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78-467: Old Road Town was settled on January 28, 1624, by Thomas Warner , his wife Rebecca, his son Edward and 14 others. The settlers were at first on good terms with the island's native Carib residents, though that lasted only a very few years in the Carib's homeland. Rather than cultivating sugar cane , it was tobacco that had drawn Warner to the island, and it was the island's tobacco crop that first supported

156-709: A Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection with the US military, as covered under Article 98 . In January 2008, Dominica joined the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas . Both male and female same-sex sexual activity were criminalized in Dominica in the 19th century during the colonial era. In April 2024, Dominican attorney-at-law Cara Shillingford persuaded the High Court of Justice to overturn

234-399: A landslide caused by the heavy rains crushed their house. In another incident two people were injured when a tree fell on their house. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit estimated that 100 to 125 homes were damaged, and that the agricultural sector was extensively damaged, in particular the banana crop. In August 2015, Tropical Storm Erika caused extensive flooding and landslides across

312-554: A captain under the command of Roger North . Tomas Painton, another captain in the colony, suggested that Warner should try to colonise one of the islands in the Lesser Antilles , which Painton thought had more favourable conditions. In 1623 Warner abandoned his Guiana post and set sail North through the archipelago. Oyapoc was soon abandoned by the English. After checking each island, Warner decided that Saint Kitts would be

390-427: A destination for tourists interested in whale-watching . The Commonwealth of Dominica is engaged in a long-running dispute with Venezuela over Venezuela's territorial claims to the sea surrounding Isla de Aves (literally Bird Island, but in fact called 'Bird Rock' by Dominican authorities), a tiny islet located 140 miles (225 km) west of the island of Dominica. Dominica is a parliamentary democracy within

468-586: A family with his wife, which included their son Philip. Thomas Warner had an Island Carib mistress on St. Kitts, and their son was called "Indian Warner". Indian Warner was killed in the Dominica Massacre. Warner became a captain in James I's guards. In 1620 he accepted assignment to the colonies, and took his family with him to the Oyapoc Colony in 1620 in today's Guyana . He served as

546-475: A few years the government sought to encourage the island as an ecotourism destination, although the hurricane of 2017 has since changed these plans. The country had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 1.06/10, ranking it 166th globally out of 172 countries. There are two primary population centres: the capital Roseau (with 14,725 inhabitants in 2011) and Portsmouth (with 4,167 inhabitants in 2011). The main centres tend to be located around

624-662: A football team in the Saint Kitts Premier Division (officially known as the SKNFA Digicel Premier League), are based in Old Road and the surrounding Trinity area. This Saint Kitts and Nevis location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sir Thomas Warner (explorer) Sir Thomas Warner (1580 – 10 March 1649) was a captain in the guards of James I of England who became an explorer in

702-430: A group of sperm whales live in this area year-round. Other cetaceans commonly seen in the area include spinner dolphins , pantropical spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins . Less commonly seen animals include killer whales , false killer whales , pygmy sperm whales , dwarf sperm whales , Risso's dolphins , common dolphins , Atlantic spotted dolphins , humpback whales and Bryde's whales . This makes Dominica

780-523: A mound. The English and French suffered at least 100 casualties. Others report that at Bloody Point , which then was the site of the island's main Kalinago settlement, over 2,000 Kalinago men were massacred. Many had come from Waitikubuli, planning to attack the Europeans the next day. The Europeans dumped the dead into the river, at the site of the Kalinago place of worship. For weeks, blood flowed down

858-472: A takeover by mercenaries in Operation Red Dog , led by Mike Perdue and Wolfgang Droege . They tried to overthrow Charles as prime minister and reinstall ex-prime minister John in exchange for control over the country's development. The FBI was tipped off, and the ship hired to transport the mercenaries never left dock. The mercenaries lacked formal military experience or training, and most of

