Dominica

Not to be confused with the Dominican Republic.

15°25′N 61°20′W / 15.417°N 61.333°W / 15.417; -61.333

Commonwealth of Dominica
Waitukubuli (Island Carib)
Dominik (Dominican Creole French)
Motto: "Apres Bondie, C'est La Ter"[1] (Dominican Creole French)
"Post Deum terra est" (Latin)
"After God is the earth"
Anthem: "Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour"
Location of Dominica (circled in red) in the Western Hemisphere
Location of Dominica (circled in red)

in the Western Hemisphere

Capital
and largest city
Roseau
15°18′N 61°23′W / 15.300°N 61.383°W / 15.300; -61.383
Official languagesEnglish
Vernacular
languages		Dominican Creole French
Ethnic groups
(2014[2])
Religion
(2020)
Demonym(s)Dominican
(pronounced /ˌdɒmɪˈniːkən/)
GovernmentUnitary dominant-party parliamentary republic
• President
Sylvanie Burton
Roosevelt Skerrit
Joseph Isaac
LegislatureHouse of Assembly
Independence 
from the United Kingdom
1 March 1967
• Sovereignty and constitution
3 November 1978
Area
• Total
750 km2 (290 sq mi) (174th)
• Water (%)
1.6
Population
• 2021 estimate
72,412[4][5] (186th)
• 2011 census
72,000[6]
• Density
105/km2 (271.9/sq mi) (95th)
GDP (PPP)2018 estimate
• Total
$688 million[7]
• Per capita
$9,726[7]
GDP (nominal)2018 estimate
• Total
$485 million[7]
• Per capita
$7,860[7]
HDI (2022)Increase 0.740[8]
high (97th)
CurrencyEast Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Time zoneUTC–4 (AST)
Drives onleft
Calling code+1-767
ISO 3166 codeDM
Internet TLD.dm

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 trafficked slaves 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 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.

  1. ^ "Coat of Arms – Government of the State of Dominica". www.dominica.gov.dm. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  2. ^ "DOMINICA NATIONAL CENSUS REPORT 2000 ROUND OF POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS SUB-PROJECT" (PDF). Caricomstats.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Religions in Dominica | PEW-GRF". Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  5. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b "2011 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS" (PDF). Dominica.gov.dm. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d "Dominica". International Monetary Fund. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  8. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  9. ^ "11 Facts About Dominica That Will Surprise You". Discover Dominica. Ministry of Tourism. 24 February 2020. Archived from the original on 24 February 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  10. ^ Monkey (12 November 2014). "One woman's fight to get David Dimbleby to correctly pronounce Dominica". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Learn about Dominica". A Virtual Dominica. n.d. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  12. ^ "Dominica - pronunciation of Dominica". Macmillan Dictionary. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  13. ^ "Dominica | Pronunciation in English". Cambridge Dictionary. b. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Dominica's Constitution of 1978 with Amendments through 1984". Constitute. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  15. ^ P. C. Evans & L. Honychurch, Dominica: Nature Island of the Caribbean Archived 24 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Hansib (1989).
  16. ^ "Country Flags With Purple". World Atlas. 18 December 2018. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  17. ^ "The Real Reason Purple Isn't Used on Many National Flags". TipHero. 20 November 2017. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2021.