Roseau << roh ZOH >> is the capital and largest city of Dominica, an island country in the Caribbean Sea. Roseau has a population of about 15,000. The city lies on the southwestern coast of the island, at the mouth of the Roseau River.
Roseau has a busy port whose import and export activities are the basis of the city’s economy. The city includes modern commercial buildings as well as stone structures dating from the 1700’s. Many of Roseau’s people live in small wooden or cement-block houses.
Roseau was founded in the mid-1700’s by French settlers. They named the site Roseau, which means reed in French, because reeds grew there. From the 1600’s to 1759, France and Britain (now the United Kingdom) struggled for control of Dominica. Britain ruled the country from 1759 to 1978, when Dominica gained independence. Hurricanes have sometimes struck Roseau, causing deaths and damage to the city.
