It was named by Christopher Columbus, who sighted it on November 3, 1493, a Sunday (Latin: dies dominica, "the Lord's day").
Flags from 72 nations (including Dominica with its green and purple parrot) are on sale at the auction.
British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) flies to Antigua from Gatwick from £554 return, after which Liat (liatairline.com) flies from Antigua to Dominica from £116 Mallorca's mild winter weather makes it perfect for walks up into the Tramuntana mountains, or horse rides across the plains.
Serenity Holidays (0845 330 2060; serenityholidays.co.uk) has a week from £599, including flights and transfers One of the best Caribbean islands for trekking, Dominica is criss-crossed with walking trails – and many go through the grounds of the Zandoli Inn.
The cheapest way to fly to Dominica is by purchasing two separate return tickets.
The others are Caribbean: St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica.
Nearby Dominica and St Vincent, though, have as many banana farmers, but more rain and fewer beaches.
Banana exports from the three islands have fallen by some 75% since then; Dominica, in particular, has suffered a gruelling decade of recession and wage cuts.Caribbean politicians rail against freer trade, but are loathe to make sacrifices to aid their own.
Small as Honduras is, its adherence is something of a coup for Mr Chávez, since ALBA has hitherto been a select club, comprising only Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica and Nicaragua, apart from Venezuela.Mr Zelaya's motives seem clear enough.
Fly in from former British colonies like Dominica or St Lucia and Guadeloupe looks a model of prosperity and, normally, good order.
The banana exports of Dominica, a country of 71,000 people, earned $24m in 1993; a mere $9m in 2000.
