Dominica

Roseau is the capital and largest city of Dominica, located on the island’s southwest coast at the mouth of the Roseau River. As the seat of government and main port, it’s the country’s political and economic hub, known for its French and British colonial heritage and the name “Roseau,” French for “reeds,” reflecting the riverine setting. By contrast, Portsmouth is the second-largest town in the north, La Plaine is a village on the east coast, and Morne Trois Pitons is a volcanic mountain and UNESCO-listed national park—not a city. Memory tip: Think “Dominica’s rose is Roseau”—the capital blooming by the river on the west coast.