dominica

dominica — noun

1. a nation that occupies a single island in the eastern part of the Caribbean Sea,

1.nounB1
Definition

a nation that occupies a single island in the eastern part of the Caribbean Sea, sandwiched between the French overseas territories of Guadeloupe (north) and Martinique (south). It became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations after gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1978. Its capital is Roseau, the official language is English, and people use the Eastern Caribbean dollar. Dominica is famous for its rainforest-covered mountains, volcanic hot springs, and the world's second-largest boiling lake.

Example

Liam and Hui spent two weeks hiking through the rainforest in Dominica last summer.

collocation: spend time + V-ing in [country]

Dominica's capital, Roseau, is a small harbour town at the mouth of the Roseau River.

geographical description with apposition

Common collocations
  • in Dominica
  • to Dominica
  • from Dominica
  • the government of Dominica
  • the people of Dominica
  • Dominica's rainforest
  • visit Dominica
  • travel to Dominica
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

always capitalised

Usage Note

Learners often confuse Dominica with the Dominican Republic, a separate Spanish-speaking country that shares an island (Hispaniola) with Haiti. Dominica (pronounced /ˌdɒm.ɪˈniː.kə/) is a single English-speaking island nation in the Lesser Antilles. The Dominican Republic (pronounced /dəˌmɪn.ɪk.ən rɪˈpʌb.lɪk/) is a larger country on the island of Hispaniola. The two are not geographically close — Dominica is about 700 km (430 miles) southeast of the Dominican Republic.

Common Mistakes

I visited the Dominican Republic last year — the rainforests near Roseau were beautiful.
I visited Dominica last year
the rainforests near Roseau were beautiful.' — The Dominican Republic is a different country; Roseau is the capital of Dominica.
Dominica's official language is Spanish.
Dominica's official language is English.
The Dominican Republic speaks Spanish; Dominica was a British colony and English is the official language.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Dominica and the Dominican Republic are often confused because their names sound similar. Dominica (stress on -nee-) is a single island nation in the eastern Caribbean, part of the Lesser Antilles chain. The Dominican Republic (stress on -min-) shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and is part of the Greater Antilles. A traveller heading to Dominica might fly into Douglas-Charles Airport and explore rainforests and volcanic springs; a traveller heading to the Dominican Republic would fly into Punta Cana or Santo Domingo for beach resorts and colonial cities. 'Caribbean' covers the whole region including both countries, while 'West Indies' is a broader historical term for the island chain from the Bahamas down to Trinidad.

Dominica ↗Dominican RepublicCaribbean ↗West Indies

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the Commonwealth of Dominica
  • the island of Dominica

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinSpanishEnglish

The name Dominica comes from the Latin word 'dies Dominica' meaning 'Sunday', because the island was discovered by Christopher Columbus on Sunday, 3 November 1493. The full official name, Commonwealth of Dominica, reflects its status as a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.