Dominican Republic on Pixibot

RepÃºblica Dominicana Dominican Republic


(In Detail)

National motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (Spanish: God, Fatherland, Liberty)

Official language

Spanish

Capital

Santo Domingo

Largest City

Santo Domingo

President

Leonel FernÃ¡ndez

Area - Total - % water

Ranked 138th 48,730 kmÂ² 1,6%

Population - Total (July 2004 est) - Density

Ranked 86th 8,833,634 181/kmÂ²

Independence since

from Haiti 27 February 1844/Spain

Currency

Peso

Time zone

UTC -4

National anthem

Quisqueyanos valientes

Internet TLD

.do

Calling Code

1 809 and 1 829

The Dominican Republic, (Spanish: RepÃºblica Dominicana Dominican Republic ) 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 LeÃ³nidas Trujillo in 1961. Dominicans sometimes refer to their country as Quisqueya, a name for Hispaniola used by the native TaÃno Indians.

The Dominican ("do-MIN-i-kun") Republic should not be confused with Dominica ("do-min-EE-ka"), another Caribbean country.

History

History of the Dominican Republic

The country has had a history of changing ownership, with Spain, France, Haiti, Spain again, and the United States (twice) taking their turns at ruling Dominican territory amid attempts at independence and self-rule. In the beginning the island was primarily inhabited by the Taino, a branch of the Arawaks. Taino means "The good" in that native language. A system of Cacicazgos (chiefdoms) Marien, Maguana, Higuey, Magua and Xaragua were their names. These chiefdoms were then subdivided into subchiefdoms. The Cacicagzos were based on a system of tribute, consisting of the food grown by the Taino.

The arrival of the Guamikena (the covered ones)

In October of 1492, the Europeans arrived and the Taino, believing that these beings from over the horizon were in someway supernatural, feted them with all the honors available to them. This was a totally different society from the one the Europeans came from. One of the things that piqued the curiosity was the amount of clothing worn by the Europeans. Therefore they came to call them guamikena. Guacanagarix, the chief who hosted Columbus and his men, treated them kindly and provided him with everything they desired.

The twentieth century Dominican Republic Map The twentieth century was marked by repeated U.S. intervention in local affairs. The reason for this is the island of Quisqueya's strategic location in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. During the World Wars the Axis powers used the islands of the Carribbean as stop-off points for German U-boats from which to plan possible attacks against the North American continent. During the Cold War Soviet and capitalist ideologies clashed openly on the island. Apart from tentative U.S. support for the Trujillo dictatorship (1930-1961) (though this faded during his final years,) the most infamous example of this is the 1965 invasion by American troops in the midst of a Dominican civil war, an uprising that was sparked by an attempt to restore the republic's first democratically-elected president of the 20th century, Juan Bosch, who had been overthrown by a right-wing coup in 1963. This invasion had the effect of establishing the rule of JoaquÃn Balaguer (1966-1978), and ensuring that Juan Bosch's constitutional government never returned to power. The Johnson administration justified the 1965 intervention by stating that it suspected many of Bosch's supporters were pro-Cuban Communists.

Politics

Politics of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy whose national powers are divided among independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The president appoints the cabinet, executes laws passed by the legislative branch, and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president and vice president run for office on the same ticket and are elected by direct vote for four-year terms.

Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral National Congress â€” the Senate (32 members), and the Chamber of Deputies (150 members). Presidential elections are held in years evenly divisible by four. Congressional and municipal elections are held in even-numbered years not divisible by four.

Provinces Dominican Republic Weather

Provinces of the Dominican Republic

Geography

A beach on the Saona island Map of the Dominican Republic

Geography of the Dominican Republic

The capital is Santo Domingo. 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, 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 (3 175 m 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, Yaque del Norte, Yaque del Sur, Yuna, Yuma, and Bajabonico.

Demographics

Demographics of the Dominican Republic Punta Cana Dominican Republic

The majority of Dominicans are of mixed European and African descent. About 11% of Dominicans are primarily of African descent, including many Haitian migrants and their descendants. About 16% of Dominicans are of Spanish or other European origin. Some are Asian, mostly of Chinese descent, and Middle Easterners, mostly Arab. Dominican culture is essentially Hispanic, and also has many African, Antilliean, and United States influences.

Since the early 1960s, economic problems have led to a vast migration of Dominicans to the US, mainly to large east coast cities. New York City's Washington Heights is so densely populated by Dominicans, it is sometimes referred to as Quisqueya Heights. Quisqueya is believed to be the name given to the eastern side of Hispaniola by its original inhabitants, the Arawak Indians, although this version is disputed by some historians. Dominicans are now one of the largest Latino groups in the US.

In recent years, illegal immigration from Haiti has worsened as Haiti's population explodes and the Dominican economy improves.

Economy

Economy of the Dominican Republic

Culture

Culture of the Dominican Republic Baseball is the top national sport in the Dominican Republic and there are a lot of popular Dominicans who play for the Major Leagues in the U.S. like Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez.

89% of Dominicans are baptised in the Roman Catholic Church

The Dominican Republic is known for a form of music called Merengue, which has been popular since the mid- to late-1900s. It has sexually charged syncopated beats using Latin percussion, brass instruments, bass and electric guitars. 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 its called bacharengue. Both genres of music are popular throughout the world.

Music of the Dominican Republic
List of Dominicans
List of players from Dominican Republic in Major League Baseball

Miscellaneous topics

Charytin
Communications in the Dominican Republic
Foreign relations of the Dominican Republic
List of Dominican companies
List of Dominicans
Music of the Dominican Republic
Military of the Dominican Republic
Transportation in the Dominican Republic
Larimar

Dominican Republic Hotel

Kiersten