Almost all Dominicans are descendants of African slaves brought in by colonial planters in the 18th century. Dominica is the only island in the eastern Caribbean to retain some of its pre-Columbian population--the Carib Indians--about 3,000 of whom live on the island's east coast. A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Slave redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... West Indian redirects here. ... This article is about the Island Carib people, who lived on the islands of the Caribbean. ...

The population growth rate is very low, due primarily to emigration to more prosperous Caribbean Islands, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. English is the official language and universally understood; however, because of historic French domination, Antillean Creole, a French patois, is also widely spoken. About 80% of the population is Catholic. In recent years, a number of Protestant churches have been established. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Antillean Creole is a French-lexified creole language spoken primarily in the Lesser Antilles. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Population: 71,540 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29% (male 10,556; female 10,254)
15-64 years: 63% (male 23,151; female 21,984)
65 years and over: 8% (male 2,294; female 3,301) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.08% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 18.27 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Net migration rate: -22.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) mtDNA-based chart of large human migrations. ...

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 17.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) The international levels of infant mortality, depicted as the number of deaths in a thousand births. ...

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.35 years
male: 70.5 years
female: 76.36 years (2000 est.) World map of life expectancy, 2005 Life expectancy is a statistical measure defined as the expected (mean) survival of human beings based upon a number of criteria such as gender and geographic location. ...

Total fertility rate: 2.05 children born/woman (2000 est.) Fertility is a measure of reproduction: the number of children born per couple, person or population. ...

Nationality:
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups: black 90%, Mulatto, Carib Amerindian 2%

Religions: Roman Catholic 77%, Protestant 15% (Methodist 5%, Pentecostal 3%, Seventh-day Adventist 3%, Baptist 2%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6% The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), colloquially referred to as the Adventists, is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination that grew out of the prophetic Millerite movement in the United States during the middle part of the 19th century. ...

Languages: English (official), French patois

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 94%
male: 94%
female: 94% (1970 est.) World literacy rates by country The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language to read, write, listen, and speak. ...