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936-507: Is Morne Diablotins , at 1,447 m (4,747 ft) in elevation. The population was 71,293 at the 2011 census. The island was settled by the Arawak arriving from South America in the fifth century. The Kalinago displaced the Arawak by the 15th century. Christopher Columbus is said to have passed the island on Sunday, 3 November 1493. It was later colonised by Europeans, predominantly by

1014-452: Is Dominica's national bird and is endemic to its mountain forests. A related species, the Jaco or red-necked parrot ( A. arausiaca ), is also a Dominican endemic. Both birds are rare and protected, though some forest is still threatened by logging in addition to the long-standing threat of hurricanes. Dominica has recorded at least four species of snakes and 11 species of lizards. Dominica

1092-669: Is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea , the northernmost of the Windward Islands (though it is sometimes considered the southernmost of the Leeward Islands ). The size of the country is about 289.5 square miles (750 km ) and it is about 29 miles (47 km) long and 16 miles (26 km) wide. Known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its lush scenery and varied flora and fauna, Dominica

1170-470: Is largely covered by rainforest and is home to the world's second-largest hot spring , Boiling Lake . Within its borders lie two ecoregions: Windward Islands moist forests and Windward Islands xeric scrub. The most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters, the largest of these being (north-to-south) Morne aux Diables , Morne Diablotins (the highest on

1248-423: Is the last major stronghold of the critically endangered Lesser Antillean iguana ( Iguana delicatissima ). Dominica is home to 195 species of birds. Because of the isolated location of Dominica, this number is lower than that of Trinidad , which is located closer to mainland South-America and has 472 bird species. The Caribbean Sea offshore of the island of Dominica is home to many cetaceans . Most notably

1326-434: Is the youngest island in the Lesser Antilles, and is still being formed by geothermal - volcanic activity, as evidenced by the world's second-largest hot spring , called Boiling Lake . The island has lush mountainous rainforests and is the home of many rare plants, animals, and bird species. There are xeric areas in some of the western coastal regions, but heavy rainfall occurs inland. The Sisserou parrot , also known as

1404-545: The British West Indies to have an elected legislature controlled by an ethnic African majority. Most of these legislators had been free people of colour and smallholders or merchants before the abolition of slavery. Their economic and social views were different from the interests of the small, wealthy English planter class. Reacting to a perceived threat to their power, the planters lobbied for more direct British rule. In 1865, after much agitation and tension,

1482-480: The Commonwealth of Nations . The capital is Roseau . The Commonwealth of Dominica is one of the Caribbean's few republics . The president is the head of state , while executive power rests with the cabinet , headed by the prime minister . The unicameral parliament consists of the 30-member House of Assembly , which consists of 21 directly elected members and nine senators, who may either be appointed by

1560-508: The Island Carib people, who are thought to have driven out the previous Arawak population. However, this may be a partial misconception as ancestral Kalinago narratives mention the two groups co existing and intermarrying. The Arawak were not the primary indigenous group. It is believed that before them were a group of paleo-Indians who arrived towards the end of the late Pleistocene period. In 1493, Christopher Columbus first spotted

1638-477: The Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea . The capital, Roseau , is located on the western side of the island. Dominica's closest neighbours are two constituent territories of the European Union , the overseas departments of France, Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Dominica comprises a land area of 750 km (290 sq mi), and the highest point

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1716-525: The Military of Dominica , who organised an attack on the police headquarters in Roseau which resulted in the death of a police officer. Newton and five other soldiers were found guilty in the attack and sentenced to death in 1983; the sentences of the five accomplices were later commuted to life in prison, but Newton was executed in 1986. A second occurred later in the year when the country was threatened with

1794-655: The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and the Non-Aligned Movement . The Caribs called the island Wai‘tu kubuli , which means "Tall is her body". Christopher Columbus , sailing for Spain, named the island Dominica, after the Latin term dies Dominica for Sunday , the day on which he first saw it in November 1493. Dominica's name is pronounced with emphasis on the third syllable, following

1872-533: The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 , Britain ended the institution of slavery throughout its empire , except in India. With freedom came enfranchisement. In 1835, the first three men of African descent were elected to the legislative assembly of Dominica. Many slaves from the neighbouring French colonial islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique fled to Dominica. In 1838, Dominica became the first colony of

