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North & Central America and Caribbean
Dominica |
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Last reviewed: 04 June 2009 |
Country information
HISTORY
Spotted by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and named after the day of his discovery, a Sunday (Dominica in Latin), Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonised by Europeans, due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1967 Dominica gained autonomy in internal affairs, and on 3 November 1978 Dominica became an independent republic within the Commonwealth. After a turbulent first year of independence, marked by a corrupt government and devastating hurricanes, Mary Eugenia Charles of the Dominica Freedom Party was elected Prime Minister, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean. She remained in office for 15 years.
BBC News Country Timeline: Dominica
