Sosúa

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Sosúa
Municipality
Puerto Plata
Aerial view of Sosúa

Seal
Sosúa
Sosúa in the Dominican Republic
Coordinates: 19°45′00″N 70°31′12″W / 19.75000°N 70.52000°W / 19.75000; -70.52000Coordinates: 19°45′00″N 70°31′12″W / 19.75000°N 70.52000°W / 19.75000; -70.52000
Country  Dominican Republic
Province Puerto Plata
Area[1]
 • Total 276.89 km2 (106.91 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Total 69,885
 • Density 250/km2 (650/sq mi)
 • Urban 9,032
Municipal districts 2
Distance to
 – Santo Domingo
240 km (150 mi)
Website www.sosua.gob.do

Sosúa is a small town in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic. Located approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) from the Puerto Plata International Airport (POP), the town is accessed primarily by Camino Cinco, or Highway 5, which runs much of the length of the country's North coastline. The town is divided into three sectors: El Batey, which is the main section where most tourists visit, Sosúa Abajo, and Los Charamicos.

History

At the 1938 Evian Conference Rafael Trujillo offered to accept up to 100,000 Jewish refugees; about 800 German and Austrian Jewish refugees received visas by the Dominican government between 1940 and 1945 (see Dominican Jews) and settled in Sosúa.[3] The government provided them with land and resources with which they created a dairy and cheese factory, named Productos Sosúa[4] still in existence today. Descendants of the original settlers still live in Sosúa, where they maintain a synagogue and a museum.

The town was little known until tourism took off in the island in the mid 1980s.

The town

Sosua Abajo, which translates roughly to "Lower Sosua", is located on the western side of Sosúa in a valley nearby a river that flows into Sosua Bay. Mainly a rural area of Sosúa, Sosua Abajo houses many of the workers who commute to the El Batey area, nearby Cabarete Bay and Playa Dorada.

The Barrio of Los Charamicos is situated between El Batey and Abajo, and is a densely populated urban area known for its nightlife, dancing, and bar scene. In 1988 actor George Rose was murdered here by his adopted son and the son's uncle.

The North Coast of the Dominican Republic has been a top tourist destination for Europeans for nearly three decades. There is a very large expatriate community in Sosúa, which consists of mostly German, British, American, and Canadian expats.

Sosúa beach
Los Charamicos

Sosua Bay attracts many water sports enthusiast, including snorkelers and divers because of its sheltered, calm waters, diverse species of fish and intricate reef structures. In the winter, whale watching is also a popular tourist activity in Sosua Bay.

Recently, naturally occurring beach nourishment has created a new beach just north of Sosua Bay, depositing sand where there were previously only sheer rock cliffs. The beach is called Playa Alicia.

There are several other beaches, Sosua Beach, which is a crescent-shaped bay protected by coral formations and clear waters for divers and snorkelers. Sosúa's other beaches are Waterfront (Playa Alicia), Paradise beach (actually shifts on and off every several months), Playa Imbert and Playa Chiquita. Waterfront beach is only 9 years old, created after a storm around 2004. There is also sport fishing. A very large population of expatriates share their culture and mingle with locals and foreigners.

References

  1. ↑ Superficies a nivel de municipios, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica
  2. ↑ Censo 2012 de Población y Vivienda, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica
  3. ↑ Crassweller RD. Trujillo. The Life and Times of a Caribbean Dictator. The MacMillan Co, New York (1966). pp. 199–200. 
  4. ↑ Hans-Ulrich Dillmann, Ein karibischer Ausweg. Die Siedlung Sosua in der Dominikanischen Republik, in: Heimat und Exil. Emigration der deutschen Juden nach 1933. Jüdischer Verlag, Frankfurt 2006 ISBN 3633542221, pp. 171 - 177, in German. E. g. Artur Kirchheimer. Cf. online, here max. 571 German refugees in total are counted for Sosúa

External links

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