mainly attracts nature lovers. The most interesting here are the two national parks in the north and south of the island, where long walks through unspoilt nature can undertake.

Another excursion is the only reserve in the eastern Caribbean island, where you something about the original way of life of aboriginal people of the Antilles can learn.

Politics

Dominica is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth of Nations. The president is head of state, while executive power rests with the cabinet, headed by the prime minister. The unicameral parliament consists of the thirty-member House of Assembly, which consists of twenty-one directly elected members and nine senators, who may either be appointed by the president or elected by the other members of the House of Assembly.

Unlike other former British colonies in the region, Dominica was never a Commonwealth realm with the British monarch as head of state, as it instead became a republic on independence. Dominica is a full and participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Dominica is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the U.S. military, as covered under Article 98. In January 2008 Dominica joined the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas

History

The former indigenous people of Dominica, the Arawak people, were expelled or exterminated by Caribs in the fourteenth century. The Arawaks had been guided from the waters of the Orinoco River to Dominica and other islands of the Caribbean by the South Equatorial Current. These descendants of the early Tainos were overthrown by the Kalinago tribe of the Caribs.

The Caribs arrived on the island in special boats which they are still making at their own territory on the island. Christopher Columbus arrived at this island on Sunday, November 3, 1493. He and his crew soon left the island, having been defeated by the Caribs. In 1627 England tried and failed to capture Dominica. In 1635 the French claimed the island and sent missionaries, but they were unable to wrest Dominica from the Caribs. The French abandoned the island, along with the island of Saint Vincent, in the 1660s.

For the next hundred years Dominica remained isolated, and even more Caribs settled there after being driven from surrounding islands as European powers entered the region. France formally ceded possession of Dominica to the United Kingdom in 1763. The United Kingdom then set up a government and made the island a colony in 1805. The emancipation of African slaves occurred throughout the British Empire in 1834, and, in 1838, Dominica became the first British Caribbean colony to have a Black-controlled legislature. In 1896, the United Kingdom reassumed governmental control of Dominica and turning it into a crown colony. Half a century later, from 1958 to 1962, Dominica became a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation. In 1978 Dominica finally became an independent nation.

When to Go

Dominica is balmy, rarely getting below 29°C (85°F) on the coast, though the mountains are cooler and wetter, especially during the rainy season (July to October). Peak-season winter (December to February) rates are similar to off-season summer (June to August) rates, so the best time to visit Dominica is definitely in winter.

Roseau

Roseau (Kwéyòl: Wozeau) is the capital and largest city of Dominica. Its population is 14,847 (2001 census),^[1] It is a small and compact urban settlement, located within the Saint George parish and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Roseau River and Morne Bruce. Built on the site of the ancient Kalinago Indian village of Sairi, it is the oldest and most important urban settlement on the island.

It is located on the west (leeward) coast of Dominica, and is a combination of modern and colonial (French Style) architecture.

It exports bananas, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges and cocoa.

It is the see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roseau.

The Commonwealth of Dominica

The Commonwealth of Dominica, commonly known as Dominica (French: Dominique), is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. The name is pronounced /ˌdɒmɪˈniːkə/ (dom-in-EE-cuh). In Latin, its name means “Sunday”, which was the day on which it was discovered by Columbus.

Dominica’s pre-Columbian name was Wai’tu kubuli, which means “Tall is her body”.[1] The indigenous people of the island, the Caribs, have a territory similar to the Indian reserves of North America. Because the island lies between two French overseas departments, Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique to the south, and because it was colonized by France for a time, it is sometimes called “French Dominica”. However, its official language is English, though a French creole is commonly spoken.

Dominica has been nicknamed the “Nature Isle of the Caribbean” for its seemingly unspoiled natural beauty. It is one of the youngest islands in the Lesser Antilles, still being formed by geothermal-volcanic activity, as evidenced by the world’s second-largest boiling lake. The island features lush mountainous rainforests, home of many very rare plant, animal, and bird species. There are xeric areas in some of the western coastal regions, but heavy rainfall can be expected inland. The Sisserou parrot, the island’s national bird, is featured on the national flag. Dominica’s economy is heavily dependent on both tourism and agriculture.