On the first Sunday in November 1493, Christopher Columbus spotted a mountainous island between Martinique and Guadeloupe in the Caribbean Sea. Ignoring the fact that its Carib inhabitants already had a name for the island, Columbus renamed it Dominica, the Latin name for the day of the week on which he spotted it. The Caribs managed to resist Spanish efforts to colonize the island but were unable to fend off the British and French. When did Dominica finally gain its independence? Discuss (http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst46722_Christopher-Columbus-First-Sights-the-Caribbean-Island-of-Dominica--1493-.aspx)