Dominica

Dominica was discovered by Christopher Columbus November 13, 1493 and it remained almost unknown up until 1627. From then on, until 1763 it was reason for conflict between the French and the English, who competed for its possession. In a short time, the indigenous population was exterminated, a history that would repeat itself on other Caribbean islands. Trustworthy records indicate that in 1632 there were on the Island about 1000 Carib survivors that had courageously resisted the European attempts at colonization. Today, there remain only 500 of their descendants, who live in reservations. The forests were razed to the ground to give way to sugarcane plantations, which were exploited by thousands of slaves brought from Africa. The French replaced the Spaniards in the 17th century and introduced coffee and cotton. Over more than two centuries, the French and the English competed over the island and in 1805 Dominica became a British possession. Under British rule, Dominica was governed as part of the Leeward Islands dependency in 1833, and was then federated to the Windward Islands in 1940. Both groups of islands are part of the Windward Islands, according to the Spanish-language geographic denomination. The French influence, however, has stayed until today. It is reflected in the persistence of the Catholic religion that continues to be that of the majority, and in the popular speech, the Creole, based on French and on African languages. From the English, Dominica inherits, after five centuries of colonization, an underdeveloped, agriculture-based, one-item exporting economy. Bananas are the only significant export item, and most of the soil is devoted to their production, after sugarcane growing ceased to be profitable.