Dominica
Name
| Official name | Commonwealth of Dominica |
|---|---|
| Not to be confused with | The Dominican Republic — the Spanish-speaking country on Hispaniola, 1,000 km to the northwest; Dominica is pronounced dom-in-EE-ka |
| Demonym | Dominican — with the stress on the EE, unlike the Dominican Republic's |
| Meaning of the name | From dies dominica, Sunday — the day of Columbus's landfall, 3 November 1493; Wai'tu kubuli, "tall is her body," to the Kalinago |
| Motto | "Après Bondie, C'est La Ter" — after God, the earth; in Kwéyòl |
| Nickname | The Nature Isle of the Caribbean |
Quick facts
| Capital | Roseau — on the southwest coast; about 15,000 |
|---|---|
| Other towns | Portsmouth, the second town; Marigot; Wesley; Mahaut; Canefield; Salisbury |
| Official language | English; Dominican Creole French — Kwéyòl — spoken by most; Kokoy on the northeast coast |
| Currency | East Caribbean dollar — ISO code XCD, EC$; fixed at 2.70 to the U.S. dollar since 1976; shared with seven other states of the OECS |
| Time zone | Atlantic Standard Time, UTC−4, all year |
| Calling code | +1 767 |
| Internet domain | .dm |
| ISO 3166 codes | DM · DMA · 212 |
| Vehicle registration code | WD |
| Driving side | Left |
| Electricity | 230 V, 50 Hz; plug types D and G |
| Independence | 3 November 1978, from the United Kingdom — the 485th anniversary of Columbus's landfall |
| National days | 3 November, Independence Day; 4 November, Community Service Day; the last Friday of October, Creole Day; the Carnival before Lent; 1 August, Emancipation Day |
| Constitution | 3 November 1978 — the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica; a parliamentary republic from the first day |
| Population | 71,293 at the census of 2011; about 66,000 (UN and CIA World Factbook, 2025 est.) — fewer than in 1980 |
| Area | 751 km² (290 sq mi) — 47 km long, 26 km wide; the largest of the Windward Islands |
Flag & national symbols
| National flag | A green field crossed by a centered cross of yellow, black and white stripes — the Trinity, and the sun, the soil and the water — with a red disc at the center bearing the sisserou parrot ringed by ten green stars for the parishes; adopted 3 November 1978, one of the few national flags with purple in it, for the parrot's breast.Flag of Dominica |
|---|---|
| Coat of arms | A shield of a coconut palm, a crapaud frog, a canoe and a banana plant, supported by two sisserou parrots, under a lion, over the motto — granted 21 July 1961 |
| National anthem | "Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour" — words by Wilfred Oscar Morgan Pond, music by Lemuel McPherson Christian; adopted 1967, kept at independence |
| National motto | "Après Bondie, C'est La Ter" |
| National colors | Green, yellow, black, white and red |
| National bird | The sisserou — the imperial amazon, Amazona imperialis — the largest of the amazon parrots, found only on Dominica, on the flag and the arms; about 250 left |
| National flower | The bwa kwaib — Sabinea carinalis — the carib wood, whose red blossoms cover the dry west coast in spring; declared 1978 |
| National dish | Callaloo soup; the mountain chicken — the crapaud frog, now protected; codfish and bakes; widely cited |
| National dress | The wob dwiyet — the Creole dress of madras and white, worn on Creole Day |
| Symbol status | The flag, arms and anthem are fixed by the Constitution and law; the bird and flower are designated; the dishes and dress are widely cited |
Geography
| Location | The Windward Islands of the eastern Caribbean — between the French islands of Guadeloupe, 40 km north, and Martinique, 40 km south |
|---|---|
| Land borders | None |
| Coastline | 148 km (92 mi) |
| Highest point | Morne Diablotins, 1,447 m (4,747 ft) — the second-highest peak in the Lesser Antilles |
| Lowest point | The Caribbean Sea, 0 m |
| Volcanoes | Nine — more than any other Caribbean island: Morne Diablotins, Morne Trois Pitons, Morne Watt, Morne Anglais, Morne Plat Pays, Morne aux Diables and the rest; the last eruption at the Valley of Desolation in 1880 |
| The Boiling Lake | In Morne Trois Pitons National Park — a flooded fumarole about 60 m across at 92°C, the second-largest hot lake in the world; reached by a six-hour walk through the Valley of Desolation |
| Rivers and falls | Some 365 rivers by the island's boast — "one for every day of the year"; the Layou, the longest; Trafalgar Falls, Middleham Falls, Victoria Falls; the Indian River of Portsmouth |
