Dominican Republic
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| República Dominicana Dominican Republic |
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| Motto "Dios, Patria, Libertad" (Spanish) "God, Homeland, Liberty" |
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| Anthem Quisqueyanos valientes |
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| Capital (and largest city) |
Santo Domingo |
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| Official languages | Spanish | |||||
| Government | Presidential Republic | |||||
| - | President | Leonel Fernández | ||||
| Independence | from Haiti | |||||
| - | Date | 27 February 1844 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 48,442 km² (130th) 18,810 sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 1.6 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | July 2006 estimate | 9,183,984 (87th) | ||||
| - | 2002 census | 8,562,541 | ||||
| - | Density | 182 /km² (58th) 474 /sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | $67.410 billion (68th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | $7,611 (81st) | ||||
| Gini? (2003) | 51.7 (high) | |||||
| HDI (2004) |  0.751 (medium) (94th) |
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| Currency | Peso (DOP) |
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| Internet TLD | .do | |||||
| Calling code | +1-809 and +1-829 | |||||
The Dominican Republic, (Spanish: República Dominicana, IPA [re'puβlika domini'kana]) is a Latin American 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.
Dominicans sometimes refer to their country as Quisqueya, a name for Hispaniola used by indigenous Taíno people meaning "Mother of All Lands".
For much of the twentieth century, the government of the Dominican Republic was unsettled and mostly non-representative. Since the death of military dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1961 the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy.
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[edit] History
The Dominican Republic was the site of the first European settlement in the Americas and became the first point of colonization in the Western Hemisphere by explorers from Europe.
[edit] Taínos
Before the Spanish and French colonization of the island of Hispaniola it was the home of the indigenous people who may have lived on the island for years, under colonial rule by the Spanish. The Taínos were almost completely exterminated, with only a few Tainos contaminated by diseases such as sores and small pox.
[edit] European colonization
Christopher Columbus explored Hispaniola during his first voyage to America in 1492. On his return the following year, Columbus founded the first European settlement in America in a expedient manner. The natives who were not killed by disease were enslaved. Hispaniola was to become a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean mainland. In 1804 Haiti became independent shortly after the Haitian Revolution.
[edit] Creation of the Republic
Spanish lieutenant governor José Núñez de Cáceres declared the colony's independence as the state of Spanish Haiti (Haiti Español) on November 30, 1821, requesting admission to the Republic of Gran Colombia, but Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, occupied the whole island just nine weeks later.
[edit] U.S. military control
In 1965, US troops invaded the Dominican Republic to steer the outcome of a civil war in Operation Powerpack, later to be joined by forces from other countries in an early example of a "coalition of the willing". They remained in the country for over a year and left after supervising elections, in which they ensured the victory of Joaquín Balaguer.
Balaguer remained in power as President for 12 years, which was a time of moderate repression, presumably to prevent pro-Cuba or pro-communist parties from gaining power in the country. Balaguer's rule was accompanied by a growing disparity between rich and poor.
In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by Antonio Guzmán Fernández. From 1978 to 1986, the Dominican Republic experienced a period relatively free of repression and almost complete freedom of speech and expression.
Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994. The international community generally viewed the 1994 election as fixed, leading to political pressure for Balaguer to step down. Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential election in 1996, which was won by the Dominican Liberation Party for the first time.
[edit] Politics
The 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.
[edit] Administrative divisions
The Dominican Republic is divided into thirty-one provinces. Additionally, 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.
The provinces are divided into municipalities (municipios singular municipio). They are the second level political and administrative subdivisions of the country.
* The national capital, also known as Distrito Nacional (D.N.), is the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.
[edit] Geography
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 the 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 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 in this range is Pico Diego de Ocampo. The lowest and shortest of the three ranges is the Eastern Mountains, in the eastern part of the country. Other mountains include the Sierra Bahoruco and the Sierra Neyba in the southwest.
The Dominican Republic has many rivers, including the navigable Soco, Higuamo, Romana (also known as 'Rio Dulce'), Yaque del Norte, Yaque del Sur, Yuna River, Yuma, and Bajabonico. Puerto Plata's Mount Isabela is infamous for the Cuban airplane 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.
The Dominican Republic uses its rivers and streams to create electricity, and many hydro-electric plants and dams have been created on rivers, including the Bao, Nizao, Ozama, and Higuamo. See Hydroelectricity and Dams In The Dominican Republic for more information regarding dams in the Dominican Republic.
Navidad Bank and Silver Bank have been officially claimed by the Dominican Republic.
[edit] Environmental issues in the Dominican Republic
- Deforestation
- Solid fuels
- Emissions
- Endangered species
- Water contamination
[edit] Climate
The country is a tropical, maritime nation. Wet season, is 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 northeast 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.
[edit] Economy
[edit] Recent years
- See also: Dominican peso
The Dominican Republic is a low-income developing country primarily dependent on natural resources, and government services. 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 $1.3 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 $1.3 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. This recession followed the collapse of the second commercial bank of the country (Baninter), linked to a major incident of fraud valued at 3.5 billion 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%. 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 $130 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation.