1950-702: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade , by which slaves were imported and sold as labour in the islands as part of a trade that included producing and shipping sugar and coffee as commodity crops to Europe. The best documented slave plantation on the island is Hillsborough Estate, which had 71 male and 68 female slaves. The Greg family were notable: Thomas Hodgson, a brother-in-law, owned a slave ship, and Thomas Greg and his son John Greg were part-owners of sugar plantations in Dominica. In January 1814, 20 slaves absconded from Hillsborough. They were recorded as recaptured and punished with 100 lashes applied to

2028-565: The Western Hemisphere Dominica ( locally / ˌ d ɒ m ɪ ˈ n iː k ə / dom-in- EE -kə ; UK : US : / ˌ d ɒ m ɪ ˈ n iː k ə / or / d ə ˈ m ɪ n ɪ k ə / ; Dominican Creole French : Dominik ; Kalinago : Waitukubuli ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica , is an island country in the Caribbean . It is part of the Windward Islands chain in

2106-477: The Americas, Hispaniola, and island shares with Haiti. Hispaniola was later renamed Dominican Republic. Spain had little success in colonising Dominica. In 1632, the French Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique claimed it and other "Petites Antilles" for France , but no physical occupation took place. Between 1642 and 1650, French missionary Raymond Breton became the first regular European visitor to

2184-586: The British established a legislative assembly , with only European colonists represented. French remained the official language, but Antillean Creole , which had developed from it, was spoken by most of the population. In 1778 the French, with the active co-operation of the population, began the re-capture of Dominica . This was ended by the Treaty of Paris (1783) , which returned the island to British control. But

2262-538: The Caribbean. In 1620 he served at the brief-lived English settlement of Oyapoc in present-day Guyana of South America, which was abandoned the same year. The Dutch controlled most of the territory. Warner is noted for settling on Saint Kitts and establishing it in 1624 as the first English colony in the Caribbean. Warner was born in Suffolk, England in 1580. He entered the army at an early age, which provided him with his main training. He later married and started

2340-534: The DLP, replaced Pierre Charles as prime minister, becoming the world's youngest head of government at the age of 31. Under Skerrit's leadership, the DLP won elections in May 2005 that gave the party 12 seats in the 21-seat Parliament. The UWP won 8 seats and Ronald Toulon, who was an independent candidate at that time, won the remaining seat. Later, Toulon joined the government. With his 2005 election win, Skerrit became only

2418-616: The Dominica Freedom Party in 1993 and did not contest the 1995 general election in any capacity. No longer benefiting from the veteran charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Eugenia Charles, the Dominica Freedom Party lost the 1995 election to the UWP, whose leader Edison James became prime minister. James, former General Manager of the Dominica Banana Marketing Company attempted to diversify

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2496-517: The Dominica Freedom Party led by former trade union leader, Charles Savarin . Douglas became prime minister. One UWP member of the House of Assembly crossed the floor, joining the DLP-DFP coalition government. However, Douglas died on 1 October 2000 after only a few months. Prime Minister Douglas was replaced by Pierre Charles , who also died in office on 6 January 2004. Roosevelt Skerrit , also of

2574-618: The Dominican economy away from over-reliance on bananas. The crop was largely destroyed by Hurricane Luis in 1995. Further James was unable to restore banana to its former selling price and prestige. Moreover, the James administration became embroiled in Opposition charges of official corruption. In the 31 January 2000 general election , the UWP were defeated by a coalition of the DLP, led by left-leaning Roosevelt B. "Rosie" Douglas and

2652-469: The French from the 1690s to 1763. The French trafficked slaves from West Africa to Dominica to work on coffee plantations. Great Britain took possession in 1763 after the Seven Years' War , and it gradually established English as its official language. The island gained independence as a republic in 1978. Dominica has been nicknamed the "Nature Island of the Caribbean" for its natural environment. It

