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Dominican RepublicRepública Dominicana
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Dios, Patria, Libertad"  (Spanish) "God, Homeland, Liberty"
Anthem: Himno Nacional Dominicano
Capitaland largest city	Santo Domingo
Official languages	Spanish
Demonym(s)	Dominican
Government	Presidential system
• President	Leonel Fernández
• Vice President	Rafael Alburquerque
Independence From Haiti
• Date	27 February 1844
Area
• Total	48,442 km (18,704 sq mi) (130th)
• Water (%)	1.6
Population
• July 2007 estimate	9,183,984 (87th)
• 2000 census	9,365,818
• Density	182/km (471.4/sq mi) (58th)
GDP (PPP)	2006 estimate
• Total	$77.09 billion (69th)
• Per capita	$8,400 (77th)
Gini (2003)	51.7 high inequality
HDI (2005)	0.779 Error: Invalid HDI value (79th)
Currency	Peso (DOP)
Time zone	UTC-4 (Atlantic)
Calling code	1
ISO 3166 code	DO
Internet TLD	.do
Known as Ciudad Trujillo from 1936 to 1961

The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana, IPA: [reˈpuβlika ðominiˈkana]) is a Latin American country located in the Greater Antilles archipelago on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. It shares a border with the Republic of Haiti, making it one of two Caribbean islands that are split by two countries; the other is Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten. Hispaniola is the second-largest of the Greater Antilles islands, and lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica.

More than 500 years of mixed lapses of prosperity and turmoil give this island-nation the longest historical record of any of the other country in the Western hemisphere: The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, and became the first point of colonization in the Western Hemisphere by explorers from Europe. The Dominican Republic has the first cathedral and university, as well as the first European-built road and fortress, in the Americas. Santo Domingo (originally New Isabela) was also the first colonial capital in the Americas.

History

The island of Hispaniola, of which Haiti occupies the western third, was originally inhabited by the Taíno Arawak people. Christopher Columbus landed at Môle Saint-Nicolas on December 5, 1492, and claimed the island for Spain. Nineteen days later, the Santa Maria ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad. Ayiti, which means "mountainous land", is a name that was used by its early inhabitants, the Taíno-Arawak people.

The Taínos were a seafaring branch of the South American Arawaks. Taíno means "the good" or "noble" in their language. A system of cacicazgos (chiefdoms) existed on Hispaniola; Marien, Maguana, Higuey, Magua and Xaragua.

One of the earliest leaders to fight off Spanish conquest was Queen Anacaona, a Taíno princess from Xaragua who married Chief Caonabo, a Taíno chief (cacique) from Maguana. The two fought hard against the Europeans; she was captured by the Spanish and executed in front of her people. Other noted Taíno leaders from Haiti are Chief Guacanagari, Chief Guama and Chief Hatuey (who later fled to Cuba and helped fight the Spaniards there). Cacique Henri, another Taíno chief, fought victoriously against the Spaniards in the Bahoruco to gain freedom for himself and his people. The town associated with this history is Anse a Pitres, near the south-eastern town of Jacmel. The Taínos as the Europeans saw them on the island of Hispaniola are virtually extinct. The survivors that escaped death mixed with African slaves (runaways called maroons), producing a small generation of zambos. The mestizo increased in number as native women conceived to European men. The Taíno bloodline in Hispaniola diluted more and more as the decades went by primarily due to the establishment of Africans and mulattos on the island; however, it is believed that a small number of Haitians and Dominicans retain some native ancestry.

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.

Taínos

Christopher Columbus explored Hispaniola during his first voyage to America in 1492. The inhabitants whom Columbus encountered on his arrival in Hispaniola were Arawak-speaking Taíno people who had previously settled there. The Taíno lived in villages, headed by chiefs, and engaged principally in farming and fishing. By the mid-1500s the Taíno people had died out as a result of smallpox and brutal treatment by the…… Spanish settlers who tried to enslave them. Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean mainland.

Creation of the Republic

Spain ceded the colony of Santo Domingo (the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola) to France in 1795. In the 1790s slaves in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) staged a revolt led by Toussaint Louverture. In 1801, Toussaint Louverture captured the former Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo (which became the Dominican Republic). He then unified French and Spanish Haiti into Haiti (which is the old Arawak Indian name for Hispaniola). By 1808 after various degrees of instability Santo Domingo reverted to Spanish rule. Two years later in 1810 the French finally leave Santo Domingo.

Spanish lieutenant governor José Núñez de Cáceres declared the colony's independence as the state of Spanish Haiti (Haití Español) on November 30, 1821, requesting admission to the Republic of Gran Colombia, but Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, unified the entire island, ending 300 years of colonial domination and slavery just nine weeks later. In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte, founded a secret society called La Trinitaria that sought pure and simple independence of the eastern part of the island without any foreign intervention. Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (the latter one being a Mestizo), in spite of not being among the founding members, went on to be decisive in the fight for independence and are now hailed (along with Duarte) as the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios declared independence from Haiti, backed by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle-rancher from El Seibo who became general of the army of the nascent Republic, and known as "El Liberador". The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844 which was modeled after the US constitution.