According to the 2005 Annual Report of the United Nations Subcommittee on Human Development in the Dominican Republic, the country is ranked # 71 in the world for resource availability, # 94 for human development, and # 14 in the world for resource mismanagement. These statistics emphasize national government corruption, foreign economic interference in the country, and the rift between the rich and poor.
[edit] Currency
The government's exchange rate of the US$ was about Dominican Peso $14.00 in 1993 and Dominican Peso $16.00 in 2000, but in 2003 it reached Dominican Peso $58.00 per US$. It ended the year 2004 at about dominican peso $31.00 per US$. The Dominican Peso is the national currency of the country, although the US$ is acceptable in some places, for example site-seeing,tourist,and etc. The peso was worth the same as a US$ at one time. In more recent years, however, the value has decreased rapidly against the US$.
The U.S. Dollar is implicated in almost all commercial actions of the Dominican Republic, supporting the theory that the devaluation of the peso in relation to the dollar in 2005 is the result of the international currency market; On February 2005, 1.32 USD = one € = 29 DR pesos; in October 2005 , 1.19 USD = one € = 32 DR pesos. The International Monetary Fund revealed a growth of 7.6% over the inflation index for 2006, which implies that the national currency of the Dominican Republic could finish the year with an average basis between 32.70 and touching the 40 pesos per dollar roof. Another factor which would have a certain impact over the currency exchange market of the Dominican Republic is the fluctuation of the U.S. dollar on the international currency market.
Multiple local economists, principally Andres Dahuajre Jr. and Jaime Aristy Escuder, as well as well-recognised commercial analyst firms and institutions, estimated an over-valuation of the Dominican peso, suggesting that the daily basis of the Dominican currency is artificially controlled by the government.
[edit] Demographics
According to The World Factbook, about 73% of all Dominicans are of Multiracial heritage, that is, of mixed ethnic groups: European, African, and Indigenous Amerindian descent. Around 16% of Dominicans are of Spanish and European descent and about 11% are Black. Other groups in the Dominican Republic include Haitians, Germans, Italians, French, and White Americans.[1] A smaller presence of East Asians (primarily ethnic Chinese and Japanese and Middle Easterners, primarily Lebanese) can also be found. The culturally indigenous Taino population is blended into the culture and considered to be the common tie that binds.
More than 95% of the population adheres to Christianity, mostly Roman Catholicism, followed by a growing contingent of Protestant groups such as Seventh Day Adventist, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Recent but small scale immigration has brought other religions such as Spiritist: 2.18%, Buddhist: 0.10%, Baha’i: 0.07%, Muslim: 0.02%, and Jewish: 0.01%[2]
[edit] Population
The main population centers of the Dominican Republic are the cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros, which is the second largest city in the country containing more than 600,000 inhabitants.
[edit] Haitian Immigration
In recent decades, immigration from Haiti has dramatically increased. 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, similar to the illegal population of Dominicans living in Puerto Rico and the United States.
[edit] Culture
The culture of the Dominican Republic has many elements that originate in Spain but also the culture is blended with African and indigenous American cultural elements. Castilian Spanish is the national language, but other languages such as English, French, Haitian Creole, German and Italian are also spoken to varying degrees. 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. Taino cultural elements exist mostly in foods such as casabe (a type of tortilla, but made using casava instead of corn), and language. There are also more recent Antillean and Anglo-American influences. Near the border between Haiti and Dominican Republic, some people practice santaria.
Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic, and there are many Domincan stars currently competing in Major League Baseball in the United States, including Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martínez, David Ortiz, Jose Reyes, Rafael Furcal, Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada, and Manny Ramirez. In addition, Alex Rodriguez is of Dominican ancestry. The Dominican Republic also has its own baseball league which runs from October to January, including six teams: Aguilas Cibaenas, Tigueres del Licey, Gigantes del Cibao, Toros Azucareros del Este, Estrellas Orientales, and Leones del Escogido. Many MLB players and minor leaguers play in this six-team league during the off-season. As such, the Dominican winter league serves as an important "training ground" for the MLB.
Eighty-nine percent of Dominicans are baptised in the Roman Catholic Church. Other substantial religious groups are Evangelical Christians and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Around one percent of the nation's inhabitants practice pure spiritism.
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 fifteenth century.
| Date | Name | |
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| 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 | (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 | Virgen de las Mercedes Day | Patroness' day (Catholic) |
| November 6 | Constitution Day | National Day |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | Birth of Jesus Christ |
[edit] Cuisine
Dominican culture can be traced back to Spain and Africa and so can the food. Popular meals in the Dominican Republic can be typical rice and beans, often with chicken or meat as the main meal; commonly referred to as "La Bandera" in English "the flag" and is usually accompanied by a slice of avocado, a green salad, and "con con" which is the burnt rice from the bottom of the pan. Dominicans eat an extensive amount of tropical fruits like plantains, bananas, coconuts, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Mangoes, and other foods like casabe. Their tropical spices have many influences from the Taínos. North American-influenced meals include fast food chains like McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell, and Baja Fresh, which have grown in popularity in the Dominican lifestyle. Dominicans eat a variety of foods and, as a tropical nation, they are capable of producing many dishes traced back to their ancestory.
