Dominica is different from the Dominican Republic (which we’ll get to soon); it’s an island in the Caribbean largely colonized by the French and praised for its amazing natural environment. Let’s learn more about Dominica!
Dominica Basics
Dominica is part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. Its closest neighbors are overseas departments of France: Guadeloupe and Martinique.
The island is 290 square miles, or 750 square kilometers, and is home to around 72,000 people. The capital and largest city is Roseau.
It was originally settled by the Arawak (indigenous people from South America) and was a French colony from the 1690s to 1763, when it became a British colony after the Seven Years’ War. It gained independence in 1978.
Dominica is the youngest island in the Lesser Antilles and is still being formed by volcanic activity. Young here is relative; the island first emerged about 27 million years ago!
The island was named by Christopher Columbus, who named it after the Latin word for Sunday because he saw it on a Sunday in November 1493. It’s pronounced with the emphasis on the second i.
It is a parliamentary republic with a president, prime minister and legislature. The official language is English but many vernacular languages are spoke as well, including Dominican Creole French and Kokoy.
Because of its place in the African slave trade, the majority of Dominicans are of African descent or multiracial.
Dominica National Symbols
Dominica is one of very few nations that uses the color purple on its flag. The purple is found on the body of the bird that is in the center of the flag, surrounded by green five-pointed stars and inside a red circle. The rest of the flag has a green background divided by a cross shape with yellow, black and white stripes.
The flag was originally adopted in 1978 but some changes have been made through the years. The green background is for the lush vegetation of the island, and the 10 green stars represent the country’s 10 parishes. Red is for justice and the cross represents the Trinity and Christianity, with the three colors representing native people, fertile soil and pure water.
The bird on the nation’s flag is also its national bird, the critically endangered sisserou parrot, which is only found on the island. There are estimated to be only 250 to 350 of the birds left.
Dominica’s national anthem is “Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour,” which was first adopted when the nation gained statehood in 1967 and again in 1978.
The national flower is commonly called bwa kwaib or carib wood, an indigenous plant with bright red flowers. It was named the national flower upon independence and is said to represent the rugged and resourceful people of the nation.
The unofficial national dish of Dominica was said to be mountain chicken, which is actually a frog that was on the verge of becoming extinct (because of disease, not from being eaten). Read about efforts to save this frog species.
Dominica Learning Activities
Learn about Boiling Lake, the second largest hot spring in the world, warmed by geothermal volcanic activity.
Read up on Jean Rhys, an author who was born and raised in Dominica and used the island as the inspiration for the fictional island in her book Wide Sargasso Sea.
Listen to some Cadence-lypso, a musical genre named in 1973 that helped lead the way to modern Creole music on the island and elsewhere.
Watch “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” which was filmed on Dominica.
Check out the resources for learning more about Dominica at Teachers Pay Teachers (there’s a great clipart set if you’re decorating a bulletin board!).
Since it’s unlikely you can find mountain frog, try the new national dish, callaloo, a soup made with greens, coconut milk and dumplings. Check out a recipe from Dominica Gourmet.
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