Caste System

The Caste system in the Dominican Republic although similar to the rest of Latin America consisted of this:

• Peninsulares - Persons of Spanish or French descent born in Spain or France. They were considered so much higher than other castas that many women went back to Spain or France to give birth.They held important jobs in the government, the army, and the Catholic Church, and usually did not live permanently in Latin America. This system was intended to perpetuate the ties of the governing elite to the Spanish crowns.
• Criollos - People of Spanish descent but born in Latin America. Many criollos owned mines, ranches, or haciendas and were very wealthy. They occasionally had government jobs, but they were not respected by the Peninsulares. The 19th century independentists were mainly criollos rejecting European supremacy.
• Castizos - Persons with one mestizo parent and one criollo parent. The children of a castizo and a criollo were classified as criollo.
• Mestizos - Persons with one peninsular parent and one indio(Taino/Karib) parent.
• Cholos - Persons with one indio parent and one mestizo parent.
• Mulattos - Persons of mixed Spanish and black descent. They were sometimes made into slaves.
• Marabou - Persons with mixed Indian(Taino or Karib),Black & White parents.(About half of the population in modern day Dominican Republic)
• Indios(Tainos/Karibes) - Native Americans. They were sometimes slaves of Peninsulares.
• Zambos - Persons who were mixed Indian and African.
• Negros - Blacks. They were treated the worst and were often slaves.

Re-establishment as a colony and Restoration War

In 1861, mainly due to political and economical reasons, then president Pedro Santana signed a pact with the Spanish Crown and reverted back the Dominican state to a colonial status, the only Latin American nation to do so. Haitian authorities, fearful of the reestablishment of Spain as colonial power, gave refuge and logistics to Dominican revolutionaries to re-establish the independence. The civil war was called the War of Restoration, and was led by two men: Generals Ulises Heureaux who was of Haitian origin (and 3 time President of the Dominican Republic) and Gregorio Luperón.

The War started on 1863 and, after two years of fighting, Spanish troops abandoned the island. The Restoration was proclaimed on August 16, 1865.

A few years later the Dominican Republic sought to sell itself to the United States and become a colony. The Dominican Republic offered the United States to take it over as a colony for 1.5 million dollars. President Grant supported this notion, but the United States Congress refused on June 30, 1870. President Grant thought that former American slaves could go to the Dominican Republic and live in peace and not be harassed by Southern whites.

U.S. Dominican Treaty for Assistance in Governing

In 1906, the Dominican Republic and the United States entered into a 50 year treaty. giving control of its administration and customs to the United States. In exchange the United States agreed to help reduce the immense foreign debt that the Dominican Republic had established. In 1914, the United States, due to extreme political internal instability in the Dominican Republic (inability to elect a president), expressed concern and stated that a leader must be elected, or the United States would impose one. As a result, Ramón Báez Machado, was elected provisional president on August 27, 1914. Presidential elections held on October 25 returned Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra to the presidency. Despite his victory, however, Jimenes felt impelled to appoint leaders and prominent members of the various political factions to positions in his government in an effort to broaden its support. The internecine conflicts that resulted had quite the opposite effect, weakening the government and the President and emboldening Secretary of War Desiderio Arias to take control of both the armed forces and the Congress, which he compelled to impeach Jimenes for violation of the constitution and the laws. Although the United States ambassador offered military support to his government, Jimenes opted to step down on May 7, 1916.

Arias never assumed the presidency formally. The United States government, apparently tired of its recurring role as mediator, had decided to take a more direct action. By this time, U. S forces were occupying Haiti already. The initial military administrator of Haiti, Rear Admiral William Caperton, had actually forced Arias to retreat from Santo Domingo by threatening the city with naval bombardment on May 13, 1916.

The first Marines landed three days later, on May 19. Although they established effective control of the country within two months, the United States forces did not proclaim a military government until November. Most Dominican laws and institutions remained intact under military rule, although the shortage of Dominicans willing to serve in the cabinet forced the military governor, Rear Admiral Harry S. Knapp, to fill a number of portfolios with United States naval officers. The press and radio were censored for most of the occupation, and public speech was limited.

The surface effects of the occupation were largely positive. The Marines restored order throughout most of the republic (with the exception of the eastern region); the country's budget was balanced, its debt was diminished, and economic growth resumed. Infrastructure projects produced new roads that linked all the country's regions for the first time in its history. A professional military organization, the Dominican Constabulary Guard, replaced the partisan forces that had waged a seemingly endless struggle for power. Most Dominicans, however, greatly resented the loss of their sovereignty to foreigners, few of whom spoke Spanish or displayed much real concern for the welfare of the republic.

