Grand Bay, known officially as Berekua or Berricoa, is a village in the south of
Dominica. It has a population of 2,288 as of 2010,
[Commonwealth of Dominica, ''Population and Housing Census — 2001''. Roseau, Dominica: Central Statistical Office, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Kennedy Avenue, 2001.] and is the largest settlement in
St. Patrick Parish.
Grand Bay, also called South City, the cultural capital of Dominica, is a vibrant community located along the Atlantic Ocean coast in the south-east of Dominica. To its immediate south across the sea is the island of
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...
.
Geography
The village is surrounded by several scenic mountain ranges including Bois Den to the south, Palmiste to the west, Morne Plat Pays to the north-west, Morne Anglais and Morne Watt to the north, Foundland range to the north east and east. Nestled along the slopes of these mountains are the villages of Bellevue, Pichelin, Montine, Tete Morne, Grand Coulibrie, Dubique and Stowe. The main community of Grand Bay is characterized by its long narrow street called Lallay, on both sides of which the largest population resides. In addition there is Mabouchay, Back Street, Hagley, Wavin Banan, Powell and Berikua, making up the older residential area. Since
Hurricane David
Hurricane David was an extremely deadly hurricane which caused massive loss of life in the Dominican Republic in August 1979, and was the most intense hurricane to make landfall in the country in recorded history. A Cape Verde hurricane that rea ...
in 1979, the village has extended to include the new communities of Geneva, Highland, Bala Park and Bolom.
History
Grand Bay has been the first Village in Dominica to have its very own radio station which has existed since the mid-'80s. This radio station is called RADIO En Ba Mango and was founded by the current owner Urban
"Man'I" Dangleben as part of his life's work, Urban "Man'I" Dangleben has been a dedicated electronic repairman and a creative and well-crafted talk show, radio and television host.
The people of Grand Bay are known to uphold the cultural heritage of Dominica in dance, music, art and craft and language. The
cadence
In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999) ...
music, the
creole language
A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable natural language that develops from the simplifying and mixing of different languages into a new one within a fairly brief period of time: often, a pidgin evolved into a full-fledged language. ...
and many other traditions are part of the daily life of the community.
Economy
The economy is based mainly on agriculture with the production of a variety of root crops, bananas, other fruits and vegetables for the local and overseas market. There is a small furniture manufacturing industry and many small shops and snackettes. Some people engage in the production of craft items for tourists and locals alike and recently, a small cottage soap making plant was established at Geneva.
References
External links
Grand Bay website
Populated places in Dominica
Saint Patrick Parish, Dominica
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