The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. [1] Dominica accepted the convention on April 4, 1995, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2023, Dominica has only one World Heritage Site, Morne Trois Pitons National Park, which was inscribed in 1997. [2]
Name | Image | Location | Criteria | Year | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Morne Trois Pitons National Park | Saint David Parish, Saint George Parish, Saint Patrick Parish, Saint Paul Parish | Natural (viii) (ix) | 1997 | Luxuriant natural tropical forest blends with scenic volcanic features of great scientific interest in this national park centred on the 1,342-m-high volcano known as Morne Trois Pitons. With its precipitous slopes and deeply incised valleys, 50 fumaroles, hot springs, three freshwater lakes, a 'boiling lake' and five volcanoes, located on the park's nearly 7,000 ha, together with the richest biodiversity in the Lesser Antilles, Morne Trois Pitons National Park presents a rare combination of natural features of World Heritage value. [3] |
Site | Image | Location | Criteria | Area ha (acre) | Year of submission | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fort Shirley | Saint John Parish | Cultural (ii) (iv) | 2015 | [4] | ||
Morne Diablotin National Park | Saint Andrew Parish, Saint John Parish, Saint Joseph Parish, Saint Peter Parish | Natural (vii) (ix) | 2015 | [5] | ||
Soufriere-Scott’s Head Marine Reserve | Saint Mark Parish | Natural (vii) (x) | 2015 | [6] |
Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a national park in Dominica established in July 1975, the first to be legally established in the country. It became a World Heritage Site in 1997. The park is named after its highest mountain, Morne Trois Pitons, meaning mountain of three peaks. The park is an area of significant volcanic activity. Features within the park include the Valley of Desolation, a region of boiling mud ponds and small geysers; the Boiling Lake; Titou Gorge; and Emerald Pool. The mountain is the second-highest peak in Dominica, being exceeded only by Morne Diablotins.
Cabrits National Park is on a peninsula at the north end of the Caribbean island of Dominica, north of Portsmouth. The park protects tropical forest, coral reefs and wetlands. There are hiking trails and an English garrison called Fort Shirley.