The most intense opposition to the occupation arose in the eastern provinces of El Seibo and San Pedro de Macorís. From 1917 to 1921, the United States forces battled a guerrilla movement in that area known as the "gavilleros". The guerrillas enjoyed considerable support among the population, and they benefited from a superior knowledge of the terrain. The movement survived the capture and the execution of its leader, Vicente Evangelista, and some initially fierce encounters with the Marines. However, the gavilleros eventually yielded to the occupying forces' superior firepower, air power (a squadron of six Curtis Jennies), and determined (often brutal) counterinsurgent methods.

After World War I, public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation. President Warren G. Harding, who succeeded Wilson in March 1921, had campaigned against the occupations of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In June 1921, United States representatives presented a withdrawal proposal, known as the Harding Plan, which called for Dominican ratification of all acts of the military government, approval of a loan of US$2.5 million for public works and other expenses, the acceptance of United States officers for the constabulary--now known as the National Guard (Guardia Nacional)--and the holding of elections under United States supervision. Popular reaction to the plan was overwhelmingly negative. Moderate Dominican leaders, however, used the plan as the basis for further negotiations that resulted in an agreement allowing for the selection of a provisional president to rule until elections could be organized. Under the supervision of High Commissioner Sumner Welles, Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos assumed the provisional presidency on October 21, 1922. In the presidential election of March 15, 1924, Horacio Vásquez Lajara handily defeated Francisco J. Peynado. Vásquez's Alliance Party (Partido Alianza) also won a comfortable majority in both houses of Congress. With his inauguration on July 13, control of the republic returned to Dominican hands.

1930 to 1980

The Dominican Republic was ruled by dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo (who was himself a quarter Haitian) from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. Trujillo ruled with iron hand, persecuting anyone who opposed his regime. He also renamed many towns and provinces after himself and members of his family, including the capital city Santo Domingo. In 1937 Trujillo, in an event known as the Parsley Massacre or in the Dominican Republic as El Corte (the cutting), ordered the Army to kill all Haitians on the Dominican side of the border; an estimated 17,000 to 35,000 Haitians were killed for approximately five days, from the night of October 2, 1937 through October 8, 1937, Haitians were cut down with machetes,.. The soldiers of Trujillo would go out and interrogate anyone with dark skin hold up a sprig of parsley and pronounce what they were holding up. Haitians who spoke French and, or Kreyol say the "r" in parsley with a flat long pronunciation, while Domincan's said it with a thrilled "r" sound. This massacre was alleged to have been an attempt to seize money and property from Haitians living on the border As a result of this act of massacre the Dominican Republic agreed to pay Haiti $750,000.00, which was later reduced to US$525,000. The Dominican government headed by Trujillo for a time was supported by the USA, the Catholic Church and the Dominican elite; even after the death of Dominicans opposition and over 17,000 Haitians. Trujillo was assassinated on May 30, 1961 in Santo Domingo.

In 1965, US Marines arrived in the Dominican Republic to restore order in the civil war in Operation Powerpack, later to be joined by forces from the Organization of American States. 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. His tenure was a period of repression of civil liberties, 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.

Modern times

In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by Antonio Guzmán Fernández. From 1978 to 1986, the Dominican Republic experienced a period of relative freedom and basic human rights. Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, defeating José Francisco Peña Gómez (a former mayor of Santo Domingo). Both the national and international communities generally viewed these elections as a major fraud, leading to political pressure for Balaguer to step down. Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996, which was won by the Dominican Liberation Party for the first time, with Leonel Fernández as their candidate. In 2000, Hipólito Mejía won the electorate when opposing candidates Danilo Medina and a very old Joaquín Balaguer decided that they would not force a runoff after the first got 49.8% of the votes. In 2004, Leonel Fernández was elected again with 57% of the votes, defeating then incumbent president Mejía, who was running for a second term.

Government and Politics

The government of the Dominican Republic is based mainly on that of the United States, thus 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 two chambers of the National Congress. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, and is comprised of the Supreme Court of Justice, which functions as a Court of Cessation, several Courts of Appeals and many other tribunals in several matters: civil, penal, labor, administrative, lands, and family. The Law is derived from the French system.

Politics

The Dominican Republic is a a highly politicized country, with elections held every two years in both the presidential and the congressional levels. This favors the spending of millions of dollars in propaganda and campaign, and the expansion of clientelism, which has corrupted the system throughout the years.

There are many political parties and groups of interests, and new in this scenario, civil organizations. The three major parties are Reformist Social Christian Party (in power from 1966-78 and 1986-96); Dominican Revolutionary Party (in power in 1963, and from 1978-86, and again 2000-04); and the Dominican Liberation Party (in power from 1996 to 2000), currently official since 2004.

International organization participation

ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.

Provinces and municipalities

The Dominican Republic is divided into 31 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.

Geography

The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern part of the second largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic shares the island roughly at a 2:1 ratio with Haiti. The whole country measures an area of 44,442 km² making it the second largest country in the Antilles after Cuba. The country's mainland has three mountain ranges, those being Cordillera Central (starting from Haiti towards east crossing the island), Cordillera Septentrional, and Cordillera Oriental in the East. In between the Central and Septentrional mountain ranges lies the rich and fertile Cibao valley. This major valley is home to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros and to most of the farming areas in the nation. The country's capital and greatest metropolitan area, Santo Domingo, is located at the southern shore.

