Dominica

The Commonwealth of Dominica, popularly known as Dominica, is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea. It should not be confused with the Dominican Republic, another Caribbean nation.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Dominica

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Almost all of the seventy thousand nationals of Dominica today are descendants of African slaves, brought in by colonial planters in the 18th century. However, Dominica is also one of the few islands in the Eastern Caribbean to possess a population of pre-Columbian Carib Indians, about 3,000 of whom live on the island's east coast in their own territory.

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The population growth rate of Dominica is very low, due primarily to emigration to more developed Caribbean Islands, the United Kingdom, the United States, or Canada. English is the official language of Dominica and is universally understood; however, because of historic French domination, Antillean Creole "Patwa", a French-based creole language, is also widely spoken. About 80% of the population is Catholic, though in recent years a number of Protestant churches have been established.

Related Topics:
Patwa - Creole language

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