Eventually the isolation of the Caribs ended as both the French and British settled the island. With this settlement the Caribs were enslaved or retreated further into the mountains. This destroyed much of the remaining culture and lifestyle of the Caribs as British and French influences took over. These two European groups altered the culture forever and even today both English and French Patois are commonly spoken. Additionally, just over half the people are Catholic, a result from French influence, and many of the others are Protestant, partially a result of British influence.
Despite the changes and introductions, the greatest influence the French and British made to this island, other than destroying the Carib people, was with populating the island with African slaves. Slaves from Africa were brought in to work the lands, introducing a new culture, but also changing the ethnic makeup of the people as after only a short time the ethnic African dominated the island's population.
Even today the majority of the population in Dominica is of African descent or a mix of African and Carib descent. These people run the country in every way today and the culture and way of life on the island is slowly finding a more solid identity. The culture has been heavily influenced by these people, but the lifestyle remains similar to how it was in the past as many people continue to live along the coasts as agriculture is still the dominant industry. Magnifying this lifestyle even more, there are no true cities as this agricultural-based economy has led to a fairly rural population who continues to live off the land even today.