The Dominican Republic has the highest peak in the Caribbean named Pico Duarte(3,087 m / 10,128 ft above sea level) and the Biggest lake in the Caribbean named Lake Enriquillo.

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. The two largest islands near shore 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 and Mouchoir Bank. Navidad Bank and Silver Bank have been officially claimed by the Dominican Republic.

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.

Symbolism

Some of the important symbols include the flag of The Dominican Republic, the coat of arms, and the national anthem titled Quisqueyanos valientes The colors and shapes used in the national flag symbolize patriotism and national pride. The flag has a large white cross, a symbol of salvation, that divides it into four quarters. Two quarters are red and two are blue. The blue sections represent liberty, while the red sections symbolize the blood of the heroes who died to preserve it. In the center of the cross is the Dominican coat of arms.

A recent national symbol, constructed in 1992, is the Columbus Lighthouse. It was a work project conceived of by President Joaquín Balaguer when he was 85 years old and blind. It is an enormous cross, flat on the ground, facing the sky and bursting with lights, and was built as a tourist attraction. The physical remains of Columbus have been moved to the lighthouse (although Spain and Cuba also claim to have them). The lighthouse burns so brightly it can be seen from Puerto Rico, but, ironically, it is situated in the midst of a poor neighborhood where the people live without water or electricity and with unpaved, dusty streets and uncollected garbage. A wall was built around the lighthouse to protect the visitors from the neighborhood. Some Dominicans call it the Wall of Shame and argue that the country needs basic services, such as dependable electricity and transportation, not expensive monuments to Columbus. In addition, Dominicans have mixed feelings about Columbus and superstitiously refer to him only as the Great Admiral, believing that to say his name will bring about bad luck.

The national dance is Merengue.

The national tree is the Mahogany Tree.

The national bird is la Cigua Palmera or Palmchat.

The national stone is the Amber, although Larimar is also a highly respected rock in this country since this type of stone is only found in the Dominican Republic.

The national flower is the Flor Fe la Caoba or Mahogany Flower.

The national sport is Baseball.

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 main 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 25 °C and 30 °C in July.

Environmental issues

Current envirommental issues are water shortages, soil eroding into the sea damaging coral reefs and deforestation.

Bajos de Haina, 12 miles (19 km) west of Santo Domingo, was included on the Blacksmith Institute's list of the world's 10 most polluted places, released in October 2006, due to lead poisoning by a battery recycling smelter closed in 1999. As the site never was cleaned up children continue to be born with high lead levels causing learning disabilities, impaired physical growth and kidney damage.

Economy

Recent years

The Dominican Republic is a lower middle-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 very 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, # 79 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.

In the Trimestrial period of Jan-May 2007 the Dominican Economy experienced an exceptional growth of 9.1% in its GDP slightly lower than last years period by 1%. DR-CAFTA(trade agreement) and the Foreign Investment have been one that given great opportunity to the Dominican economy.

The Dominican Republic has become transshipment point for South American drugs to Europe as well as the United States and Canada. Money laundering is favored by Colombia via Dominican Republic for the ease of illicit financial transactions.

The Dominican Republic enjoys a growing economy with CIA World Fact book stating a 10.7% Real growth percentage in 2006 even though Inflation holds at 8.2% in the economy. Enjoying A GDP(PPP) per Capita of 8,400 a relative high in Latin America. Service and the Financial Sector has amounted for this growth in the economy while the Construction Sector makes a big part too of the GDP.

Santo Domingo, the capital of the Republic is the source of most of is GDP and has become one of the leading cities of the Caribbean along With San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Currency

The Dominican peso is the national currency of the country, although US dollars (USD) are acceptable in most tourist sites. The peso was worth the same as the USD at one time, but has recently decreased in value. The exchange rate in 1993 was 14.00 pesos per USD and 16.00 pesos in 2000, but it jumped to 53.00 pesos per USD in 2003. In 2004, the exchange rate was back down to around 31.00 pesos per USD.

The U.S. dollar is implicated in almost all commercial transactions 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 that has an impact on the currency exchange market of the Dominican Republic is the fluctuation of the U.S. dollar on the international currency market. As of September 2007 the value of the peso is 1 USD=0.7006 EUR=33.430 DOP

Demographics

According to the CIA World Fact Book, the ethnic composition of the Dominican population is, 73% of Mixed race, 16% White and 11% Black. Other ethnic groups in the Dominican Republic include Haitians, Germans, Italians, French, Jews,Spaniards, Chinese and Americans. A smaller presence of East Asians (primarily ethnic Chinese and Japanese) and Middle Easterners (primarily Lebanese) can be found throughout the population. The Dominican Republic has a much more elastic definition of what is deemed to be white. It has been said that "Many Dominicans who call themselves "white" have African or near African grandparents."

