Dominica, officially named the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island in the Caribbean Sea. The official language is English, though Creole (kweyol) or "patois" (French creole) is spoken widely on the island by both young and older ones. To the north of the island is Guadeloupe and to the south is Martinique, both are French speaking countries.
Dominica is not to be confused with the spanish speaking Dominican Republic.
Size: 290 square miles
Population: 72,660 (2009 estimate)
Official language: English
Capital city: Roseau
Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (XCD)
National Bird: Sisserou Parrot
Location on Map: Latitude 15.48 Longitude 61.35
Dominica is largely covered by rainforest and is home to the world's second-largest hot spring, the Boiling Lake. Dominica has many waterfalls, springs, and rivers. The Calibishie area in the country's northeast has sandy beaches, while the west coast also feature some beautiful sandy beaches, such as Purple Turtle Beach, the Mero Beach.
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 has attracted scuba divers from all over the world. The island has several protected areas including Cabrits National Park, Morne Trois Piton National Park, as well as numerous rivers and streams.
Visitors can find large untouched tropical rainforests, including one which is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites, rivers and streams, coastlines and coral reefs.
The Caribbean Sea on the west of the island of is home to many cetaceans. Most notably a group of sperm whales live in this area year round. Other cetaceans commonly seen in the area include spinner dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. Less commonly seen animals include killer whales, false killer whales, pygmy sperm whales, dwarf sperm whales, Risso's dolphins, common dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, humpback whales and Bryde's whales. This makes Dominica an ideal destination for tourists interested in whale-watching. In fact, Dominica has seen an increase in whale-watching in recent times.
The Caribbean Sea on the west of the island of is home to many cetaceans. Most notably a group of sperm whales live in this area year round. Other cetaceans commonly seen in the area include spinner dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. Less commonly seen animals include killer whales, false killer whales, pygmy sperm whales, dwarf sperm whales, Risso's dolphins, common dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, humpback whales and Bryde's whales. This makes Dominica an ideal destination for tourists interested in whale-watching. In fact, Dominica has seen an increase in whale-watching in recent times.
Though Dominica is not blessed with numerous white sandy beaches as some of its fellow Caribbean islands, the abundance of rainfall have kept the tropical rainforests lush green year round. For those seeking adventure, this is a welcomed plus.
Dominica has been featured in a wide range of travel magazines, etc. One of the most recent is the National Geograhic's "20 Best Trips For 2011."
The Waitikubuli National Trail completed in 2011 is the Caribbean's first long distance nature walking trail - a 115 mile trail traversing the length of Dominica, south - north. The opens up show off the best of Dominica as regards the island's rich culture and heritage, unique rugged terrain and nature - rivers, waterfalls, exotic gorges and rainforests.
Dominica (google maps)
The Waitukubuli National Trail ( Waitikubuli is the Carib Indian name for Dominica) is a major project being implemented under the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Dominica / Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica, in conjunction with the Regional Council of Martinique and is funded by the European Union.