| Terrain | Volcanic mountains covered in rainforest — the most forested island in the Caribbean; the Kalinago Territory on the east coast; the dry west coast below the mountains; black-sand beaches, few of them |
| Climate | Tropical — about 2,000 mm of rain a year on the coast and 7,000 mm in the mountains; the hurricane season from June to November |
| Natural hazards | Hurricanes — David in 1979, Erika in 2015, and Maria on 18 September 2017, a Category 5 that damaged 90% of the buildings and cost more than twice the year's GDP; landslides; the volcanoes |
| Natural resources | Timber, hydropower, geothermal heat, arable land, fish |
| Land use | Agricultural land about 35%; forest about 60% |
| National parks | Morne Trois Pitons, 1975; Morne Diablotins, 2000; Cabrits, on the peninsula above Portsmouth, with Fort Shirley; the Soufrière–Scotts Head marine reserve; the sperm-whale reserve of 2023, the first in the world |
| UNESCO World Heritage | 1 — Morne Trois Pitons National Park (1997), the first natural site inscribed in the eastern Caribbean, with the Boiling Lake, the Valley of Desolation and the Emerald Pool |
| Administrative divisions | 10 parishes — Saint George with Roseau, Saint John with Portsmouth, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul and Saint Peter — the ten stars of the flag |
People
| Population | 71,293 (census of 2011); about 66,000 (2025 est.) |
|---|---|
| Population density | About 90 per km² (230 per sq mi) |
| Population growth | About zero — births balanced by emigration |
| Median age | About 35 years |
| Life expectancy | About 78 years |
| Fertility rate | About 1.8 births per woman |
| Urban population | About 72% |
| Adult literacy | About 94% |
| Ethnic groups | Black about 85%; mixed about 9%; Kalinago about 3% — some 3,000, the last Indigenous Caribbean people on their own territory, 15 km² on the east coast since 1903; white about 1% |
| Languages | English official; Kwéyòl, the Creole of French and African roots, spoken by most and celebrated on Creole Day; Kokoy, an English creole, in the northeast |
| Religion | Roman Catholic about 53%; Protestant about 30% — Pentecostal, Seventh-day Adventist, Methodist, Baptist; Rastafarian; no religion about 9% |
| Human Development Index | 0.761 (2023 data, 2025 report) — high; about 96th of 193 |
| Longevity | A reputation for centenarians — Elizabeth "Ma Pampo" Israel, said to be 128 at her death in 2003, though unverified |
| Sport | Cricket — Dominica within the West Indies team, and the Windsor Park stadium of 2007; football; athletics — Thea LaFond's triple-jump gold at Paris 2024, the country's first Olympic medal; the Dominica Creole music of bouyon and cadence-lypso |
| Diaspora | More Dominicans abroad than at home — in the United States, Britain, Canada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Antigua and the Virgin Islands |
Government
| Form of government | Parliamentary republic within the Commonwealth of Nations under the Constitution of 1978 — the president head of state, elected by parliament for five years; the prime minister head of government |
|---|---|
| President | Sylvanie Burton (independent), since 2 October 2023 — the ninth; the first woman and the first Kalinago in the office; a former permanent secretary; born 1957 in the Kalinago Territory |
| Prime Minister | Roosevelt Skerrit (Dominica Labour Party), since 8 January 2004 — the seventh; the longest-serving head of government in the Caribbean, in office at 31 as the youngest in the world; born 8 June 1972 at Vieille Case; chairman of CARICOM in 2024 |
| The 2022 election | A snap election held 6 December 2022, two years early: the Dominica Labour Party 19 of the 21 seats, independents 2; the United Workers' Party boycotted in protest at the lack of electoral reform; turnout about 44% |
| Electoral reform | The Electoral Commission, Registration of Electors and House of Assembly (Elections) Acts passed in 2024 after the report of the Commonwealth observer Sir Dennis Byron — voter ID cards and a new register before the next election |
| Parliament | The House of Assembly — 32 members: 21 elected for five years, 9 senators, five named by the prime minister and four by the opposition leader, the speaker and the attorney general; a single chamber |
| The next election | Due by 2027 |
