Dominica

Dominica is a Caribbean island country between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago. It is often known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system. The most mountainous island of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world.

;Note : Should not be confused with the Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic.

Regions

Administrative divisions: 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter

Cities

Roseau - Capital
Portsmouth
Scott's Head

Other destinations

Morne Trois Pitons National Park
Boiling Lake
Champagne

Understand

Climate

Tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall. Flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months.

Terrain

Rugged mountains of volcanic origin.

; highest point : Morne Diablatins 1,447 m

History

Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans, due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia Charles, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.

Get in

By plane

There are two airports in Dominica, Melville Hall(DOM) and Canefield(DCF).

By train

By car

By bus

By boat

From Martinique and Guadaloupe ferries on most days of the week. Arrival in Roseau.

Talk

Languages: English (official), French patois

Sleep

Calibishie Lodges => $80-130 USD. Located on hillside above the beach. Pool, gardens, and restaurant.

Jungle Bay Resort & Spa =>

Veranda View A small guest house located in the north part of the Island, Veranda View is an ideal location to base yourself to tour the island. Located 15 minutes from the Melville Hall Airport, the guest house is easy to find on the main road in Calibishie.

Pointe Baptiste Villa and cottage => A large and small colonial style historic house located in a 25 acre estate which includes 2 beaches.

Learn

Founded in 1978, American Ross University, located in Portsmouth, offers a Basic Sciences curriculum designed to prepare students for licensure and practice in the U.S.

External Links

The authors of this document are Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel, David, Dominick, Evan Prodromou, Yann Forget and the following WikiTravel users: Bijee, CIAWorldFactbook2002, Chris_j_wood, Cjensen, Huttite, InterLangBot, Karen_Johnson, Maj, Xltel. The original version of this article can be seen at http://wikitravel.org/en/Dominica.