Dominica is an island country that is situated in the eastern Caribbean Sea and lies
between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante. The island is 47 kilometers
long and 26 kilometers wide. Before European colonization, Dominica was home to the
Carib people who had migrated here from South America.1
Dominica received its name from Christopher Columbus who spotted it on 3 November 1493 -- a Sunday. He subsequently named it “dies dominica” (“The Lord's Day”). Although
gaining its name from Columbus, the first colonists on the island were the French
in 1632. After a fight between France and Britain over its ownership, the French withdrew
from the island in 1805, leaving Britain as the primary colonialist power.2
Before Dominica was made a separate colony, it was administered as part of the Leeward Islands. Dominica joined the West Indies Federation in 1958 and gained its full independence, although remaining part of the commonwealth, on
3 November 1978 -- exactly 485 years after receiving its name.3
Today, Dominica is considered one of the poorest Caribbean countries. Since the island's
main economic source is agriculture, which is habitually destroyed by hurricanes,
there is not much else to rely on. The original Carib material culture is still present
in Dominica.4
1. Janet D. Momsen, Dominica, Encyclopedia Britannica.