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Dominican Republic

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Central & South American
Countries; Countries

   SOS Children works in the Dominican Republic. For more information see
   SOS Children in the Dominican Republic
   República Dominicana
   Dominican Republic

   Flag of the Dominican Republic Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic
   Flag                           Coat of arms
   Motto: Spanish: Dios, Patria, Libertad
   (English: God, Fatherland, Liberty)
   Anthem: Quisqueyanos valientes
   Location of the Dominican Republic
   Capital
   (and largest city) Santo Domingo
   18°30′N 69°59′W
   Official languages Spanish
   Government Republic
    - President Leonel Fernández
   Independence from Haiti
    - Date 27 February 1844
   Area
    - Total 48,442 km² ( 130st)
   18,810 sq mi
    - Water (%) 1.6
   Population
    - July 2005 estimate 8,895,000 ( 87th)
    - 2002 census 8,562,541
    - Density 182/km² ( 58th)
   474/sq mi
   GDP ( PPP) 2005 estimate
    - Total $67.410 billion ( 68th)
    - Per capita $7,611 ( 85th)
   HDI  (2006) 0.751 (medium) ( 94th)
   Currency Peso ( DOP)
   Time zone ( UTC-4)
   Internet TLD .do
   Calling code + 1-809 and + 1-829

   The Dominican Republic, (Spanish: República Dominicana, IPA [re'puβlika
   domini'kana]) is a country located on the eastern two-thirds of the
   Caribbean island of Hispaniola, bordering Haiti. Hispaniola is the
   second-largest of the Greater Antilles islands, and lies west of Puerto
   Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica. A legacy of unsettled, mostly
   non-representative rule lasted for much of the 20th century; the move
   towards representative democracy has improved vastly since the death of
   military dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1961. Dominicans
   sometimes refer to their country as Quisqueya, a name for Hispaniola
   used by indigenous Taíno people. The Dominican Republic is not to be
   confused with Dominica, another Caribbean country.

History

   Early map of Hispaniola
   Enlarge
   Early map of Hispaniola

   The earliest inhabitants of the island of Hispaniola, on which the
   Dominican Republic is located, were the Taínos. The Taínos were a
   seafaring branch of the South American Arawaks. Taíno means "the good"
   or "noble" in that native language. A system of cacicazgos ( chiefdoms)
   existed. They were called Marien, Maguana, Higuey, Magua and Xaragua
   (also written as Jaragua) by the natives. These chiefdoms were then
   subdivided into subchiefdoms. The cacicazgos were based on a system of
   tribute, consisting of the food grown by the Taíno. Among the cultural
   signs that they left were cave paintings around the country, which have
   become touristic and nationalistic symbols of the Dominican Republic,
   and words from their language, including ‘hurricane’ (hurrakan) and
   ‘tobacco’ (tabakko). The northern dialect is more closely influenced by
   the Taíno language than the southern. Many Dominicans in the region
   (known as Cibao) pronounce their 'r' as 'i'. "Comer" (spanish for 'to
   eat'), is pronounced "comei," by the northerners.

   Christopher Columbus explored and claimed Hiapaniola for the Spanish
   crown during his first voyage to the hemisphere in 1492. On his return
   the following year, Columbus founded the first European settlement in
   America at La Isabela. Hispaniola was to become a springboard for
   Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697,
   Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island,
   which in 1804 became independent Haiti after a slave rebellion. The
   remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain
   its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the
   Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the
   Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily
   returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later a war of
   independence was launched, ending with victory in 1865. The United
   States ruled Dominican territory with a military government from 1916
   to 1924. From 1931 to his assassination in 1961 dictator Rafael
   Leonidas Trujillo ruled the Dominican Republic. During this time, the
   nation experienced social and economic progress. Since 1965, however,
   the nation's people have experienced economic hardships.

   In 1965, US troops arrived in the Dominican Republic, as well as forces
   from Honduras, Brazil and Costa Rica. They remained in that country for
   over a year and left after supervising elections in which they ensured
   victory by Joaquín Balaguer. He retained power for the better part of
   30 years and ruled his people in the grand Latin American style. The
   rich became richer and the poor had babies (hungry babies); democracy
   remained an alien concept. Balaguer was pressured out of office in 1996
   following international outcry over fixed elections.

   For a decade there have been true democratic elections, never before
   seen throughout Dominican Republic history, in which opposition leaders
   have won the presidency. Democracy is not something that is born
   overnight, it takes time to learn its rewards and even more
   importantly; tolerate its hardships. Presently, in the Dominican
   Republic it appears that only a narrow range of political opinion is
   tolerated. The enormous disparity in income and wealth between social
   classes should provide fertile ground for radical politics, but there
   are no radical newspapers available on the streets of Santo Domingo.

