Roseau is Dominica's capital, largest city and administrative centre, with a population of approximately 25,000.
The city was named after the reeds found by the river by the original French settlers who built there around 1700.

The main part of the city is to the south of the Roseau River but a number of suburbs lie to the north of the river including areas such as
Goodwill and Pottersville. The grid layout that characterisies the centre of the city was drawn up by the British in 1768. Roseau has suffered several setbacks in its development over the years such as fires, floods and hurricanes.

Today, there are still good examples to be found of distinctive stone and wood townhouses dating from the Victorian era, and efforts are being made to preserve them. These building are characterised by their wooden overhanging verandahs decorated with sometimes ornate fretwork.

There are several places of interest in Roseau. The Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Fair Haven; the Old Market which was once used to buy and sell slaves and nearby the Old Post office which is now a Museum. A little to the south of the city centre is Fort Young Hotel, built as a fort in 1770 and destroyed by Hurricane David in 1979. Next to it is the wooden Carnegie Public Library built in 1906; opposite is the State House in extensive grounds; next to it is the recently renovated House of Assembly which is our Parliament building.

See other listings for more details about some of the places of interest mentioned.