2730-579: The French gaining the ends, Capisterre in the North and Basseterre in the south; and the British gaining the centre. Both groups colonised neighbouring islands from their bases. The English settled Nevis (1628), Antigua (1632), and Montserrat (1632). Warner was appointed as Governor of St. Kitts, Nevis, Barbados and Montserrat in 1625. The French colonised Martinique (1635), the Guadeloupe archipelago (1635), and St Barts (1648). In 1643 Warner

2808-426: The French islands with wood, and they gradually became permanent settlers. They brought the first enslaved Africans from West Africa to Dominique , as they called it in French. In 1715, a revolt of "poor white" smallholders in the north of Martinique, known as La Gaoulé, caused settlers to migrate to southern Dominique, where they set up smallholdings . Meanwhile, French families and others from Guadeloupe settled in

2886-599: The Imperial amazon, is critically endangered and found only on Dominica. It is the island's national bird and is featured on the national flag , making Dominica one of only two sovereign nations whose official flag features the color purple. The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations , the United Nations , the Organization of American States , the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie ,

2964-659: The Spanish pronunciation of its name given to it by Christopher Columbus. The similar names and the identical demonym with the Dominican Republic has caused some in Dominica to advocate a change in its name to establish its own identity. Dominica first emerged from the sea during the Oligocene era approximately 67 million years ago, making it one of the last Caribbean islands to be formed by volcanic activity . Dominica's precolonial indigenous inhabitants were

3042-408: The UWP again won both seats. The DLP under Skerrit went on to win the 2014 Dominican general election . On 17 September 2012 Eliud Thaddeus Williams was sworn in as President (a largely ceremonial role), replacing Dr. Nicholas Liverpool who was reportedly removed from office due to ill health. On 30 September 2013 former Trade Union leader and former Dominica Freedom Party leader Charles Savarin

3120-545: The West or Caribbean Sea Coast elites in Roseau, Dominica's capital. Eugenia Charles again won the 1990 general election, the first incumbent Dominica Prime Minister to win three consecutive general elections. However, Eugenia Charles's DFP had been pushed to within one seat of losing its majority in Parliament by the emergence of the UWP. It was, therefore, no great surprise when Eugenia Charles gave up political leadership of

3198-484: The best-suited site for an English colony. He noted its strategic central position ideal for expansion, friendly native population, fertile soil, abundant fresh water, and large salt deposits. He and his family landed on the island and made peace with the local Kalinago people, whose leader was Ouboutou Tegremante . They were part of the Indigenous Carib people of the islands. Warner left his family on

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3276-519: The buildings on the island had been destroyed, with infrastructure left in ruins. The UK, France and the Netherlands set up shipping and air lifts to take aid to the island; the scale of destruction having left most people homeless. Dominica won its first two Commonwealth Games medals in silver and bronze in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast . President Charles Angelo Savarin

3354-444: The coast, with the mountainous interior sparsely populated. Dominica is especially vulnerable to hurricanes as the island is located in what is referred to as the hurricane region. In 1979, Hurricane David struck the island as a Category 4 hurricane, causing widespread and extreme damage. On 17 August 2007, Hurricane Dean , a Category 1 hurricane at the time, hit the island. A mother and her seven-year-old son died when

3432-481: The colonial office replaced the elective assembly with one made up of one-half members who were elected and one-half who were appointed. Planters, who were allied with colonial administrators, outmanoeuvred the elected legislators on many occasions. In 1871, Dominica became part of the British Leeward Islands . The political power of the elected assembly progressively eroded. Crown colony government

3510-400: The crew had been misled into joining by the ringleader Mike Perdue. White supremacist Don Black was also jailed for his part in the attempted coup, which violated US neutrality laws. The Charles government supported the 1983 American invasion of Grenada , earning Dominica praise from the U.S. government of Ronald Reagan , and an increase in financial aid. By the middle of the 1980s,

