| 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 extremes | 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 | NA |
| Total renewable water resources | 200 million cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| 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 |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
