Mountainous, densely forested, with waterfalls and exotic birds, much of Dominica is protected as national wilderness. Volcanic activity provides boiling pools, geysers, and black-sand beaches. Most Dominicans are descendants of African slaves brought in by colonial planters. Independent from Britain since 1978, Dominica remains poor and dependent on banana exports. Governments, including that of Mary Eugenia Charles, the first female prime minister in the West Indies, have sought to broaden the economic base with tourism and light industry. Home to 3,000 Carib Indians, Dominica is the last bastion of this once populous Caribbean tribe.