3588-414: The economy had begun to recover, before weakening again due to a decrease in banana prices. Eugenia Charles won the 1985 general election, becoming only the first incumbent Dominica Prime Minister to be popularly re-elected. The continuing downturn in the economy and the tight grip by Eugenia Charles on Dominica politics gave rise to a self-titled "Third Force" political formation in 1988, which disrupted

3666-407: The first English colony in the Caribbean. He established a port town at Old Road , downhill from Tegremante's capital village. Another name for St. Kitts is St.Christopher. In 1625, a French captain, Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc , arrived on the island. He had organized a fleet of colonists hoping to establish an island colony, after hearing about the success of the English on Saint Kitts, but his fleet

3744-458: The island and returned to England to gather more men to officially establish a colony. He was supported by Ralph Merrifield, a merchant, who provided the capital, and the brothers John and Samuel Jeaffreson. The Jeaffresons agreed to bring a second vessel with settlers and supplies. Warner returned to St. Kitts on January 28, 1624, with the Hopewell and established the colony of Saint Christopher,

3822-562: The island at 1,447 m), Morne Trois Pitons and Morne Anglais . Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a tropical forest blended with volcanic features; it was recognised as a World Heritage Site on 4 April 1995, a distinction it shares with four other Caribbean islands. The Calibishie area in the country's northeast has sandy beaches. Some plants and animals thought to be extinct on surrounding islands can still be found in Dominica's forests. The island has several protected areas , including Cabrits National Park , as well as 365 rivers. For

3900-428: The island during his second voyage to the Americas. Because he saw the island on a Sunday (November 3, 1493), Columbus named the island Dominica (Latin for 'Sunday'). Some Spanish colonisers settled here. But, as European explorers and settlers entered the region, indigenous refugees from surrounding islands settled Dominica and pushed out the Spanish settlers. The Spanish instead focused on their first founded Island of

3978-497: The island population, especially the class of free people of color , resisted British restrictions. The British retained control throughout French invasions in 1795 and 1805, the first taking place during the period of the Haitian Revolution , which gained the independence of Haiti (formerly Saint-Domingue, France's richest Caribbean colony). Great Britain established a small colony in 1805. It used Dominica as part of

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4056-481: The island. Hurricane Allen the following year caused further damage. After the 1980 election , Seraphin's government was replaced by one led by the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) under Prime Minister Eugenia Charles ; she was the Caribbean's first female prime minister. In 1981, Charles's government was threatened with two attempted coups. The first was led by Frederick Newton , commander of

4134-437: The island. In 1660, the French and English agreed that Dominica and St. Vincent should not be settled, but instead left to the Carib people as neutral territory —but its natural resources attracted expeditions of English and French foresters, who began harvesting timber. In 1690, the French established their first permanent settlements. French woodcutters from Martinique and Guadeloupe began to set up timber camps to supply

4212-505: The island. Multiple communities were evacuated and upwards of 30 people were killed. According to a Rapid Damage and Impact Assessment prepared for Dominica by the World Bank, the total damage and losses from the storm were US$ 484.82 million or 90% of Dominica's yearly GDP. Category 5 Hurricane Maria struck the island in 2017 and caused losses of approximately US$ 930 million or 226% of GDP. The Sisserou parrot ( Amazona imperialis )

4290-566: The laws banning same-sex activity since they violated LGBT individuals' constitutional rights. Dominica is divided into 10 parishes , given below with their 2011 Census populations: Dominica's currency is the East Caribbean Dollar . In 2008, Dominica had one of the lowest per capita gross domestic product (GDP) rates of Eastern Caribbean states. The country nearly had a financial crisis in 2003 and 2004, but Dominica's economy grew by 3.5% in 2005 and 4.0% in 2006, following

4368-482: The local Kalinago were becoming less enthusiastic about the newcomers. Warner's concerns proved accurate. As the European population on Saint Kitts continued to increase, Tegremante grew suspicious of the foreigners. In 1626, after a secret meeting with Kalinago heads from neighbouring Waitikubuli ( Dominica ) and Oualie, the natives decided to ambush the European settlements on the night of the next full moon. The plan

