Dominica
751 km²
Caribbean natural sites make up the biodiversity hotspot we know. For example:
The wealth of these islands stems from their volcanic geological history (histoire géologique liée aux volcans). There are currently 21 active volcanoes in the Caribbean. Although some have been dormant for several years, there is at least one on each island, from Saba to Grenada, except in Dominica where there are 9.
Mount Duarte, the highest peak in the Caribbean, is located in the north of the Dominican Republic and reaches an altitude of 3,098 m. Its mountain range extends to the northern massif of Haiti. The highest peak in the Lesser Antilles is the active volcano of La Soufrière (La Soufrière) in Guadeloupe, reaching an altitude of 1,467 m.
Haiti, adorned with geological assets and in particular numerous caves including:,( Marie-Louise Boumba), Jean Zinga but also and above all the Marie-Jeanne cave,(grotte Marie-Jeanne), the longest in the Caribbean with its 5.3 km of gallery. Located at an altitude of 120 meters in the commune of Port-à-Piment in the department of South Haiti, it is classified, to this day, as the largest underground heritage of Haiti.
Guadeloupe and its archipelago hide many secrets with its dual formation (volcanic and limestone). Marie-Galante, formerly attached to Grande-Terre, is a small, flat but surprising island. Discover the Gueule Grand Gouffre or Désirade, the oldest island in the Lesser Antilles, facing the Pointe des Châteaux (the most visited site in Guadeloupe) and the management of Petite-Terre, the only island home only to West Indian iguanas iguanes antillais.
In terms of forest diversity, our territories are home to forests of all types: xerophilous forest, mesophilous forest, hygrophilous forest, high-altitude forest, mangrove… In Haiti, the Pine Forest, located at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, forms a vast, important and emblematic expanse of tropical and subtropical coniferous forests.
Underwater, life abounds. In Guadeloupe, we find the Grand cul-de-sac marin where corals, fish and turtles coexist, sheltered by the largest coral reef in the Lesser Antilles.
In fresh water, many waterfalls are known, notably the Carbet Falls Chutes du Carbet with their history linked to the Amerindians living at their mouths in huts. But also the Saut-d'Eau Waterfall, Cascade Saut-d'Eau , emblematic in Haiti for pilgrimages.
Our biodiversity is rich and interconnected; for it to survive and stay healthy, we must protect every link in the chain. Forests, mangroves, seabeds, seas, rivers, lakes, ponds… all the ecosystems they shelter are a guarantee of the balance of our environment.
Located in the commune of Morne-à-l’eau, the “Canal des Rotours” was dug over nearly 6 kilometers by more than 300 free or enslaved men between 1826 and 1829. It begins in the Grippon’s plain, crosses the town, and flows into the Grand-Cul-de-Sac Marin at Pointe à Feuille, not far from Vieux-bourg.
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