Politics

   Politics of the Dominican Republic takes place in a framework of a
   presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President
   of the Dominican Republic is both head of state and head of government,
   and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by
   the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and
   the two chambers of the National Congress. The Judiciary is independent
   of the executive and the legislature.

Administrative divisions

   The Dominican Republic is divided into 31 provinces. The national
   capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional.
   Please note that the names of provincial capital cities are provided in
   parentheses where they differ from the name of their respective
   provinces.
   Map of the provinces of the Dominican Republic.
   Enlarge
   Map of the provinces of the Dominican Republic.
    1. Ázua
    2. Bahoruco ( Neiba)
    3. Barahona
    4. Dajabón
    5. Duarte ( San Francisco de Macorís)
    6. Elías Piña ( Comendador)
    7. El Seibo ( Santa Cruz del Seibo)
    8. Espaillat ( Moca)
    9. Hato Mayor
   10. Independencia ( Jimaní)
   11. La Altagracia ( Higüey)
   12. La Romana
   13. La Vega
   14. María Trinidad Sánchez ( Nagua)
   15. Monseñor Nouel ( Bonao)
   16. Monte Cristi

                                          17. Monte Plata
                                          18. Pedernales
                                          19. Peravia ( Baní)
                                          20. Puerto Plata
                                          21. Salcedo
                                          22. Samaná
                                          23. Sánchez Ramírez ( Cotuí)
                                          24. San Cristóbal
                                          25. San José de Ocoa
                                          26. San Juan
                                          27. San Pedro de Macorís
                                          28. Santiago
                                          29. Santiago Rodríguez ( Sabaneta)
                                          30. Santo Domingo
                                          31. Valverde ( Mao)
                                              D.N.*

   * The national capital, also known as Distrito Nacional (D.N.), is the
   city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

Geography

   Map of the Dominican Republic
   Enlarge
   Map of the Dominican Republic

   The capital of the country is the city of Santo Domingo (full name
   Santo Domingo de Guzman), located in the Southern part of the island.
   Originally a single city located within the province Distrito Nacional
   (National District), it has now been divided into a Province of Santo
   Domingo and the National District. The Province of Santo Domingo is
   comprised of several municipalities: Santo Domingo Norte (North Santo
   Domingo), Santo Domingo Este (East Santo Domingo, which is the
   provincial capital), Santo Domingo Oeste (West Santo Domingo) and Boca
   Chica. The Ozama River serves a natural border between the National
   District and the Province of Santo Domingo. Thus the capital city of
   the Country is the City of Santo Domingo de Guzman, Province of
   National District. The second largest city is Santiago de los
   Caballeros, more commonly referred to as simply Santiago.

   The country has three major mountain ranges: The Central Mountains
   (Cordillera Central), which originate in Haiti and span the central
   part of the island, ending up in the south. This mountain range boasts
   the highest peak in the Antilles, Pico Duarte (3,087  m / 10,128  ft
   above sea level). The Septentrional Mountains, running parallel to the
   Central Mountains, separate the Cibao Valley and the Atlantic coastal
   plains. The highest point here is Pico Diego de Ocampo. The lowest and
   shortest of the three ranges is the Eastern Mountains, in the eastern
   part of the country. There are also the Sierra Bahoruco and the Sierra
   Neyba in the southwest. This is a country of many rivers, including the
   navigable Soco, Higuamo, Romana (also known as 'Rio Dulce'), Yaque del
   Norte, Yaque del Sur, Yuna, Yuma, and Bajabonico. Puerto Plata's Mount.
   Isabela is famous for the Cuban plane that crashed there in 1992.

   The two largest islands, nearshore, are Saona Island in the southeast
   and Beata Island in the southwest. To the north, at a distance between
   100 and 200 km, are three extensive, largely submerged banks, which
   geographically are a southeast continuation of the Bahamas:
     * Navidad Bank
     * Silver Bank
     * Mouchoir Bank

   Navidad and Silver Banks have been officially claimed by the Dominican
   Republic.

Climate

   A beach on the Saona island
   Enlarge
   A beach on the Saona island

   The country is a Tropical maritime nation, with a wet season from May
   to November, and periodic Hurricanes between June and November. Most
   rain falls in the Northern and Eastern regions. The average rainfall is
   1346 mm, with extremes of 2500 mm in the North-east and 500 mm in the
   West. The mean annual temperature ranges from 21°C in the mountainous
   regions to 25°C on the plains and the coast. The average temperature in
   Santo Domingo in January is 23.9°C, and 27.2°C in July.

