Fun Facts About Dominica - The Nature Island of the World!

">system and its education and social welfare this
Welcome to Dominica - Land of the Sisserou Parrot!English-speaking Island ranked 41 of 175 countries and
Eco-tourismterritories in the United Nations Human Development
Did you know- One of the most attractive naturalIndex. Since then, it was a great victory for the
wonders for visitors to the Island is the Morne Troisdeveloping countries, especially those in the Caribbean.
Pitons National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Jerome Romain- A National Hero
Apart from being home to abundant rainforests andDid you know- By the mid-1990s, surprisingly,
wildlife, this park boasts the second-largest boiling lakeDominica's athlete Jerome Romain won the bronze
on Earth. However, the Island has other amazingmedal in the triple jump -with a fantastic jump of 17,59
landscapes: for example amazing beaches, waterfalls,metres- at the IAFF World Championships in Sweden
rivers, old towns, and spectacular mountains. The(Goteborg). He also earned a silver medal at the 1995
coastline of Dominica is also rich in marine life. Finally,Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina.
about 70 percent of the Island consists of protectedInternational Organizations
rainforests, one the highest of the world's developingDid you know- At the end of 1978, the Island joined the
countries, along with Suriname and Gabon.United Nations. In addition, Dominica is one of the 53
DemocracyCommonwealth countries. On the other hand, it also
Did you know- The Island has had more than 30 yearsbelongs to the Organization of American States
of democratic governance, a great example in the(OAS) and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Third World, where there are few democratic states.Population
In the meantime, it also has one of the most peacefulDid you know- The Commonwealth of Dominica has
societies in the Western Hemisphere.an estimated total population of 72,660 people (as of
GeographyJuly, 2009).
Did you know- The Island of Dominica, shaped like aThe Margaret Thatcher of the Caribbean!
tobacco leaf, is located in eastern CaribbeanDid you know- By the early 1980s, Mary Eugenia
(Americas). The Commonwealth of Dominica, has anCharles made international headlines when she
area of 300 square miles ( 754 km2),making it thebecame the first woman to be elected Head of
188th -largest country on the planet (between theGovernment of the Commonwealth of Dominica, at a
Netherlands Antilles and the Kingdom of Tonga).Thistime when women could not expect to win a
English-speaking country is made up mainly ofdemocratic election in the Third World. During this
mountains and rainforests, while much of the rest ofperiod of time, only had four female leaders on Earth:
the Island is covered by spectacular beaches. ThereIceland ( Vigdis Finnbogadottir), India (Indira Gandhi),
are many lakes and rivers. Finally, Dominica should notMargaret Thatcher (Britain) and Dominica. At the same
be confused with the Dominican Republic, atime, she was the first black female to win a
Spanish-speaking country in the Caribbean.democratic election in the world (by the mid-1970s,
RosseauMadame Elisabeth Domitien had been named Prime
Did you know- Rosseau is the capital city of theMinister by Centroafrica's dictator Jean-Bedell
Caribbean Island. Most of Dominica's population lives inBokassa). Under her leadership, Dominica became a
the capital.democratic state on the Caribbean, a region which has
Wild Birdsbeen plagued by dictatorships. Throughout most of the
Did you know- The Island is home to one of thenext decade, she was a campaigner for the
continent's greatest varieties of birds, includingenvironment on Dominica. Historically, the Island's Prime
bananaquits, grey kingbirds, red-neckeds, frigatebirds,Minister Charles was one of the Caribbean's most
siffleurs, barn owls, brown pelicans, yellow warblersinfluential leaders. After Charles became a leader,
and plumbeous warblers. The Sisserou Parrot -more than five women have been elected leaders on
Dominica's national bird-- is one of the several speciesthe Caribbean: Barbados (Nita Barrow, 1991-95),
of exotic birds that can be found in the tiny island ofBermuda (Jennifer Smith, 1998-2003), Haiti (Ertha
Dominica. This exotic bird is one of largest parrots onPascal Trouillot, 1990-91), Jamaica ( Portia
the planet.Simpson-Miller, 2006-07), Netherlands Antilles (Maria
Human DevelopmentLiberia Peters,1984-86 & 1988-94), and Puerto
Did you know- The year 1997 was a great year forRico (Sila Calderón, 2001- 2005).
Dominica. Why? Because of its exemplary democratic