4446-504: The males and 50 for the females. The slaves reportedly said that one of their people had died in the plantation hospital, and they believed he had been poisoned. In 1831, reflecting a liberalisation of official British racial attitudes, the Brown Privilege Bill conferred political and social rights on free blacks (mostly free people of colour , who generally were of mixed race , with African and European ancestry). With

4524-456: The middle of the dry season. The Kalinago called this the season of "Bat man", due to the abundance of the species then. Usually, they made raids on the Taino and other Amerindians at this time to take sacrifices to appease "Bat man," to ensure the dry season ended and the wet season began. (This was called the season of "Frog woman".) Kalinago had gathered from various islands at St. Christopher at

4602-402: The most beautiful Carib women spared to serve as slaves. The French and English set about fortifying the island against the expected invasion of Carib from other islands. According to Du Tertre, in the ensuing battle, three to four thousand Caribs took up arms against the Europeans. He did not estimate the number of Caribs killed, but said the fallen Amerindians on the beach were piled high into

4680-446: The north. In 1727, the first French commander, M. Le Grand , took charge of the island with a basic French government. Dominique formally became a colony of France, and the island was divided into districts or "quarters". The French had already developed plantation agriculture on Martinique and Guadeloupe, where they cultivated sugarcane with enslaved African workers. In Dominique they gradually developed coffee plantations. Because of

4758-666: The popularly elected seats of the legislative assembly in 1924, and one-half in 1936. In 1940, administration of Dominica was transferred from the British Leeward Islands to the British Windward Islands . During World War II , some Dominicans volunteered in British and Caribbean forces. Thousands of Free French refugees from Martinique and Guadeloupe escaped to Dominica from the Vichy -controlled French islands, staying in Roseau and other villages. Until 1958, Dominica

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4836-581: The president or elected by the other members of the House of Assembly. Unlike other former British colonies in the region, Dominica was never a Commonwealth realm , instead becoming a republic on independence. Dominica is a full and participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Dominica is also a member of the International Criminal Court , with

4914-423: The river, for which it was named Bloody River . The Europeans deported the remaining Kalinago to Waitikubuli. The early accounts were by Europeans and told from their point of view. Modern scientists and historians estimate that many of their claims were fraudulent or exaggerated in order to justify the killings. Ethnologists have put the events into a different context. The killings occurred in late January, near

4992-640: The second incumbent Prime Minister of seven to be popularly re-elected. In the 2009 election , the DLP won 18 of 21 seats. The UWP claimed campaign improprieties and embarked on a wide range of protest actions, including boycott of Parliament. UWP's boycott lasted at least three unauthorized absences from Parliament for two of their three Elected Representatives in Parliament in violation of Parliamentary procedure, leading to their two seats being declared vacant and by-elections being called to fill them; by-elections were conducted for those two vacant seats in July 2010, and

5070-467: The settlement. The colony prospered and more settlements were built and by 1727, Basseterre became the capital after the expulsion of the French in 1713. Old Road has developed with tourism, fishing, and farming industries. There is a new fisheries complex in town, funded by the Taiwanese government. Outside of Old Road are a number of historic Carib petroglyphs . The St. Thomas/Trinity Strikers,

5148-655: The subsequent partitioning of the island, Warner imported many thousands of African slaves for labour. They were forced to develop and work on large sugar and tobacco plantations to raise commodity crops for export. As the years passed, Sir Thomas Warner amassed a wealth that would amount to over £100 million in today's terms. He died on March 10, 1649, in St. Kitts, and he was buried in a tomb in Middle Island . Dominica 15°25′N 61°20′W  /  15.417°N 61.333°W  / 15.417; -61.333 in

5226-526: The time, because of its location: on the border between the islands controlled by different groups, it was used as a base for Kalinago raids against the Taino. Evidence of atrocity was that the Europeans killed so many and defiled the Kalinago place of worship, a means of frightening the Kalinago of neighbouring islands. After the Kalinago Genocide of 1626 , the Europeans partitioned the island, with

