Dominica

The isle of Dominica is one of the youngest islands in the Lesser Antilles, and it is still being formed by geothermal-volcanic activity.

History

Dominica was first sighted by Europeans, including Christopher Columbus, in 1493. This, Columbus explained, is what Dominica looks like- completely covered with mountains with nary a flat spot.In 1627 England also tried and failed to capture Dominica. In 1635 the French claimed the island and sent missionaries, but were unable to wrench Dominica from the Caribs.

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. In 2000, Roosevelt Douglas (15 October 1941 – 1 October 2000) became Dominica's prime minister for eight months, from 3 February 2000 until his death later that year. At the parliamentary elections on January 31,2000 he led the Dominica Labour Party to victory against the ruling United Workers Party of Prime Minister Edison James.

Politics

Dominica is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth of Nations.

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.

Geography

Dominica is an island nation and borderless country in the Caribbean Sea, the southernmost of the Leeward Islands.

Dominica is largely covered by rainforest and is home to the world's second-largest boiling lake. Some plants and animals thought to be extinct on surrounding islands can still be found in Dominica's forests. The volcanic nature of the island and the lack of sandy beaches have made Dominica a popular scuba diving spot.

The Commonwealth of Dominica is engaged in a long-running dispute with Venezuela over Venezuela's territorial claims to the sea surrounding Isla Aves (Bird Island), a tiny islet located 70 miles (110 km) west of the island of Dominica. Indeed, it is remarked that of all the islands of the Caribbean, Dominica is the only one Christopher Columbus might still recognise.

Demographics

Almost all of the 70,000 nationals of Dominica today are descendants of African slaves, brought in by colonial planters in the 18th century. However, Dominica is also one of the few islands in the Eastern Caribbean to possess a population of pre-Columbian Carib Indians, about 3,000 of whom live on the island's east coast in their own territory.

The population growth rate of Dominica is very low, due primarily to emigration to more developed Caribbean islands, the United Kingdom, the United States, or Canada.

Culture

Dominica is home to a wide range of people.

The dialect of Dominica also includes Cocoy and a French Patois. culture Videos and Photos of Dominica, above and under the waves

Tourism

Pictures

Business

Independent nations
Commonwealth Realms: Antigua and Barbuda • Bahamas • Barbados • Grenada • Jamaica • Saint Kitts and Nevis • Saint Lucia • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Commonwealth republics: Dominica • Trinidad and Tobago
Other republics: Cuba • Dominican Republic & Haiti (both on Hispaniola)

Dependencies
British: Anguilla ∙ British Virgin Islands ∙ Cayman Islands ∙ Montserrat ∙ Turks and Caicos Islands • Dutch: Aruba & Martinique • U.S.: Navassa Island ∙ Puerto Rico ∙ U.S. Virgin Islands

Antigua and Barbuda • Bahamas¹ • Barbados • Belize • Dominica • Grenada • Guyana • Haiti¹ • Jamaica • Montserrat² • Saint Kitts and Nevis • Saint Lucia • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines • Suriname • Trinidad and Tobago

Associate members: Anguilla • Bermuda • Cayman Islands • British Virgin Islands • Turks and Caicos Islands

Observer status: Aruba • Colombia • Dominican Republic • Mexico • Netherlands Antilles • Puerto Rico • Venezuela

¹ member of the community but not the CARICOM (Caribbean) Single Market and Economy
² territory of the United Kingdom awaiting British instruments of entrustment to join the CSME