Roseau – Largest and Capital City of Dominica

Roseau is the largest and the capital city of Dominica having a population of around 16,852 inhabitants. It is an urban settlement, small, chaotic, noisy, compact and a vibrant capital located within the Saint George parish and surrounded by the Roseau River, the Caribbean Sea and Morne Bruce.

It is built on the site of the ancient Kalinago Indian village of Sairi and is the most important and the oldest urban settlement on the island of Dominica. It is on the west coast of Dominica with a combination of modern and French style architecture.

The streets of Roseau are lined with historic stone as well as wood buildings which range from ramshackle to elegant. On close look, one will spot a blend of English, French and Spanish architectural elements like porticoes, hurricane shutters, louvers and overhanging verandas.

Best Way to Explore is on Foot

The best way to explore this amazing destination should be done on foot since there are many interesting sites which are clustered around the cruise ship dock along the Dame Eugenia Charles Blvd also known as Bayfront.

Its historic area is the French Quarter, to the south of King George V St; and towards the south of the center along the coastal road is the suburb of Newtown Citronier and Castle Comfort. Roseau is also Dominica’s important port for foreign trade with some exports like bay oil, vegetables, bananas, grapefruit, cocoa and oranges. Its service sector plays a very important role on the local economy.

Several Conflicts between French and the British

Roseau city is situated on an alluvial fan, formed many years ago as the river for which it is named, passed across the area from its presently known Newtown to its current location. For over two thousand years, the Amerindians migrated through the island and attracted by the nearby river settled in that area.

After the Europeans arrived on the island in the 16th and the 17th centuries, a small settlement established by the French whose tradition of naming place, named the settlement with their name for the river reeds that grew alongside the river banks.

There were conflicts on several occasions between the French and the British and finally the British had a stronghold and by late 18rh and early 19th centuries, they set plans for the city for fortifications and government structures, grid road street system and blocks with new urban areas towards the north and south which today is known as Potter’s Ville and Newtown.

Extensive Botanical Gardens

Roseau’s central district is packed with large as well as small houses together with even larger modern concrete structures. The open green spaces within the city which was once a commonplace within the city are now giving way to office space.

Besides this, the district is framed in every direction with natural elements with the sea and the river providing water and the botanical gardens and the Government House gardens framing the city with green space which is rare in the Caribbean. One will not find extensive botanical gardens with central location as well as the Roseau River which is one of the largest rivers flowing through the Caribbean capital in any center in the region.