Racial identity issues

Many Dominicans self-identify as being of mixed-race rather than "black" in contrast to African identity movements in other nations. Rather, a variety of terms are used to represent a range of skintones. These include "morena" (brown), "india" (Indian), "blanca oscura" (dark white), and "trigueño" (wheat colored). This is reinforced by the national identity cards issued by the Dominican Republic listing the skintone of their holders, using many of these terms officially. According to Dr. Miguel Anibal Perdomo, professor of Dominican Identity and Literature at Hunter College in New York City, "There was a sense of 'deculturación' among the African slaves of Hispaniola. an attempt to erase any vestiges of African culture from the Dominican Republic. We were, in some way, brainwashed and we've become westernized." Another factor is the phenomenon of Antihaitianismo, or ethnic tension towards Haitians and descendants of Haitian immigrants. Many physical traits related to African descent are associated with Haiti in Dominican culture and thus there is a stigma attached to them which ties back to the long-standing conflict between the Dominican Republic and its neighboring nation. As a result Dominicans tend to classify themselves as having dark skin, but by no means black or African.

Self-identification

According to a study by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, about 90% of the contemporary Dominican population has African ancestry or has African roots. Many have claimed that this represents a reluctance to self-identify with African descent and the culture of the freed slaves. However, this view is not universal, as many also claim that Dominican culture is simply different and rejects the racial categorizations of other regions. Ramona Hernández, director of the Dominican Studies Institute at City College of New York asserts that the terms were originally an act of defiance in a time when being mulatto was stigmatized. "During the Trujillo regime, people who were dark skinned were rejected, so they created their own mechanism to fight it" She went on to explain "When you ask, 'What are you?' they don't give you the answer you want . . . saying we don't want to deal with our blackness is simply what you want to hear." The Dominican Republic is not unique in this respect either. In a 1976 census survey conducted in Brazil, respondents described their skin color in 136 distinct terms.

Religion

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%.

Catholicism was introduced by Columbus and Spanish missionaries. Religion wasn’t really the foundation of their entire society, as it was in other parts of the world at the time, and most of the population didn’t attend church on a regular basis. Nonetheless, most of the education in the country was based upon the Catholic religion, as the Bible was required in the curriculum in all public schools. Children would use religious based dialogue when greeting a relative or parent. For example: a child would say “Bless me, mother,” and the mother would reply “May God bless you.”

Eventually the Catholic Church began to lose popularity in the late 1800s. This was due to a lack of funding, priests, and support programs. Because of this the Protestant evangelical movement began to gain support. Protestants emphasized biblical teachings like the Catholics, but also practiced rejuvenation and economic independence. The Protestants added diversity to the Dominican Republic, and there was almost no religious conflict with the Catholics.

There has always been religious freedom throughout the entire country. It wasn’t until the 1950s that restrictions were placed upon churches by Trujillo. Letters of protest were sent against the mass arrests of government adversaries. Trujillo began a campaign against the church and planned to arrest priests and bishops who preached against the government. This campaign ended before it was even put into place when he was shot.

Judaism appeared in the Dominican Republic in the late 1930s. During World War Two, a group of Jews escaping Nazi Germany fled to the Dominican Republic and founded the city of Sosua. It has remained to be the center of the Jewish population since.

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 750,000 inhabitants.

Health Statistics

The death rate of the Dominican Republic is 5.32/1000, and the birth rate is 24.44. Dengue and malaria are particularly common in the Dominican Republic. There is currently a mission based in the United States to combat the AIDS rate in the Dominican Republic.

Immigration

During the Haitian rule over the whole island of Hispaniola (1822-1844) former Black slaves and escapees from the United States were invited by the Haitian government to settle there. In the late 1800s and early 1900s large groups immigrated to the country from Venezuela and Puerto Rico, so much so that two of the country's former presidents and life long political rivals Juan Bosch and Joaquín Balaguer both had Puerto Rican parents. During the first decades of the 20th century many Arabs primarily from Lebanon settled in the country. There is also a sizable Indian and Chinese population. The town of Sosúa has many Jews who settled there during World War II.

In recent decades, re-immigration from Haiti has increased once again. Most Haitian immigrants arrive in the Dominican Republic illegally, and work at low-paying, unskilled labor jobs, including construction work, household cleaning, and on sugar plantations. Current estimates put the Haitian-born population in the Dominican Republic as high as 1 million. Working conditions on these sugar plantations have recently caused controversy, with assertions that conditions are near-slavery and a form of de facto apartheid– with the children of illegal Haitian immigrants denied citizenship, under the Dominican constitution, and basic health care, and frequent physical attacks and roundups on adult immigrants. However, some Dominican and Haitian officials deny such accusations of slavery, with the Haitian ambassador Fritz Cineas stated "I still have not received any complaint of violation of human rights against the Haitian immigrants in the country". However, the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández Reyna stated publicly during a seminar on immigration policy that collective expulsions of Haitians were carried out "in an abusive and inhuman way". Open wounds exist between Haiti and the Dominican Republic due to the selective enforcement of deportation rules it has been said that "Dominicans could help heal many of Haiti's open political wounds by extraditing back to Haiti many of the criminals of the 1991 coup d'etat and the Duvalier dictatorship who enjoy de facto political asylum in the Dominican Republic." When asked for a response for the current situation, Fernandez stated "There must exist an extradition treaty between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, but there isn't one between our two countries," Exploitation of Haitians immigrants in the Dominican Republic is the subject of the 2007 political documentary narrated by Paul Newman, The Price of Sugar.

