Located on the island of Hispaniola

About 575 miles South-East of Miami, Florida

Caribbean Sea to the South

Atlantic Ocean to the North

Miami, Florida Santo Domingo = 843 miles (1357 km)

In the West Indies island group

Area of the island is 18,816mi^2

Representative DemocracyExecutive BranchLegislative Branch( 2 houses- senators and deputies)Judicial Branch

Constitution created on November 28, 1966 AND amended in 1994 and 2002President

Leonel Fernández ReynaElected for one term of 4 years (can’t be elected consecutive terms)

Senators4 year term30 seats

One for each of the 29 provinces in the D.R. and one for the National District (which can be compared to D.C.)

Deputies4 year termNumber of deputies elected depends on the populationEach meber represents about 50,000 peopleCurrently 145 members so population = 7.2 million

Judicial BranchSystem of Law is Civil Law (just like France)

MONEYPeso1 Dominican Peso= .027526 U.S. dollarsPeso coins come in 1 and 5 pesosBills come in 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 2000Dominican Pesos symbol is RD1 Dominican peso (RD$) = 100 centavos

(from go.hrw.com)

*Most tourist destinations prefer you pay in U.S. dollars

Natural ResourcesAgricultural Resources

SugarcaneCoffeeCocoa

TobaccoRice

BeansPotatoes

CornBananas

NickelBauxiteGoldSilver

SchoolFailure is very commonAges for attendance are similar to America, except a wider range of ages of students in a classBasic Subjects: math, reading, writing, scienceHalf days of school, instead of full

First group= morning until afternoonSecond group= afternoon until dinner time

To go to high school students must first take a test to figure out their amount of knowledge (or lack there of) after test you need to pay to get results to show schoolsAll children required to wear uniformsAfter high school college is an option, but the money used on transportation there and back costs more than actual classesPublic collegesPrivate colleges: VERY expensive which only allows the really wealthy to go thereIf college isn’t an interest, you can go to medical school right after high schoolLiteracy Rate: 82.1% total, 82.0% male, 82.2% female (1995 est.)

(from go.hrw.com)

Families are typically very close and largeMen have children from many different womenGenerations of families will live in a house togetherFather is the one with the job and wife works in the house and handles the children…Except in poorer communities, wives will clean for wealthy families to help make moneyChildren do most of the jobs around the houseChildren don’t move out until they are marriedIn poorer areas girls get married very youngLife Expectancy: 71.34 male, 75.64 female (2001 est.)

(from go.hrw.com)

Punta Cana•Eastern tip of island•Resorts, golf courses, and beaches

Higuey- Basilica of Our Lady (Basilica de Nuestra Senora)•Center for religious activity on the island•Amazing architecture

Bahia de La Jina•Bay on the north coast•Beautiful views and very scenic

Cano Honde Caves•Amazing caves•Very hard to get to/ into

Eastern National Park•One of the Caribbean’s largest marine parks•Remote beaches•Caves•Home to amazing wildlife: Dominican birds, fish, turtles, dolphins, coral reef

Diego Columbus’ House•Christopher Columbus’ son

Columbus Lighthouse (Faro a Calon)•Monument and museum•Home of Columbus’ bones

History1492- Island explored by Columbus and named La Española1496- Santo Domingo was founded (now the oldest European settlement in the Western hemisphere)1822- Haitians conquer the island1844- Juan Pablo Duarte drove them out and Dominican Republic was deemed an independent state

*Duarte was later named the Dominican hero of independence1861- Dominicans returned to the Spanish empire1865- Dominican independence restored1916- United States helped Dominicans form a military government1930-1961- Rafaél Leonides Trujillo Molina established a dictatorship1962- Juan Bosch elected president; first time democratically in 4 decades

Elections have remained democratic since

Food

Lots of fresh fruits Fish is widely consumed because the proximity to the sea(s)Fried foods are very commonly seen (main method of cooking food)Foods most eaten are beans and riceMost food is cooked on stoves, but many families don’t have them so they cook over a fireTraditional dish is “La Bandera”, (which mean the flag) contanes rice, beans, meat, vegetables, and fritos verdes “The Dominican Sancocho is a cooking imitative of the Spanish cocido (stew), and each region of the country has its special way of preparing it.” (www.w-d-r.com)

Leah Miller

Foundation For PeaceSanto DomingoJanuary 2- August 17Teaches English and works with the poorest communities in the D.R.Works in the Haitian tent cities and field hospitals since earthquakeHas to be careful when in publicRuns church services in the communities

(there are pictures on the glogster of her service on

Palm and Easter Sunday)

http://mariahk12.edu.glogster.com/dominican-republic/