Dominican Republic

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{{Infobox_Country |native_name = República Dominicana |conventional_long_name = Dominican Republic |common_name = Dominican Republic |image_flag = Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg |image_coat = Dominican_republic_coa.gif |image_map = LocationDominicanRepublic.png |national_motto = Spanish: Dios, Patria, Libertad
(English: "God, Fatherland, Liberty")</small> |national_anthem = Quisqueyanos valientes |official_languages = Spanish |capital = Santo Domingo |latd=18|latm=30 |latNS=N |longd=69 |longm=59 |longEW=W |largest_city = Santo Domingo |government_type = Representative democracy |leader_titles = President |leader_names = Leonel Fernández |area_rank = 128th |area_magnitude = 1 E10 |area= 48,730 |areami²= 18,810 |percent_water = 1.6 |population_estimate = 8,950,034 |population_estimate_rank = 85th |population_estimate_year = July 2005 |population_census = |population_census_year = |population_density =183 |population_densitymi² = 474 |population_density_rank = 43rd |GDP_PPP = $58.520 billion |GDP_PPP_rank = 71st |GDP_PPP_year= 2005 |GDP_PPP_per_capita = $6,767 |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 86th |sovereignty_type = Independence |established_events = from Haiti |established_dates = 27 February 1844 |HDI = 0.749 |HDI_rank = 95th |HDI_year = 2003 |HDI_category = medium |currency = Peso |currency_code = DOP |country_code = |time_zone = |utc_offset = -4 |time_zone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |cctld = .do |calling_code = 1-809 and +1-829 |footnotes = }}

Image:Dominican republic sm03.jpg The Dominican Republic, (Spanish: República Dominicana, IPA Template:IPA) 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.

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History

Main article: History of the Dominican Republic

Explored and claimed by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became 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 Haiti. 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 they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. Later the United States ruled Dominican territory with a military government from 1916-1924.

In the beginning the island was primarily inhabited by the Taíno, a branch of the Arawaks. Taíno means "the good" or "noble" in that native language. A system of Cacicazgos (chiefdoms) was in place, and Marien, Maguana, Higuey, Magua and Xaragua (Also written as Jaragua) were their names. These chiefdoms were then subdivided into subchiefdoms. The Cacicazgos were based on a system of tribute, consisting of the food grown by the Taino. 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).


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The twentieth century

The twentieth century was marked by repeated U.S. intervention in local affairs. The reason for this was the island's strategic location in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. During the World Wars the islands of the Caribbean were used 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 largest example of this was 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. Following this civil war, and America's deployment of troops in Operation Power Pack, Joaquín Balaguer (1966-1978) was democractically elected, winning by 57%. 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.

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Politics

Main article: 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 — 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.

Leonel Fernandez Reyna is the current Presidente.

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Provinces

Main article: Provinces of the Dominican Republic

Image:DominicanRepublicSubdivisions.png The Dominican Republic is divided into 31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) (capitals in parentheses, if different from province name). Additionally, the national capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional.

  1. Ázua
  2. Bahoruco (Neiba)
  3. Barahona
  4. Dajabón
  5. Duarte (San Francisco de Macorís)
  6. Elías Piña (Comendador)
  7. El 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)
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Geography

Image:Isla Saona.jpg

Main article: Geography of the Dominican Republic

The capital of the country is the city of Santo Domingo-full name Santo Domingo de Guzman, located in the south 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.

Image:IMG 1281.jpg

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

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Climate

The country is a Tropical maritime, with a wet season from May to November, and periodic cyclones 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 is 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.

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Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Dominican Republic

The majority (about three-forths) of Dominicans are of mixed African,Spanish European and, Amerindian (Taíno) heritage(mulatto). 11% are unmixed Hispanic black and 16% are of unmixed Spanish white descent. A small presence of East Asians (primarily ethnic Chinese) and Middle Easterners (primarily Lebanese) can also be found. The indigenous Amerindian population is practically extinct.