Haitian Stateless

There has been an ongoing situation with the immigration of Haitian nationals into the Dominican Republic. Haiti, a nation with a similar population, but 1/2 of the land size is much poorer than that of the Dominican Republic. Many Haitian nationals come to the Dominican Republic in search of work, but are often regulated to second class status. Due to a "right of blood" similar to that in Italy, many Haitian nationals born into the Dominican Republic are not granted citizenship. This is due to the fact that their parents are deemed to be transient in nature. As a result many Dominican born Haitians are born without a nation or citizenship. Competition for jobs have led to the deportation of many Haitians in an effort to save native Dominican rights. Unofficially there are 800,000 Haitians living in the Dominican Republic accounting for over 10% of the population. "Our border with Haiti has its problems, this is our reality and it must be understood. Foreign Minister Morales stated It is important not to confuse national sovereignty with indifference, and not to confuse security with xenophobia,"

Emigration

The Dominican Republic has experienced three distinct waves of emigration in the second half of the twentieth century. The first period began in 1961, when a coalition of high-ranking Dominicans, with assistance from the CIA, assassinated General Rafael Trujillo, the nation's military dictator. In the wake of his death, fear of retaliation by Trujillo's allies, and political uncertainty in general, spurred a great migration from the island. In 1965, the United States began a military occupation of the Dominican Republic and eased travel restrictions, making it easier for Dominicans to obtain American visas. From 1966 to 1978, the exodus continued, fueled by high unemployment and political repression. Communities established by the first wave of immigrants to America created a network that assisted subsequent arrivals. Then, in the early 1980s, underemployment, inflation, and the rise in value of the dollar all contributed to a third wave of migration from the island nation. Today, emigration from the Dominican Republic remains high, facilitated by the social networks of now-established Dominican communities in the United States.

Crime

There have been reports of crimes against tourists in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has served as a transportation hub for Colombian drug cartels. Over 8% of all cocaine smuggled into the United States has come through the Dominican Republic Social pressures and poverty have led to a rise in prostitution within the Dominican Republic. Though prostitution is illegal within the country and the age of consent is 18, even child prostitution is a growing phenomenon in impoverished areas. In an environment where young girls are often denied employment opportunities offered to boys, prostitution frequently becomes a source of supplementary income. UNICEF reports estimate at least 25,000 children involved in the Dominican sex trade, 63% of that figure being girls.

Culture

The culture of the Dominican Republic, like its Caribbean neighbors, is a blend of the European colonists, Taínos and African cultural elements. Castilian commonly known as Spanish, is the official language. Other languages such as Haitian Creole English, French, German, and Italian are also spoken to varying degrees. Haitian Creole is spoken fluently(Haitian nationals or of Haitian descent living in the DR and their children) by about 1.2 million people and is the third most spoken language after Spanish and English. European, African and Taíno cultural elements are most prominent in food, family structure, religion and music. Many Taíno names and words are used in daily conversation and for many items endemic to the DR.

Cuisine

Breakfast typically calls for a serving of Mangu, a mix of plantains, butter, onions and cheese, which can be found at most hotel and resort restaurants. Mangu has been dubbed the mashed potatoes of the DR and is a must-try for all visitors. Locals are also known to prepare the dish for evening meals. A foundation of the native diet, "La Bandera Dominicana" or the Dominican flag meal, is eaten by nearly everyone at lunch time. The most important meal of the day, La Bandera consists of rice, beans, meat, vegetables and fried plantains to ensure energy throughout the afternoon and evening. Another popular dish is Sancocho, a Spanish-style stew usually served with rice. Ingredients include various roots, green plantains, avocado and typically chicken or beef. A combination of seven meats is Sancocho prieto. Goat meat, a staple in many Dominican homes, may also be used in this recipe. Locrio, or Dominican rice, varies with its preparer. An adaptation of the Spanish paella, locrio is made with achiote, since saffron spice is unavailable. Near Samana, coconut trees decorate the landscape and provide a delectable milk sauce for fish, known as Pescado con Coco. Throughout the south central coast, bulgur, or whole wheat, is a main ingredient in Quipes or Tipili (bulgur salad). Other favorite Dominican dishes include chicharron, yucca, cassave, pastelitos. Some treats Dominicans enjoy are arroz oc leche/arroz con dulce, bizcocho dominicano, habichuelas con dulce, flan, frio, frio, dulce de leche,and caña or sugar cane. The beverages Dominicans enjoy are morir suñando, Ron Brugal(rum),Cerveza Presidente (Beer), Mamajuana, batida (smoothie), ponche, mabey, and coffee.

