|
BUSINESS
HOURS:
Commercial: Open 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Saturday. Sat 8.00
am - 12.00 noon.
Banks: Mon- Fri: 9.00 am - 3.30 pm. Closed at weekends.
Post Office: Open 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday.
CLIMATE: Ranges from 24 Centigrade to 29 Centigrade, though
noticably cooler in the hills. The rainy season is from July to
October. Driest months are January to April.
COMMUNICATIONS: Cable & Wireless Dominica provide a range
of reliable services including cardphones, payphone, credit card
calling facilities and reliable internet services. For a complete
picture of cellular raoming services available in Dominica, click
here.
CURRENCY: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$) U.S. currency generally
accepted throughout the island. Fixed exchange rates: US$1.00 =
EC$2.70. EC$1.00 = US$0.37¢
DRESS CODE: Casual. It can become cool in the evenings, especially
in the hills so a light jacket or a shawl is recommended. When hiking
stout footwear and a waterproof are recommended. Swimwear is not
encouraged in the towns.
ELECTRICITY: 220/240V at 50 cycles. 70%
of Dominica's electricity is generated by hydro-electric power.
GOVERNMENT:
Fully independent with republican status within the British
Commonwealth.
LANGUAGE: English. Creole and Patois are widely spoken too.
LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHY: Latitude - 15º 25' N, Longitude -
61º20' W, north of Martinique and south of Guadeloupe in the Windward
Islands. 29 miles long, 16 miles wide. Area: 288 sq. miles (746
sq. km). Highest point is Morne Trois Pitons at 4550 ft (1387m).
POPULATION: 72,000 (2005 est.). Mostly of Afro-caribbean
origin. There are about 3000 Carib Indians.
SUNTANNING TIPS: Always have sunblock at the ready, as even
on overcast days you can easily become badly sunburnt and spoil
your holiday. Avoid the intense mid-day sun if you can; this is
when you are most likely to get sunburnt. Remember, build your tan
slowly as a nasty bout of sunburn will put you out of action for
a few days.
TIME ZONE: Atlantic Standard Time (4 hours behind GMT, 1
hour ahead of the U.S. Eastern Seaboard).
| Calendar of Events |
|
| January |
New
Year's Day |
| February |
MAS
DOMINIQUE. Carnival. Street parades, costume parades and fashion
parades, Calypso music competitions. Popular Lapo Kwabit bands
weilding traditional instruments. |
| April |
Good
Friday
Kone Kon-La (fish festival)
Portsmouth Marine Festival (water festival)
Fete Marine Grand Anse (water festival)
Fete Isadore - Grand Bay & San Saveur |
| May |
May
Day
Whit Monday
Art, Craft and Flower Festival
Sports Fishing Tournament |
| July |
DOMFESTA
(festival of the creative arts)
DIVEFEST (diving festival)
Emancipation Concert (27)
Golden Drum Awards (30) |
| August |
Caribbean
Drumming Festival (1)
'20/20' Play (2)
Emancipation
Hike (3)
August Monday (4)
Castle Bruce Village Feast (14)
|
| September |
Reunion
Seven Wonders Hike (20)
Opening of Independence National Stadium (27) |
| October |
Salisbury
Village Feast (1)
Dominica History Week (6-10)
Reunion Seven Wonders Hike (11)
Independence Art Exhibition (14)
National Folk Song Festival (15)
St. Joseph Village Festival (16)
Heritage Day (26)
Cable & Wireless Creole In The Park (27-30)
World Creole Music Festival (31) |
| November |
World
Creole Music Festival (1-2)
Market Day With A Difference (2)
Independence Day (3)
National Cultural Gala (3)
Community Day of Service (4)
Caribbena Wob Dwive Pageant (15) |
| December |
Christmas
Day (25)
Boxing Day (26) |
| |
|
| As
is the case with most of the English-speaking West Indies,
if a Public Holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday the following
Monday automatically becomes a Public Holiday.For further
information on events in Dominica you can contact Discover
Dominica.
|
|