Economy

   The Dominican Republic is a middle-income developing country primarily
   dependent on agriculture, trade, and services, especially tourism.
   Although the service sector has recently overtaken agriculture as the
   leading employer of Dominicans (due principally to growth in tourism
   and Free Trade Zones), agriculture remains the most important sector in
   terms of domestic consumption and is in second place (behind mining) in
   terms of export earnings. Tourism accounts for more than $3 billion in
   annual earnings. Free Trade Zone earnings and tourism are the
   fastest-growing export sectors. Remittances (remesas) from Dominicans
   living abroad are estimated to be about $3 billion per year.

   Following economic turmoil in the late 1980s and 1990, during which the
   GDP fell by up to 5% and consumer price inflation reached an
   unprecedented 100%, the Dominican Republic entered a period of moderate
   growth and declining inflation until 2002 after which the economy
   entered a recession, after the second commercial bank of the country (
   Baninter) collapsed, caused by a major fraud of 3.5 billion of dollars
   during the administration of President Hipolito Mejia (2000-2004). The
   Baninter fraud had a devastating effect on the Dominican economy, with
   GDP dropped by 1% in 2003 while inflation ballooned by over 27%. With
   the election of former president Leonel Fernández in 2004 and
   implementation of economic reforms, the economy has re-stabilized and
   strong GDP growth has resumed. The growth of the Dominican economy
   remains significantly hampered by an ongoing energy shortage, which
   causes frequent blackouts and high prices.

   Despite a widening merchandise trade deficit, tourism earnings and
   remittances have helped build foreign exchange reserves. The Dominican
   Republic is current on foreign private debt, and has agreed to pay
   arrears of about $130 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
   Commodity Credit Corporation.

   According to the 2005 Annual Report of the United Nations Subcommittee
   on Human Development in the Dominican Republic, the country is ranked #
   71 in the world for resource availability, # 94 for human development,
   and # 14 in the world for resource mismanagement. These statistics
   emphasize the national government corruption, the foreign economic
   interference in the country, and the rift between the rich and poor.

Currency

   The Dominican Peso (RD$) is the national currency of the country
   although the U.S. dollar is often acceptable in some places, especially
   tourist oriented shops and hotels. Initially, the peso was worth the
   same as a U.S. dollar. In more recent years, however, the value has
   decreased relative to the US dollar. The exchange rate to the U.S.
   dollar was about RD$14.00 in 1993 and RD$16.00 in 2000, but in early
   2004 reached RD$54.00 per U.S. dollar. It ended the year 2005 at about
   RD$34.00 per dollar.

   The exchange rate between the two currencies fluctuates on a daily
   basis, and is usually between $33.00-34.00 pesos as of September 2006.
   The International Monetary Fund revealed a growth of 7.6% over
   inflation index for 2006, which implies that the national currency of
   the Dominican Republic could naturally finish the year with an average
   basis between 35.70 and touching 38 per dollar roof. Another factor
   which would have a certain impact over the currency exchange market of
   the Dominican Republic is the fluctuations of the American Dollar at
   international currency market. The U.S. dollar is implicated over
   almost all commercial actions of the Dominican Republic, supporting the
   theory that explains the devaluation of the peso in front of the dollar
   in 2005 is the result of the international currency market; On Feb 2005
   1.32 USD = one € = 29 DR pesos, later on Oct 2005 1.19 USD = one € = 32
   DR pesos.

   Multiple local economists (Andres Dahuajre Jr. and Jaime Aristy
   Escuder, principally) and well-recognized commercial analyst firms and
   institutions estimated an over-evaluation of the Dominican Peso
   suggesting that the daily basis of the Dominican currency is
   artificially controlled by the government, considerably bordering a
   free market's policies.

Demographics

   Dominican girls at carnival in Taíno garments and makeup (2005)
   Enlarge
   Dominican girls at carnival in Taíno garments and makeup (2005)

   According to the CIA World Factbook, about 70% of all Dominicans are
   mixed, that is, of mixed European, African and indigenous American
   ancestry. Around 16% of Dominicans are Spanish descent and about 11%
   are black. A smaller presence of East Asians (primarily ethnic
   Chinese), Japanese and Middle Easterners (primarily Lebanese) can also
   be found. The culturally indigenous population is practically extinct.

   Since the early 1960s, economic problems have led to a vast migration
   of Dominicans to the United States, mainly to large east coast cities.
   New York City's Washington Heights is so densely populated by
   Dominicans that it is sometimes referred to as Quisqueya Heights.
   Quisqueya is a popular name for Hispaniola that derives from the
   island's original Arawak name. Sizeable Dominican emigre communities
   exist in Spain.

