Dominica
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
787km²
Area
128km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
1,447m
Highest point
Morne Diablotins
70,838
People
29°C
Warmest sea
September
494km
To the mainland
When to go to Dominica
Best for the beach from January to May.
The sea is warmest in September (29 °C) and coolest in February (26 °C). You can swim comfortably all year (21 °C or more).
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in the Caribbean
Dominica is an island in Dominica. It belongs to Caribbean. It covers 787 km², with 128 km of coastline. Its highest point, Morne Diablotins, rises to 1,447 m. About 70,838 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 494 km away.
Getting there
- Canefield Airport (DCF)main airport (2 on the island with scheduled flights)Car hire at PTP airport (Pointe-à-Pitre)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesLigne Pointe-à-Pitre - Roseau, Ligne Fort-de-France/St-Pierre/ Roseau, Roseau - Fort de France
- 494 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From January to Maybest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Dominica.
- 21beachesNumber 1 Beach, Hiroula Bay Beach, Batibou Bay Beach and 18 more
- 30viewpointsMorne Bruce, Morne Au Diable Crater, Mal-En-Gamme and 27 more
- 2ferry terminalsRoseau, Tèminal pou kwazyè
- 3marinasSouth Mooring area - Fisheries Division, Fisheries Division North Mooring area, Marigot Port and Fisheries Complex
- 36named peaksMorne Les Resources, Morne Turner, Morne Cola Anglais and 33 more
- 7volcanoesMorne Diablotins, Morne Trois Piton, Morne Watt and 4 more
- 30waterfallsVictoria Falls, Chaudiere Pool, Trafalgar Falls - Mama and 27 more
- 1castles and fortsFort Shirley
- 18ruins and archaeological sitesRuins Hampstead Estate, Rose's Lime Factory, Commandant's Quarters and 15 more
- 2dive centresJC Ocean Adventures, Cabrits Dive Center
- 1waymarked walking routesMorne Micotrin Trail
- 2campsitesLouisette et Nanichi
- 75hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 165restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Dominica in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Dominica, each with its own numbers.
11beaches and covesCoastya
15waterfallsCascadyas
Beach with the warmest sea
29.0°C
Anse à Liane
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
11 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- L’anse Noirecove29.0°C
- La Taille Baycove29.0°C
- Lamothe Baycove29.0°C
- Hermitage Baycove29.0°C
- Anse Craintecove29.0°C
- Anse Bellcove29.0°C
- Marceau Baycove29.0°C
- Anse à Lianecove29.0°C
3 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
15 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Trafalgar Falls
- Emerald Pool, Dominica
- Bwa Nef Falls
- Dernier Falls
- Morgan River Falls
- Twa Bassens
- Taberi Falls
- Sari-Sari Falls
7 more on CascadyasCascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 357 m above the sea. 29 % of it is below 200 m.
- 9 %0–50 m
- 21 %50–200 m
- 46 %200–500 m
- 24 %500–1,000 m
- 2 %1,000–2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Roseau16,571 people
- Portsmouth3,633 people
- Mahaut2,369 people
- Wesley1,933 people
- Massacre1,552 people
- Soufrière1,416 people
- Salisbury1,413 people
- Castle Bruce1,387 people
- Pointe Michel1,202 people
- Woodford Hill1,063 people
- Calibishie1,020 people
- Colihaut890 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
| Night low (°C) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 |
| Sea (°C) | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
| Rain (mm) | 61 | 45 | 46 | 75 | 106 | 133 | 157 | 173 | 169 | 199 | 161 | 94 |
| Wet days | 19 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 20 |
| Sun h/day | 8.1 | 8.6 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.1 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 7.6 |
| Wind (km/h) | 27 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 26 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.2 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.7 | −0.1 | −0.2 | +0.1 |
| 2021 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.3 |
| 2022 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | ±0.0 |
| 2023 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| 2024 | +0.7 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +1.3 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +1.3 |
| 2025 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.1 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +0.3 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Marie-Galante
France160 km²200 m58 km away
Terre-de-Bas IslandFrance6.8 km²292 m58 km away
Terre-de-Haut IslandFrance4.5 km²303 m57 km away
Basse-Terre IslandFrance850 km²1,467 m89 km away
Grande-TerreFrance595 km²130 m101 km away
La DésiradeFrance20 km²276 m105 km away
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia640 km²866 m174 km away
Montserrat
United Kingdom102 km²1,042 m175 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q4165857) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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canyons
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