| Opposition | The United Workers' Party under Thomson Fontaine; the Dominica Freedom Party of Eugenia Charles, the first woman prime minister in the Caribbean, 1980–1995 |
| Legal system | Common law from England; the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, with the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final appeal since 2015 |
| The Kalinago Territory | A self-administered reserve of 15 km² on the east coast since 1903 — the Carib Reserve until 2015 — with its own chief and council; about 3,000 people |
| Citizenship by investment | The program of 1993 — a passport for a contribution, US$200,000 for a single applicant since July 2024 — about half of government revenue; under scrutiny from the United States and the European Union since 2023, with a common Caribbean regulator agreed in 2024 and U.S. entry restrictions on Dominican nationals announced in 2025; the government promises tighter vetting |
| United Nations | Member since 18 December 1978 |
| Regional memberships | CARICOM (1974), the OECS (1981) and its currency union, the Commonwealth, the OAS, the ALBA alliance (2008), the CELAC, the Association of Caribbean States; a founding member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie as an observer |
Economy
| GDP (nominal) | About US$750 million (2025, IMF) |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita | About US$11,000 (2025) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | About US$17,000 (2025) |
| GDP growth | 4.5% in 2025; 3.1% projected for 2026 by the IMF — above the Eastern Caribbean average |
| Economy by sector | Services about 70%, industry about 15%, agriculture about 15% — bananas the old staple, fallen since the end of European preferences |
| Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD), fixed to the U.S. dollar |
| Citizenship by investment | The largest source of government revenue — funding the airport, the housing, the hotels and the geothermal plant; about US$100 million a year |
| Tourism | Ecotourism and cruise calls — about 80,000 stay-over visitors and 300,000 cruise passengers a year; the Waitukubuli Trail; the whales; the Cabrits Marriott and the new resorts |
| Agriculture | Bananas, plantains, coconuts, root crops, citrus, bay oil — the world's largest producer of bay oil, from Petite Savanne; cut flowers |
| Geothermal | The Laudat plant of 10 MW in the Roseau Valley — commissioned 2026, the first geothermal power in CARICOM, enough for about 23,000 homes and roughly half the island's demand |
| The 2026 budget | EC$1.24 billion, presented August 2026 — a flat income tax of 10% and a relief package; the airport, the cable car to the Boiling Lake, the port and marina among the projects |
| Public debt | Above 100% of GDP after Maria, falling toward 90% |
| Income classification | Upper-middle income (World Bank) |
Transport & infrastructure
| Main airports | Douglas–Charles Airport at Melville Hall, the main airport, without jets; Canefield near Roseau; the Dominica International Airport at Wesley, the largest project in the country's history at above EC$1 billion, on schedule for 2027 |
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| Airlines | No national carrier; LIAT 2020, interCaribbean, Winair and American Eagle; United's direct flights from Newark since 2024 |
| Main ports | Roseau and Woodbridge Bay; Portsmouth on Prince Rupert Bay; the cruise berth at Roseau |
| Railways | None |
| Roads | About 1,500 km (930 mi), about half paved; the Edward Oliver LeBlanc Highway from Roseau to the airport; the transinsular road |
| The trail | The Waitukubuli National Trail — 184 km in 14 segments from Scotts Head to Cabrits, the longest hiking trail in the Caribbean, opened 2013 |
History in dates
| c. 3000 BC | The first peoples from South America; the Kalinago by the 14th century |
|---|---|
| 1493 | Columbus sights the island on Sunday, 3 November |
| 1660 · 1748 | Declared neutral and left to the Kalinago by France and Britain |
| 1763 | Ceded to Britain by the Treaty of Paris |
| 1778–1783 | French occupation |
| 1834 | Emancipation; in 1838 the first legislature with a Black majority in the British Caribbean |
| 1903 | The Carib Reserve established |
| 1958–1962 | The West Indies Federation |
| 1967 | An associated state of Britain |
| 1978 | Independence, 3 November — Patrick John prime minister |
| 1979 | Hurricane David, 29 August |
