"Capital of an Independent Republic" Roseau by seagoingJLW

Dominica is an island republic within the Commonwealth. It has an area of 290 square miles located in the Eastern Caribbean. Its population is about 74,000.

Roseau is its capital and chief town. It is located on the southwest coast at the mouth of the Roseau River.

The island was originally settled by the Carib Indians. It was named by Columbus after the day on which he first saw it...Sunday, November 3, 1493.

In 1607 Captain John Smith stopped there at the port village of Portsmouth. The French and English signed a neutrality treaty in 1660 after France had claimed the island in 1635. this was followed by the constant squabbling between the French and the English. In 1763 the French gave the island to Britain under the Treaty of Paris, but tried to recapture it in 1795 and 1805 without any luck.

In 1967 Dominica became a West Indies Associated State.and in 1978 it became an independent republic within the Commonwealth.

The photo shows Roseau, Dominica as we approached the harbor.

• Pros:Pretty town
• Cons:Tropical climate--hot and wet.
• In a nutshell:We got caught in a downpour.