   In recent years, illegal immigration from Haiti has dramatically
   increased as the Dominican economy improves and the Haitian economy
   remains virtually moribund. Most Haitian immigrants work at low-paying,
   unskilled labor jobs, including construction work and household
   cleaning. Current estimates put the Haitian population in the Dominican
   Republic as high as 1 million

Culture

   Statue of Juan Pablo Duarte in front of La Pelona
   Enlarge
   Statue of Juan Pablo Duarte in front of La Pelona

   The Dominican Republic is a Hispanic country, therefore, as with all
   Hispanic countries in the Americas, its culture and people is derived
   predominantly from Spain, though heavily blended with African
   traditions and indigenous American cultural elements. The Spanish
   cultural heritage is most evident in the national language and
   predominant religion— Roman Catholicism. African cultural elements are
   most prominent in musical expressions and the carnival vibe of life,
   testimony to the rich African heritage that existed before and after
   slavery, but was not allowed to be practiced during it. More recent
   Antillean and Anglo-American influences also exist. Near the border
   between Haiti and Dominican Republic, some people practice voodoo.

   Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic and
   there are many famous Dominicans who play Major League Baseball in the
   U.S., including Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martínez, David Ortiz,
   Jose Reyes, Rafael Furcal, Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada, and Manny
   Ramirez. The Dominican Republic also has its own baseball league which
   runs from October to January. Many MLB players and minor leaguers play
   in this six-team league during off-season. As such, the Dominican
   winter league serves as an important "training ground" for the MLB.
   Eighty-nine percent of Dominicans are baptized in the Roman Catholic
   Church. Other substantial religious groups are the Evangelical
   Christians and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Around
   one percent of the nation's inhabitants practice pure spiritism,
   although it is very common for Catholicism and spiritism to be mixed in
   Santeria's seances and "saint" parties.

   Every year, tens of thousands of Catholics make the pilgrimage to
   Higuey to celebrate the Virgin de la Altagracia in late January. The
   main historical element in Higuey is the cathedral, home of the “virgin
   de la Altagracia” a painting brought by the Spaniards in the late 15th
   century.
   Date Name Notes
   January 1 New Year's Day
   January 6 Catholic Day of the Epiphany (Move the holiday to the next
   Monday)
   January 21 Virgen de la Altagracia Day (Catholic)
   January 26 Duarte's day Founding Father (Move the holiday to the next
   Monday)
   February 27 Independence Day National Day
   April 14 Catholic Good Friday Date for 2006 only
   May 1 Labour Day Date for 2006 only
   June 15 Catholic Corpus Christi Date for 2006 only
   August 16 Restoration Day National Day
   September 24 (Catholic) Virgen de las Mercedes Day Patroness's day
   November 6 Constitution Day National Day
   December 25 Christmas Day (Jesus' birthday).

Music

   The Dominican Republic is known for a form of music called Merengue,
   which has been popular since the mid- to late- 1900s. Its syncopated
   beats use Latin percussion, brass instruments, bass and piano or
   keyboard. What was considered unpopular to the youth, until today, is a
   form of folk music called Bachata. Bachata is usually slow, romantic,
   and Spanish guitar-driven. However, bachata's rhythm can be sped up to
   the same syncopation as Merengue, and it is called bacharengue. Both
   genres of music are popular throughout the world.

   Dominican culture is heavily based on music. Some major international
   exponents include Juan Luis Guerra, Millie Quezada, Sergio Vargas, and
   Johnny Ventura. In recent years, many young artists have also emerged
   such as Alih Jey and Carlo Silver.

   Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from
   the Dominican Republic. Merengue means whipped egg whites and sugar in
   Spanish, similar to the English word meringue. It is unclear as to why
   this name became the name of the music of the Dominican Republic. This
   style of music was created by Ñico Lora 1920's however it was promoted
   by Rafael Trujillo, the president in the 1930s, and became the
   country’s national music and dance style. World famous Merengue singers
   include Miriam Cruz & Las Chicas Del Can, Juan Luis Guerra, Wilfrido
   Vargas, Sergio Vargas, Johnny Ventura, Kinito Mendez, Ravel, Josie
   Esteban y la Patrulla 15, Pochy y su Cocoband, Fernando Villalona,Cuco
   Valoy, The Freddie Kenton Orquestra, Elvis Crespo and Conjunto
   Quisqueya. Other artists popular in the Dominican Republic as of 2006
   include Julian, Toño Rosario, Aguakate and Amarfis. Milly Quezada is
   the Queen of Merengue.

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