| 1980 | Eugenia Charles prime minister — the first woman to lead a Caribbean government |
| 1981 | The coup attempts, and Operation Red Dog foiled in the United States |
| 1997 | Morne Trois Pitons inscribed by UNESCO |
| 2004 | Roosevelt Skerrit prime minister, 8 January |
| 2017 | Hurricane Maria, 18 September |
| 2022 | The snap election, 6 December |
| 2023 | Sylvanie Burton president, 2 October; the sperm-whale reserve |
| 2024 | Thea LaFond's Olympic gold, 3 August |
| 2026 | Geothermal power on the grid — the first in CARICOM |
Records & firsts
| The Nature Isle | The most forested and most mountainous island in the Caribbean |
|---|---|
| The second-largest hot lake in the world | The Boiling Lake |
| The first sperm-whale reserve | 2023 — the whales live off the west coast all year |
| The last Kalinago territory | The only Indigenous reserve in the eastern Caribbean |
| The first woman to lead a Caribbean government | Eugenia Charles, 1980 |
| The longest-serving head of government in the Caribbean | Roosevelt Skerrit, since 2004 |
| A parrot on the flag | The sisserou — and purple, on almost no other flag |
| The first geothermal power in CARICOM | Laudat, 2026 |
| The largest bay-oil producer | The bay trees of Petite Savanne |
| A first Olympic medal | Thea LaFond's triple-jump gold, Paris 2024 |
| The longest trail in the Caribbean | The Waitukubuli National Trail, 184 km |
Frequently asked questions
Is Dominica the same as the Dominican Republic?
No. Dominica — pronounced dom-in-EE-ka — is a small English-speaking island of about 66,000 people in the eastern Caribbean between Guadeloupe and Martinique, independent from Britain since 1978. The Dominican Republic is a Spanish-speaking country of 11 million on the island of Hispaniola, 1,000 km to the northwest. Both were named by Columbus, Dominica for the Sunday — dies dominica — on which he sighted it, 3 November 1493, and the mail between them goes astray to this day.
What is the official name of Dominica?
The Commonwealth of Dominica — the only country with "Commonwealth" in its name besides Australia and the Bahamas — since independence on 3 November 1978. The Kalinago, who were here before Columbus, called the island Wai'tu kubuli, "tall is her body," for its mountains; Columbus named it for the Sunday of his landfall in 1493.
What is the capital of Dominica?
Roseau, on the southwest coast at the mouth of the Roseau River — a town of French colonial houses and about 15,000 people, the capital since the 18th century. Portsmouth in the north, on Prince Rupert Bay, is the second town; Marigot, Wesley — where the new international airport is rising — and Mahaut follow, none with more than a few thousand people.
How big is Dominica, and how many people live there?
About 751 km² (290 sq mi) — 47 km long and 26 km wide, about four times the size of Washington, D.C. — the largest and most mountainous of the Windward Islands, a volcanic island of rainforest known as the Nature Isle of the Caribbean. The census of 2011 counted 71,293 people; the UN and the CIA World Factbook estimate about 66,000 for 2025, fewer than in 1980, as emigration has drained the island — more Dominicans live abroad than at home.
What are the highest and lowest points of Dominica?
Morne Diablotins, 1,447 m (4,747 ft), a dormant volcano in the north named for the black-capped petrel — the second-highest peak in the Lesser Antilles — and the Caribbean Sea. The island has nine volcanoes, more than any other in the Caribbean, and the Boiling Lake in Morne Trois Pitons National Park, a flooded fumarole 60 m across, is the second-largest hot lake in the world after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand.
Who governs Dominica?
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of the Dominica Labour Party, in office since 8 January 2004 — the longest-serving head of government in the Caribbean, who took office at 31 as the youngest in the world — and President Sylvanie Burton, the first woman and the first Kalinago to hold the office, since 2 October 2023. The Labour Party won 19 of the 21 elected seats in the snap election of 6 December 2022, which the main opposition, the United Workers' Party, boycotted over electoral reform; the reform laws passed in 2024, and the next election is due by 2027. Dominica is a republic within the Commonwealth; the president is elected by the House of Assembly.
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