The Commonwealth of Dominica has unveilled 30 interesting facts about the small island which is located in the Caribbean between Martinique and Guadeloupe.
According to a statement, Dominica was named by Christopher Columbus when he arrived on the island in 1493 and named it Domingo, which means Sunday, the day which he discovered the island.
Gained its independence on Nov 3, 1978, the country celebrates this day annually with vibrant national festivities which include cultural markets, music festivals and beauty pageants.
Dominica’s national anthem was written by Wilfred Oscar Morgan, with the music composed by Lemuel McPherson Christian OBE, after receiving statehood in 1967.
As a parliamentary democratic republic nation, The Executive branch of government has a President and Prime Minister, whereby nominees are elected in consultation with the opposition leader. All Dominican adult citizens may cast their ballots every five years during the government elections.
Its population currently sits at 72,414, making it the 11th least-populated nation in the world and out of all the nations in the world, Dominica’s national flag is one of only two national flags to incorporate the colour purple.
Known as the Nature Isle of the Caribbean, the vast area of Dominica is covered in lush forests, whereby year-round visitors can experience wondrous waterfalls and mud ponds. Indigenous rainforest animals and insects such as parrots, iguanas and rare butterflies make up some of the phenomenal fauna.
In addition, Dominica is the only country in the world where sperm whales reside year-round and it is extremely likely to spot them swimming in pods, as whales and dolphins live close to shore throughout the year.
Meanwhile, the Morne Trois Pitons National Park is the exclusive Heritage Site in Dominica and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. It is situated in the southern half of the island and contains many of Dominica’s most spectacular attractions including the Titou Gorge, Boeri and Freshwater Lakes.
Apart from cricket as the most popular sport, other interesting facts about the magical island include, unique rivers for each day of the year; has the highest concentration of volcanoes in the world, with about nine active volcanoes; and majority of the beaches are covered in black sand as a result of the influence from the volcanoes.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency