Summary of Dominica: Discovery

Discovering Dominica: Summary

Do not confuse Dominica with the Dominican Republic!

More than the other islands in the Caribbean, Dominica is distinguished as being the most mountainous island and the largest of the leeward islands. With their rainfall, the hillocks drink up the island's 365 rivers and the rainfall fosters luxuriant vegetation, a preserved and exuberant tropical forest. With its varied landscapes, and on its windward side (east) springs of sulphurous water, the world's second largest boiling lake, a fantastic atmosphere when you arrive at the Valley of Desolation, an agrarian landscape dominated by small habitations and crops mixed with bananas, grapefruit, oranges and tubers. The leeward coast is dominated by much dryer vegetation, marshes and mangroves and beaches of grey sand. The few white sandy beaches are located in the northwestern part of the island. There is Turtle bay, the surfer's beach where turtles come to lay their eggs and that if Hampstead Beach, with its grove of coconut tress and clear water. The inhabitants of the island like to say that if Christopher Columbus were to come back, Dominica would be the only island that he would recognise! The welcoming spirit is Dominica's other strong point. The people that you come across are very nice: they say hello, come up to you spontaneously to shake your hand and welcome you to their island. Warm welcomes are real here, not just a simple formality. Most of the people are very « cool », starting of course with the many Rastas that go up and down the streets.

• LOCATION: a hyphen between Martinique and Guadeloupe.
• SURFACE AREA: 790 km² - 50 km long and 25 km wide.
• HIGHEST POINT: Morne Diablotin, 1447 metres.
• STATUS: Independent state for over twenty years and a member of the Commonwealth.
• POPULATION: At the time of the 2004 census, the population of Dominica was 70,000. The island is mostly inhabited by Afro-West Indians and 3000 Caribbean Indians, the sole survivors in the entire world. They live in a territory that was granted to them in 1903 by the Queen of England.
  
• CAPITAL: Roseau, named by the French in colonial times;
• LANGUAGES: English and Creole. This dialect is relatively close to the Creole spoken in the French islands. But the Dominicans think that the French are the ones that have the dialect!
• CURRENCY: The official currency is the EAST CARIBBEAN DOLLAR (pronounced as »EC »);1 EC dollar equals 2.67 USD. The USD is of course accepted everywhere, but not the euro. You are therefore advised to change your currency when you pass through the French islands.