Music

Musically, the Dominican Republic is known for the creation of Merengue music, a type of lively, fast-paced rhythm and dance music consisting of a tempo of about 120 to 160 beats per minute (it varies wildly) based on musical elements like drums, brass and chorded instruments;as well as some elements unique to the music style of the DR (Marimba). Its syncopated beats use Latin percussion, brass instruments, bass, and piano or keyboard. Not known for social content in its commercial form (Merengue Tipico or Perico Ripiao is very socially charged), it is primarily a dancehall music that was declared the national music during the Trujillo regime. Well-known merengue singers include Juan Luis Guerra, Fernando Villalona, Eddy Herrera, Sergio Vargas, Toño Rosario, Johnny Ventura, and Milly Quezada. Merengue became popular mostly on the east coast of the United States during the 1980s an 90s, when many Puerto Rican groups like Elvis Crespo were produced by Dominican bandleaders and writers living in the US territory . The emergence of Bachata-Merengue along with a larger number of Dominicans living among other Latino groups (particularly Cubans and Puerto Ricans in New York, New Jersey, and Florida) contributed to the music's growth in popularity,.

Bachata, a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and rural marginal neighborhoods of Dominican Republic, has became quite popular in recent years. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, the original term used to name the genre was "amargue" ("bitterness," or "bitter music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term bachata became popular.

Bachata grew out of - and is still closely related to - the pan Latin-American romantic style called bolero. Over time, it has been influenced by merengue and by a variety of Latin American guitar styles.

Sports

Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic today. After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number of baseball players in the U. S. Major League Baseball. These include Sammy Sosa, Albert Pujols, Pedro Martínez, Vladimir Guerrero, David Ortiz, Jose Reyes, Manny Ramirez, Robinson Canó and Luis Castillo. Alex Rodriguez was born in New York to parents that emigrated from the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic has participated in the Baseball World Cup winning Gold: 1 (1948), Silver: 3 (1942 1950 1952), and Bronze: 2 (1943 1969) right behind Cuba's record of Gold: 25 (1939 1940 1942 1943 1950 1952 1953 1961 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1978 1980 1984 1986 1988 1990 1994 1998 2001 2003 2005), Silver: 2 (1941 2007) and Bronze: 2 (1944 1951).

Historically, the Dominican Republic has been linked to the MLB since Ozzie Virgil, Sr. became the first Dominican to play there. Other very notable players were Juan Marichal, Bartolo Colón, Felipe Alou, Rico Carty, George Bell, and Stan Javier, among many others.

The Dominican Republic also has its own baseball league which runs its season from October to January (called The Winter League by MLB), and includes six teams: Tigres del Licey (Licey's Tigers), Aguilas Cibaeñas (Cibao's Eagles), Gigantes del Cibao (Cibao's Giants), Toros Azucareros del Este (Eastern Sugar-Mill's Bulls), Estrellas Orientales (Oriental Stars), and Leones del Escogido (Escogido's Lions). 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 MLB.

Olympic gold medalist and world champion over 400 m hurdles, Felix Sanchez, and NFL Football player Luis Castillo both hail from the Dominican Republic.

The 2007-2008 Caribbean Tournament(series) will be held In Santiago the Dominican Republic.

Today there exists performance enhancing drug including steroids issue with athletes of the Dominican Republic.

Holidays

Dominican Military

The Military of the Dominican Republic consists of approximately 44,000 active duty personnel, about 30 percent of which are utilized for non-military operations, including security providers for government owned non-military facilities, toll security, prison guards, forestry workers and other state enterprises.

Services and transportation

There are two transportation services in the Dominican Republic, one controlled by the government through the OTTT (Oficina Técnica de Transito Terrestre) and the OMSA (Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses), and other controlled by private business, among them, Federación Nacional de Transporte La Nueva Opción (FENATRANO) and the Confederacion Nacional de Transporte (CONATRA).

The government transportation system covers large routes in metropolitan areas, such as Santo Domingo and Santiago, for very inexpensive prices. In December 2006, the price was DOP$5.00(US$0.15), and air-conditioned buses was priced at DOP$10 (US$0.30). It should be noted that most OMSA buses are currently in very poor condition, and has been criticized for its incapability to assist the people's needs.

FENATRANO and CONATRA offers their services with "Voladoras" (vans) or "Conchos" (cars), which have routes in most parts of the cities. These cars have roofs painted in yellow or green in order to identify them. The cars have scheduled days to work, depending on the color of the roof, and have been described as unsafe.

Communications

The Dominican Republic has a well developed telecommunications infrastructure. With 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. As of October 2007 a new service was introduce in the country via WiMax by both OneMax and the former Codetel now Claro, that provides telephony over IP as well as broadband nation wide services, to both residential and commercial users. In fact the DR is the only country in all LA to have this kind of service up to this date in a national level. 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. The reported speeds are from 256 kbit/s /128 kbit/s for residential services up to 4 MB / 2 MB for commercial service(denotes downstream/upstream speed). The DR commercial radio stations are in fact in the process of transferring to the digital spectrum via HD-radio.

