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The
beaches aren't that great, but the landscape
and rivers, as well as increasingly renowned
scuba diving, are.
Nature
lovers who come to Dominica experience a wild,
rugged Caribbean setting, as well as the rural
life that has largely disappeared on the more
developed islands.
Dominica
is, after all, one of the poorest and least
developed islands in the Caribbean. There are
no casinos and no megaresorts and hardly any
road signs. It's also one of the less expensive
islands in the Caribbean, and probably the only
one that Columbus would still recognize.
Hiking
and mountain climbing are good reasons to visit
Dominica; its flora is made unbelievably lush
by frequent rainfall. Covered by a dense tropical
rainforest that blankets its mountain slopes,
including cloud-wreathed Morne Diablotin at
1,424m (4,671 ft.), it has vegetation unique
in the West Indies. The mountainous island is
47km (29 miles) long and 26km (16 miles) wide,
with a total land area of 751 sq. km (293 sq.
miles), much of which has never been seen by
explorers. Should you visit, you'll find clear
rivers, waterfalls, hot springs, and boiling
lakes.
With
a population of 71,000, Dominica lies in the
eastern Caribbean, between Guadeloupe
to the north and Martinique
to the south. The Caribs, indigenous people
of the Caribbean, whose numbers have dwindled
to 3,000, live as a community on the northeast
of the island and still practice the art of
traditional basketry.
Clothing
is casual, including light summer wear for most
of the year. However, take along walking shoes
for those trips into the mountains and a sweater
for cooler evenings. Locals, who are rather
conservative, do not allow bikinis and swimwear
to be worn on the streets of the capital city,
Roseau, or in the villages
Throughout
it’s History, the fertile land of Dominica
has attracted settlers and colonizers and has
been the subject of the military, and often
bloody squabbles of European powers. At the
time of Columbus’s visit in November 1493,
the island was a stronghold of the Caribs from
South America who were driving out the Arawaks.
In 1627 the English took theoretical possession
without settling, but by 1632 the island had
become a de facto French colony; it remained
so until 1759 when the English captured it.
In
1660 the English and French agreed to leave
the Caribs in undisturbed possession, but in
fact French settlers went on arriving, bringing
enslaved Africans with them. Dominica changed
hands between the two European powers, passing
back to France (1778) and again to England (1783).
The French attempted to invade in 1795 and 1805
before eventually withdrawing, leaving Britain
in possession.
In
1833 the island was linked to Antigua and the
other Leeward Islands under a Governor General
at Antigua, but subsequently became part of
the Federation of the Leeward Islands Group
(1940-60). Dominica joined the West Indies Federation
at its foundation in 1958 and remained a member
until differences among larger members led to
its dissolution in 1962. Dominica became an
Associated state of the United Kingdom in 1967,
with full internal self-government, but Britain
remained responsible for foreign policy and
defence.
Full
Independence was achieved on November 3, 1978.
Dominica
is a Republic with a non-executive presidency
and parliamentary government. It has a unicameral
House of assembly with 30 members (21 elected,
9 appointed). Elections are held every five
years, with universal suffrage for adults (18
over). The House of assembly elected the President
for not more than two terms of five years. He
or she appoints the prime Minister who consults
the President in appointing other ministers
Head
of State:
The President, His Excellency, DR. NICHOLAS
J.O. LIVERPOOL
Head
of Government:
The Prime Minister, the Honourable Roosevelt
Skerrit
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