Coordinates: 15°25′N 61°20′W / 15.417°N 61.333°W /
15.417; -61.333Dominica (/ËŒdÉ'mɪˈniË kÉ™/ DOM-ih-NEE-kÉ™ or
/dəˈmɪnɪkə/ də-MIH-nih-kə; Kalinago language: Wai‘tu kubuli;
French: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: Dominik), officially the
Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The
capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is
geographically situated as part of the Windward Islands chain in the
Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The island is
located near Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the
south-southeast. Its area is 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.The island was settled by the
Arawak arriving from South America in the 5th century. The Kalinago
displaced the Arawak by the 15th century. 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 imported enslaved people 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.Its
name is locally pronounced with emphasis on the third syllable,
related to its French name of Dominique[citation needed] and the
Spanish pronunciation of its name. Dominica has been nicknamed the
"Nature Isle of the Caribbean" for its natural environment. It is the
youngest island in the Lesser Antilles, and in fact it 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 it 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 and found only on
Dominica, is the island's national bird and featured on the national
flag, which is one of only two national flags containing the colour
purple (the other being Nicaragua).
15.417; -61.333Dominica (/ËŒdÉ'mɪˈniË kÉ™/ DOM-ih-NEE-kÉ™ or
/dəˈmɪnɪkə/ də-MIH-nih-kə; Kalinago language: Wai‘tu kubuli;
French: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: Dominik), officially the
Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The
capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is
geographically situated as part of the Windward Islands chain in the
Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The island is
located near Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the
south-southeast. Its area is 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.The island was settled by the
Arawak arriving from South America in the 5th century. The Kalinago
displaced the Arawak by the 15th century. 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 imported enslaved people 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.Its
name is locally pronounced with emphasis on the third syllable,
related to its French name of Dominique[citation needed] and the
Spanish pronunciation of its name. Dominica has been nicknamed the
"Nature Isle of the Caribbean" for its natural environment. It is the
youngest island in the Lesser Antilles, and in fact it 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 it 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 and found only on
Dominica, is the island's national bird and featured on the national
flag, which is one of only two national flags containing the colour
purple (the other being Nicaragua).
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