[edit] Music
The Dominican Republic is known for Merengue music, which has been popular since the mid- to late-1900s. Its syncopated beats use Latin percussion, brass instruments, bass and piano or keyboard. Until recently, is a form of folk music called Bachata was unpopular with Dominican youth, but that is changing. Younger groups from NYC's large Dominican population, such as Aventura and Xtreme, have emerged to bring bachata's new mainstream era. Bachata is a slower more romantic emotion driven tune. Often times foriegners mistake it for a type of blue's music. Both genres of music are popular throughout the world.
Dominican culture is heavily based on music. Some major international exponents include Juan Luis Guerra, Milly Quezada, Sergio Vargas, and Johnny Ventura. In recent years, many young artists have also emerged such as Alih Jey and Carlo Silver, and in the bachata genre, Antony Santos, Raulin Rodriguez, Aventura and Monchy y Alexandra.
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, like the English word meringue. It is unclear why this became the name of the music of the Dominican Republic. This style of music was created by Ñico Lora in the 1920s; however, it was promoted by General Rafael Trujillo, the republic's military dictator from the 1930s until 1960, 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, Pochy y su Cocoband, Fernando Villalona, Cuco Valoy, The Freddie Kenton Orquestra, and Conjunto Quisqueya. Other artists popular in the Dominican Republic as of 2006 include Julian, Toño Rosario, Aguakate and Amarfis. Milly Quezada is the referred to as the, Soulful Queen of Merengue.
[edit] Services and transportation
There are many transportation services in the Dominican Republic. The official organization that controls transportation is the OTTT (Oficina Técnica de Transito Terrestre). Other transportation services include Fenatrano, Conatra, and others.
The government transportation system is the OMSA (Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses), which covers very large routes in metropolitan areas, such as Santo Domingo and Santiago, for very inexpensive prices. In December 2006, the price for the Normal Service was DOP$5.00 (US$0.15), and the Business Service (air conditioned buses) was priced at DOP$10 (US$0.30). Other transportation services are the Voladoras, Guaguas, or Public Buses, which often travel between populations centers or between different municipalities. The "Carro Publico" or "Concho"--private cars and vans have routes in most parts of the cities. These cars have rooves painted in yellow or green in order to identify them. The cars have scheduled days to work, depending of the color of the roof.
[edit] Communications
The Dominican Republic is the number one country in the Caribbean in the communications sector. They have extensive mobile phone services and land-line services. The telecommunications regulator in the country is INDOTEL, Instituto Dominicano De Telecomunicaciones. The Dominican Republic offers cable internet and DSL in most parts of the country, and many ISPs provide 3G wireless internet service. Projects to extend Wi-Fi hot spots have been made in Santo Domingo. Numerous television channels are available, including Digital cable Telecable Nacional and Aster. Many other companies provide digital television services with channels from Latin America and the World.
As of December 2006, there are five major communication companies: CODETEL, Orange, Tricom, Centennial and DGTEC
On February 1, 2007, Verizon changed the names of its wireless services to Claro and CODETEL. The company has been owned since 2006 by Carlos Slim Helú's América Móvil. Claro is now the official name of the Wireless Division and CODETEL (the original Compañia Dominicana de Teléfonos) is the updated name for the Verizon Dominicana fixed-line and broadband market.
While there are a number of phone services, there is virtually no postal service, due to the fact that the government does not work with the organization "INPOSDOM" to offer a mailing service to its population.
[edit] Highways
[edit] Electricity
Household and general electrical service is delivered at 110 volts alternating at 60 Hz; electrically powered items from the United States work with no modifications. The majority of the country has access to electricity. Some areas have sporadic outages that may last hours or days at a time. Tourist areas tend to have more reliable power as do business, travel, healthcare and vital infrastructure.
[edit] See also
- Dominican National Team
- Military of the Dominican Republic
- Religion in the Dominican Republic
- Law of the Dominican Republic
- List of universities in the Dominican Republic
- List of players from Dominican Republic in Major League Baseball
- List of people from the Dominican Republic
[edit] External links and sources
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- Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism website
- (Spanish) Presidency of the Dominican Republic website
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding the Dominican Republic
- (Spanish) Oficina Nacional de Estadística, Statistics Portal of the Dominican Republic
- Secretaria De Estado De Medio Ambiente Y Recursos Naturales: Atlas De La Republica Dominicana Booklet. Officially Made By The Dominican Republic Government
- La Cotica, the Tourism Guide of the Dominican Republic
- The Dominican Republics English language news and travel website
- Migration in the Caribbean: Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Beyond, Report by Minority Rights Group International
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