5304-528: The traditional two-party arrangement of governing DFP and opposition DLP. "Third Force" soon formalized as the United Workers' Party (UWP) and selected as its leader Edison James, the former General Manager of the Dominica Banana Marketing Company. This was a strategic selection given James's prestige among banana farmers and his originating from the East or Atlantic Coast that had begun to feel alienated by

5382-454: The trans-Atlantic slave trade, the general population came to consist primarily of black-African slaves. In 1761, during the Seven Years' War in Europe, a British expedition against Dominica led by Andrew Rollo conquered the island, along with several other Caribbean islands. In 1763, France had lost the war and ceded the island to Great Britain under the Treaty of Paris . The same year,

5460-613: Was appointed as Parliamentary Governor of the Caribee Islands. After his first wife died, he was said to have taken a Carib woman in a 'common-law marriage' and they had a lasting relationship. Warner died on March 10, 1649, in St. Kitts and was buried in a tomb in Middle Island. The Carib woman was reported to have given birth to many other children after Warner's death. After the Kalinago Genocide of 1626 and

5538-486: Was destroyed by a run-in with the Spanish Armada. Only his flagship and its passengers survived to reach St. Kitts. Feeling sorry for the French colonists, Warner allowed them to settle on the island. Saint Kitts was thus the site of the first French settlement in the Caribbean. They took the ruins of the town of Dieppe, which they rebuilt. Warner accepted the French to gain more Europeans on the island, as he thought

5616-458: Was elected president having only days before resigned as a Minister of Government. He is Dominica's eighth President. Tropical Storm Erika devastated the island in August 2015, killing 30 and causing severe environmental and economic damage. Dominica was again struck on 18 September 2017, suffering a direct landfall from Category 5 Hurricane Maria . Early estimates of damage suggested 90% of

5694-539: Was governed as part of the British Windward Islands . Caribbean islands sought independence from 1958 to 1962, and Dominica became a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation in 1958. After the federation dissolved in 1962, Dominica became an associated state of the United Kingdom in 1967, and formally took responsibility for its internal affairs. On 3 November 1978, the Commonwealth of Dominica

5772-539: Was granted independence as a republic , led by Prime Minister Patrick John . In mid-1979, political discontent with founding prime minister Patrick John's administration climaxed in a civilian coup and ended in the passage of a Motion of No Confidence in the House of Assembly, Dominica's legislature, against John, collapsing the John administration. A new, so-called "Interim Government" was formed under Dominica's second Prime Minister Oliver Seraphin ; Seraphin's main task

5850-474: Was re-elected in 2018 for a new five-year term. In December 2019, incumbent Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit won his fourth consecutive general election eighteen seats to three, becoming the first Dominica Prime Minister ever to do so. Dominica received its first Olympic gold medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris when Thea LaFond won the women's triple jump with a length of 15.02 metres. Dominica

5928-564: Was re-established in 1896. In World War I , many Dominicans, mainly the sons of small farmers, volunteered to fight in Europe for the British Empire. After the war, an upsurge of political consciousness throughout the Caribbean led to the formation of the Representative Government Association . Marshaling public frustration with the lack of a voice in governing Dominica, this group won one-third of

6006-448: Was revealed to the Europeans by an Igneri woman named Barbe. She had recently been brought to St. Kitts as a slave-wife after the Kalinago raided an Arawak island. According to the French historian Jean-Baptiste Du Tertre , she despised the Kalinago and had fallen in love with Warner. The English and French joined forces and attacked the Carib at night. The colonists killed between 100 and 120 Caribs in their beds that night, with only

6084-595: Was to prepare the country for fresh general elections constitutionally due in 1980, hence the unofficial title "Interim" Prime Minister. Seraphin organized and led a splinter of the Dominica Labour Party called the Democratic Labour Party into the 1980 general election and lost mainly because his nearly 13 month-long premiership was dominated by the fallout from Category Five Hurricane David , which caused 56 deaths and untold damage across

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