Dominica: The Nature Isle of the Caribbean

Travelling is like meditation; both need deep involvement. The moment that fact is understood, a new, beautiful, perspective on travelling is born.

No trip is helpful if not approached with that perspective. Like meditation, travelling can cleanse soul. It can erase all unwanted emotions that cast shadow over soul.

Like what happens after each meditation session, a cleansed soul is achieved after each travelling session.

For a normal person like us, there is nothing beautiful that living with a cleansed soul. Living with a cleansed soul means living with a capacity to enjoy each moment to its fullest.

Human beings are natural travellers. Travelling is their natural characteristics. It was once regarded as an effective method to acquire knowledge. Actually, it is still treated as one.

This article of the magazine is dedicated to those who see travelling as an effective way of obtaining knowledge.

In this edition, a beautiful West Indies Island is explored. That Isle is popularly known as the ‘Nature Isle of the Caribbean’. That Isle is none other than Dominica!

A Slow Start

Like most other countries in the region, Dominica was a British colony. Prior to the arrival of Briton, the Isle had been under the rule of French.

Actually, its colonial past began with the discovery of this Island by Colombus in the 1490s.

The Island was originally inhibited by the Kalinago community. But, the arrival of the European colonials changed the demography of the region almost completely, making its original composition almost unrecognisable.

It was in the year 1978 the Isle breathed freedom. It was actually unexpected. Importantly, the freedom was granted not because of the pressure from the country’s insiders, but because of the pressure from the outside world.

Post-independence, the country adopted the system of parliamentary democracy. Notably, it declared itself as a republic unlike many others in the region.

To A Respected Republic 

The Commonwealth of Dominica is now a very powerful republic in the region. It is a member of the Caribbean Community, popularly known by its abbreviation, CARICOM. It is also a member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.Its economy is much powerful than most others in the region. It also has a respectable Human Rights index. It gives good care to its internal and external security. The crime rate index in the country is much lower than others in the Caribbean territory. It has an impressive transport and health infrastructure.

From Trade

The country is a member of International Monetary Fund and other International financial organisations which are guided by the capitalist ideology. Agriculture is a very important sector in the Island. It contributes significantly to the economy of the country. Apart from agriculture, construction and other services support economy in a big way. Unfortunately, the GDP rate of the country is not that impressive. The Island lacks production. There is no serious manufacturing sector in the Isle. How the country keeps the strength of its economy high in the face of the low performance of its GDP is an impressive one to look at. That is actually achieved through the intelligent policy of ‘Citizenship by Investment’. In reality, that policy is the backbone of the country’s economy. This policy makes up the majority of the total foreign investment the country gets each year. The policy allows foreign nationals to acquire the citizenship of the Isle in return of a small investment in certain selected sectors.

To Tourism

Another main sector that supports the economy of this Isle is tourism. Though certain natural calamities which the Isle has suffered in the recent past have negatively affected the sector and has considerably reduced the total number of tourists the country normally gets each year, those have not succeeded in destructing the sector completely. For that reason, the sector is still strong and firm.

The Isle has everything a traveller normally looks for. That makes the Island unavoidable. It has peaceful beaches, adventurous mountains, informative museums, talkative historic ruins, enlightening music and haunting cuisine.

Roseau, Portsmouth, Scotts Head, Calibishie, and Soufriere are the top five tourist destinations in this Isle.

Roseau is the capital of Dominica. It is one of the populated regions in the Isle. As the capital, it is home to the majority of the major government offices in the country. The city is known for its colonial ruins and its museums. The Dominican Museum, which speaks volumes about the rich history of the country, and the cobblestone Old Market, which was once an important slave market, are the main attractions here.

Portsmouth is an attractive town in the Isle. It is one of the regions in the Island which was badly damaged by the Hurricane Maria. Interestingly, the town has successfully recovered from the damages inflicted by the disaster. It now stands as an undeniable tourist attraction in this part of the world. The town is known for its beaches, museums, parks and its forts. The Prince Rupert Bay, Fort Shirley, Cabrits National Park and the Toucari Caves are the popular attractions in this town.

Scotts Head is a beautiful village in Dominica. It is actually a fishing village. Its population is less than 721. The village offers opportunity for snorkelling and diving. What makes this village special is its scenic beauty. It looks like heaven. The annual fest hosted by the village is the most exciting event this country offers. The festival is literally the exhibition of the rich artistic quality of the country. It happens in June-July.

Calibishie is a spectacular village located in the country of Dominica. It is where some excellent resorts in the country are located. The village not only has beaches, but also has rain forests. It is actually a rare combination. It is in reality the least spoiled region in the country. The village offers opportunity for snorkelling, scuba diving and cycling.

Soufriere is a tiny village in Dominica. Its population is not more than 2,000. Like other villages in the country, it is also popular for its scenic beauty. The Roman Catholic Church of St Mark is the most popular attraction in this village.

The Dominican cuisine is not different from the typical Caribbean cuisine. It has a small French and British influence also.

The people of this country speak English. That makes the communication part less difficult.

This country is not less than heaven. Visit this heaven at least once!

Pic Courtesy: google/ images are subject to copyright