Where in the world is Dominca?

Dominica pronounced Dom-in-eek-a is a small, pristine, beautiful island in the Eastern Caribbean located between the two French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe. Dominica (which is not be mistaken for The Dominican Republic) was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and colonized by the French in the 1600s. In 1805, the island became a British possession and remained under British rule until 1967, when internal self-government was granted, followed by full independence on 3rd November 1978.

The largest and most mountainous of the Windward Islands, with volcanic peaks, streams and rivers, beaches of both black (volcanic) and golden sands, mountains, dense forests, quiet lakes, waterfalls, geysers and boiling volcanic pools. Dominica stands pristine and beautiful among her fellow windward islands.

Dominica is one of only two islands in the Caribbean still with populations of the pre-Columbian Carib Indians. Who settled on the island about 1000 years ago. Most of these Carib Indians still live on the 3,7 00 acre Carib reservation and try as much as possible to preserve their way of life and culture.
About 80% of the population is Christian. With various Christian religious assemblies both on Saturday and Sundays however there are a few other religions including the assemblies of Yahweh, Jehovah witnesses and the nation of Islam and Muslims to name a few.
English is the official language, spoken with a pleasing French inflection, caused by the large influence of the French on Dominica as a former French colony. A large portion of the population speaks Kwèyòl (Creole), with a few north Eastern villages speaking Kokoy.
Dominica’s indigenous people the Carib Indians named the country Wai’tukubuli which means “Tall is her body” however when Columbus came to the island he ignored the name and called it Dominica because he arrived there on a Sunday. Today the islands official name is The Commonwealth of Dominica and is mostly used officially to distinguish the island from the Dominican Republic

It’s amazing how unspoiled the island is. It’s been said that if Columbus were to travel the seas again to view the island Dominica may be the one island that he would recognize.
Parts of Pirates of the Caribbean–Dead mans chest were filmed in Dominica making use of its pristine nature. (Follow the link to view a video clip of Pirate of the Caribbean scenes shot in Dominica) http://www.dominica.dm/site/video.cfm


visit this site for 101 things to do in Dominica http://101thingstodoindominica.blogspot.com/


Please return for weekly updates on the Lovely Dominica. 101 things to do in Dominica, Why is Dominica so special, how to plan a holiday to Dominica, things to do in Dominica and things not to do in Dominica. Also don't forget to visit the links on the webpage to learn more about Dominica and the rest of the caribbean.