Dominica (officially the Commonwealth of Dominica) is an island country in the Caribbean. The island was originally occupied by the Arawak, and then later the Carib peoples. Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1493 but the occupants resisted colonisation until the French gained control of the island in 1632. Having passed to British control in 1763 the island became part of the Leeward Islands' dependancy in 1833 and remained so until it joined the Windward Islands' group in 1940. In 1967 the island achieved internal self-rule and in 1978 full independence. Both and English and French are spoken in
Dominica, with English being the official language. The religion is predominantly Roman Catholic. Research Dominica