Saint John Parish, Dominica

For Saint John Parish in other places, see Saint John Parish (disambiguation).

Saint John is one of Dominica's 10 administrative parishes. It is bordered by St. Andrew to the east, and St. Peter and the Espagnole River to the south. It has an area of 59 km² (22.78 mi²).

Saint John
Parish
Prince Rupert Bay, near Portsmouth
Country	Dominica
Capital	Portsmouth
Area
• Total	59.0 km2 (22.8 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	6,561
• Density	110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-4
ISO 3166-2	DM-05

Indian River, near Portsmouth

6,561 people live in the parish, half of which (2,977) live in the main settlement, Portsmouth (Dominica's second largest town, also called Grand Anse by locals). Glanvilla and Lagoon serve as the town's suburbs.

Other settlements include:

• Bornes
• Capucin
• Clifton
• Cottage
• Toucari
• Tanetane

The highest peak is Morne aux Diables, with a height of 861 m (2827 ft).

Education

Portsmouth Secondary School, the island's first rural secondary school, opened in St. John in the 1960s.

Notable names

Via Portsmouth, the parish is the birthplace of local historian Lennox Honychurch, and former prime minister Rosie Douglas.

Transportation

St. John shares some of Dominica's best roads with adjacent St. Andrew. In addition, the island's northernmost road, connecting Tanetane with Penville, was opened in 2004.

Prince Rupert Bay, near Portsmouth, has been an often-used stop-over for yachts and cruise ships.

Tourism

The best known tourist attractions in St. John's are the Indian River and the Cabrits National Park, which consists of the Cabrits Peninsula and Fort Shirley. Benjamin's Park is the primary sporting venue and has hosted first-class cricket.