Dominica Geography - 2024

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about halfway between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates

15 25 N, 61 20 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total: 751 sq km

land: 751 sq km

water: NEGL

Area - comparative

slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Coastline

148 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Terrain

rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Elevation

highest point: Morne Diablotins 1,447 m

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources

timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use

agricultural land: 34.7% (2018 est.)

arable land: 8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 24% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 2.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 59.2% (2018 est.)

other: 6.1% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

N/A

Population distribution

population is mosly clustered along the coast, with roughly a third living in the parish of St. George, in or around the capital of Roseau; the volcanic interior is sparsely populated

Natural hazards

flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months

volcanism: Dominica was the last island to be formed in the Caribbean some 26 million years ago, it lies in the middle of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from the island of Saba in the north to Grenada in the south; of the 16 volcanoes that make up this arc, five are located on Dominica, more than any other island in the Caribbean: Morne aux Diables (861 m), Morne Diablotins (1,430 m), Morne Trois Pitons (1,387 m), Watt Mountain (1,224 m), which last erupted in 1997, and Morne Plat Pays (940 m); the two best known volcanic features on Dominica, the Valley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake thermal areas, lie on the flanks of Watt Mountain and both are popular tourist destinations

Geography - note

known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world