As of October 2007, there are five major communication companies: CODETEL, Orange, Tricom, Centennial and Onemax.

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.

Highways

Dominican Republic has five major highways. These 5 highways round the Countries and take you to any important town of the Country. The three Major Highways are Autopista Duarte, Autopista Del Este, and Autopista Del Sur which take you to the North, East, and western side of the Country. Dominican Republic lacks a good system of Routes interconnecting small towns and most of these routes are unpaved or are in bad conditions.

Electricity

Electrical services in the country have been a headache for the population, as well as the business and other areas for more than 40 years. Due to the extreme corruption within the state, no administration has been able to cope with this problem. In 1998, three regional electricity distribution systems were privatized via sale of 50% of shares to foreign operators; in an unexpected decision, the Mejía administration repurchased all foreign-owned shares in two of these systems in late 2003. The third, serving the eastern provinces, is operated by U.S. concerns and is 50% U.S.-owned. Industry experts estimated distribution losses for 2006 surpassed 40%, primarily due to low collection rates, theft, and corruption. At the close of 2006, the government had exceeded its budget for electricity subsidies, spending close to U.S. $650 million.

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. Still in 2007, some areas have outages lasting as long as 20 hours a day. Tourist areas tend to have more reliable power as do business, travel, healthcare, and vital infrastructure. The Dominican Electric Company, which supervises the private distributors (such as EDEESTE, EDENORTE, EDESUR and AES) has said that currently there are 200 working circuits which provide permanent electricity, because that they 85% of inhabitants of this neighborhood within this circuits are paying bills. They said more areas are going to be included in this new plan to end blackouts in the D. R. something that has never been seen after the 1960s. The electricity sector is highly politicized and with 2008 presidential election campaigning already in motion, the prospect of further effective reforms of the sector is poor. Debts, including government debt, amount to more than U.S. $500 million. Some generating companies are undercapitalized and at times unable to purchase adequate fuel supplies.

See also

• Dominican National Team
• Military of 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

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External links and sources

• Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism website
• Template:Es Presidency of the Dominican Republic website
• Dominican Republic News & Information Service
• Dominican Republic Listings and Reviews
• Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding the Dominican Republic
• Template:Es 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
• DominicanToday.com, Dominican Republic News in English
• Demographics of Dominican Republic
• Haitian treatment in DR
• US State Department summary
• Template:Es Turismo en Republica Dominicana: Spanish-written website about Dominican Republic culture and people, this site publish new information almost daily about Dominican Republic, cities, hotels, people, and so on.
• Dominican Republic Virtual Tours & Videos
• VLM Dominican Republic Hotel Directory
• / investment information about Real Estate in the Dominican Republic

Geographic locale

v t e Provinces of the Dominican Republic Azua Baoruco Barahona Dajabón Distrito Nacional Duarte Elías Piña El Seibo Espaillat Hato Mayor Hermanas Mirabal Independencia La Altagracia La Romana La Vega María Trinidad Sánchez Monseñor Nouel Monte Cristi Monte Plata Pedernales Peravia Puerto Plata Samaná San Cristóbal San José de Ocoa San Juan San Pedro de Macorís Sánchez Ramírez Santiago Santiago Rodríguez Santo Domingo Valverde Template:Countries and territories of the Caribbean Template:Countries and territories of Middle America v t e Countries and dependencies of North America Sovereign states Entire Antigua and Barbuda The 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 In part Colombia San Andrés and Providencia France Guadeloupe Martinique Caribbean Netherlands Bonaire Saba Sint Eustatius Venezuela Nueva Esparta Federal Dependencies Dependencies Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island St. Barthélemy St. Martin St. Pierre and Miquelon Netherlands Aruba Curaçao Sint Maarten United Kingdom Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands United States Puerto Rico United States Virgin Islands North America portal

International membership

v t e Organization of American States (OAS) Members Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela Organization General Assembly Secretariat for Political Affairs Secretariat for Integral Development Secretariat for Multidimensional Security Inter-American Commission of Women Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Inter-American Telecommunication Commission Inter-American Court of Human Rights Pan American Union Building Politics Charter Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man American Convention on Human Rights Pan-American Conference Summit of the Americas Template:Latin Union v t e Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat (Secretary-General) History West Indies Federation Caribbean Free Trade Association Treaty of Chaguaramas Single Market and Economy (CSME) Members Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Dominica Grenada Guyana Haiti Jamaica Montserrat St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Associate members Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Turks and Caicos Islands Observers Aruba Colombia Dominican Republic Mexico Puerto Rico Sint Maarten Venezuela Institutions Caribbean Meteorological Organisation (CMO) Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) Court of Justice (CCJ) Disaster Emergency Management (CDEMA) Examinations Council (CXC) Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Single Market and Economy (CSME) Related organizations CARIFORUM Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Member of the Community but not of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) British overseas territory awaiting entrustment to join the CSME

• Dominican Republic
• Former Spanish colonies
• Island countries
• Spanish-speaking countries
• Afro-Caucasians