The national culture of the Dominican Republic is essentially a blending of Spain's cultural, African, and to a lesser degree Amerindian elements. Spanish herritage is most evident in the national language and predominant religion - Catholicism. African cultural elements are most prominent in musical expressions and the carnival vibe of life, testimony to the rich slave heritage. There are also Antilliean and,Anglo-American influences.

Since the early 1960s, economic problems have led to a vast migration of Dominicans to the United States, mainly to large east coast cities, and coming on the heels of a similar migration of Puerto Ricans. 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 many believe derives from the island's original Arawak name, although this is disputed by some historians. Dominicans are now one of the largest Latino groups in the United States, and about equal in size to Cubans and behind only people of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent. There are also sizeable Dominican emigre communities in the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Spain, and St. Maarten.

The Dominican Republic has suffered from racial tension throughout its history, particularly that between mulattos against blacks. This phenomenon is also found in neighboring Haiti. 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. The Dominican sentiment towards these immigrants is frequently negative, and at times in its history, including the period during and after Haiti merged the two nations (the 19th century and the reign of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo), there have been anti-Haitian pogroms, slaughtering 18,000 Haitians at the border [1]. This also led to Dominican Republic paying Haiti $750,000 to avert war. [2] Many foreigners reside in the country for business, religious, and leisure reasons, and there are significant populations of Americans, Canadians, Germans and French in the country.

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Economy

Main article: Economy of the Dominican Republic

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 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 collapsed, caused by a major fraud. GDP dropped by 1% in 2003 while inflation ballooned by over 27%.

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 Subcommitee 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.

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Currency

Main article: Dominican Peso

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

The exchange rate to the US dollar currently fluctuates on a daily basis, and is usually between $33.50-35.00 pesos as of February 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 US 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 Dahjalhe Jr. 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.

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Culture

Image:Carnival 002 4412.JPG

Main article: Culture of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a Hispanic country. Therefore, the country's culture(as with all Hispanic countries in the Americas) is predominantly from Spain. Baseball is the top national sport in the Dominican Republic and there are many popular Dominicans who play Major League Baseball in the U.S., including Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, Vladimir Guerrero, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz, Rafael Furcal, Miguel Tejada, and Manny Ramirez. The Dominican Republic also has its own baseball league, which many MLB players go to during off-season, and which is also a "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 seancees and "saint" parties.

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. Reggaeton, a style of music that orginated in Panama, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, is the dominant music of the country's youth, and defines the party lifestyle of the country. Among the most successful producers of Reggaeton music are Luny Tunes from La Romana in the Dominican Republic; Luny Tunes has produced many successful songs of Daddy Yankee, Tego Calderón, Ivy Queen and Don Omar. Reggaeton is a mix of hip hop, reggae, bomba, and plena. The Dominican Republic culture is heavily based on music. Some of the 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.

The Dominican Republic has national holidays on January 26 (Duarte), February 27 (Pan American Day), May 1 (Labour Day), July 16 (Foundation of Sociedad la Trinitaria), August 16 (Restoration Day), October 12 (Columbus Day), and October 24 (United Nations Day).

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See also

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External links

Countries in the Caribbean
Independent nations: Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago
Dependencies: -British: Anguilla | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Montserrat | Turks and Caicos Islands | -Dutch: Aruba & Netherlands Antilles | -French: Guadeloupe & Martinique | -U.S.: Navassa Island | Puerto Rico | U.S. Virgin Islands


 
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) 		Image:Caricom-Flag.png
Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas¹ | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti² | Jamaica | Montserrat | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago
Associate members: Anguilla | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands
Observer status: Aruba | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela
¹ member of the community but not the CARICOM (Caribbean) Single Market and Economy.
² membership temporarly suspended.

Countries and North America as a continent
Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Canada | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago | United States
Dependencies: Denmark: Greenland | France: Guadeloupe · Martinique · Saint-Pierre and Miquelon | Netherlands: Aruba · Netherlands Antilles | UK: Anguilla · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Montserrat · Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S.: Navassa Island · Puerto Rico · U.S. Virgin Islands
an:Republica Dominicana

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