Dominican Republic 1

Dominican RepublicNot to be confused with the Commonwealth of Dominica.

Dominican RepublicRepública Dominicana  (Spanish)

Flag Coat of arms

Motto: "Dios, Patria, Libertad" (Spanish)"God, Fatherland, Freedom"

Anthem: Quisqueyanos ValientesValiant Quisqueyans

Capitaland largest city

Santo Domingo19°00′N 70°40′W [1]

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Official languages Spanish

Ethnic groups (1960) • 73% Mixedb

• 16% White• 11% Black

Demonym Dominican

Government Unitary presidential republic

 -  President Danilo Medina

 -  Vice President Margarita Cedeño de Fernández

Legislature Congress

 -  Upper house Senate

 -  Lower house Chamber of Deputies

Independence

 -  from Spain December 1, 1821

 -  from Haiti February 27, 1844 (not recognized by Haiti until 1867) 

 -  from Spain (declared) August 16, 1863 (recognized on March 3, 1865) 

 -  from the United States July 12, 1924

Area

 -  Total 48,442 km2 (130th)18,704 sq mi

 -  Water (%) 0.7

Population

 -  2010 census 9,445,281

 -  Density 193.6/km2 (64th)501.5/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2012 estimate

 -  Total $98.7 billion (74)

 -  Per capita $9,646

GDP (nominal) 2012 estimate

 -  Total $59 billion

 -  Per capita $5,763

Gini (2010)  47.2high

HDI (2013)  0.702medium · 96th

Currency Peso (DOP)

Time zone Atlantic (UTC-4)

Drives on the right

Calling code +1-809, +1-829, +1-849

ISO 3166 code DO

Internet TLD .do

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a. Such as Asians and Arabs.

b. Dominican Republic overall DNA admixture is multiracial with a significant amount of Taíno DNA which is consistentwith both the historical background of the nation but, being that Dominicans range from full Whites to full Blacks toMulattoes, these genetic findings are not assigned to the whole nation's population. Therefore, it does not suggest thatDominicans in general have Taíno DNA, but rather may or may not have it.

Sources for area, capital, coat of arms, coordinates, flag, language, motto and names: For an alternate area figure of 48,730 km2, calling code 809 and Internet TLD: 

The Dominican Republic ( i/dəˌmɪnɨkənHelp:IPA for English#Keyrɨˈpʌblɪk/; Spanish: República Dominicana[reˈpuβlika ðominiˈkana]) is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in theCaribbean region. The western three-eighths of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola oneof two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that are shared by two countries. Both by area and population, theDominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with 48,445 square kilometres(18,705 sq mi) and an estimated 10 million people, one million of which live in the capital city, Santo Domingo.[2]

The Taíno people inhabited what is now the Dominican Republic since the 7th century. Christopher Columbuslanded on the island in 1492, and it became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas,namely Santo Domingo, the country's capital and Spain's first capital in the New World. After three centuries ofSpanish rule, with French and Haitian interludes, the country became independent in 1821. The ruler, José Núñez deCáceres, intended that the Dominican Republic be part of the nation of Gran Colombia, but he was quickly removedby the Haitian government and "Dominican" slave revolts. Victorious in the Dominican War of Independence in1844, Dominicans experienced mostly internal strife over the next 72 years, and also a brief return to Spanish rule.The United States occupation of 1916–1924, and a subsequent calm and prosperous six-year period under HoracioVásquez Lajara, were followed by the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina until 1961. The civil war of1965, the country's last, was ended by a U.S.-led intervention, and was followed by the authoritarian rule of JoaquínBalaguer, 1966–1978. Since then, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy, and hasbeen led by Leonel Fernández for most of the time after 1996. Danilo Medina, the Dominican Republic's currentpresident, succeeded Fernández in 2012, winning 51% of the electoral vote over his opponent ex-president HipólitoMejía.The Dominican Republic has the ninth largest economy in Latin America and the second largest economy in theCaribbean and Central American region.[3] Though long known for agriculture and mining, the economy is nowdominated by services. The country's economic progress is exemplified by its advanced telecommunication system,and transportation infrastructure. Nevertheless, unemployment, government corruption, and inconsistent electricservice remain major Dominican problems. The country also has "marked income inequality". Internationalmigration affects the Dominican Republic greatly, as it receives and sends large flows of migrants. Haitianimmigration and the integration of Dominicans of Haitian descent are major issues. A large Dominican diasporaexists, mostly in the United States. They contribute to national development as they send billions of dollars to theirfamilies.The Dominican Republic is the most visited destination in the Caribbean. The year-round golf courses are among thetop attractions on the island. As one of the region's most geographically diverse countries, the Dominican Republicboasts the Caribbean's highest mountain peak, Pico Duarte, as well as the Caribbean's largest lake and lowestelevation, Lake Enriquillo. The island has an average temperature of 26 °C (78.8 °F) and great biological diversity.The country is also home to the first cathedral, castle, monastery, and fortress in all of the Americas, located in SantoDomingo's Colonial Zone, an area declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.[4][5] Music and sport are of greatimportance in the Dominican culture, with Merengue and Bachata as the national dance and music, and baseball asthe favorite sport.

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EtymologyFor most of its history (up until independence), the country was known as "Santo Domingo", – the name of itspresent capital and patron saint, Saint Dominic. The residents were called "Dominicanos" (Dominicans), which is theadjective form of "Domingo", and the revolutionaries named their newly independent country "La RepúblicaDominicana". At present, the Dominican Republic is only one of two nations worldwide (along with the CentralAfrican Republic or CAR) with only a demonym-based adjectival name.[6] In the national anthem of the DominicanRepublic (Himno Nacional) the term 'Dominican' never appears. The author of its lyrics, Emilio Prud'Homme,consistently uses the poetic term Quisqueyanos, that is, "Quisqueyans". The word "Quisqueya" derives from a nativetongue of the Taino Indians and means, "Mother of all Lands". It is often used in songs as another name for thecountry. The name of the country is often shortened to "the D.R."

HistoryMain articles: History of the Dominican Republic and Captaincy General of Santo Domingo

Pre-European historyMain article: Chiefdoms of Hispaniola

The five caciquedoms of Hispaniola.

The Arawakan-speaking Taíno moved into Hispaniola from the northeast region of what is now known as South America, displacing earlierinhabitants, c. AD 650. They engaged in farming and fishing, andhunting and gathering. The fierce Caribs drove the Taíno to thenortheastern Caribbean during much of the 15th century. The estimatesof Hispaniola's population in 1492 vary widely, including one hundredthousand, three hundred thousand, and four hundred thousand to twomillion. Determining precisely how many people lived on the island in

pre-Columbian times is next to impossible, as no accurate records exist. By 1492 the island was divided into fiveTaíno chiefdoms. The Taíno name for the entire island was either Ayiti or Quisqueya.

The Spaniards arrived in 1492. After initially friendly relationships, the Taínos resisted the conquest, led by thefemale Chief Anacaona of Xaragua and her ex-husband Chief Caonabo of Maguana, as well as Chiefs Guacanagaríx,Guamá, Hatuey, and Enriquillo. The latter's successes gained his people an autonomous enclave for a time on theisland. Nevertheless, within a few years after 1492 the population of Taínos had declined drastically, due tosmallpox,[7] measles and other diseases that arrived with the Europeans,[8] and from other causes discussed below.The first recorded smallpox outbreak in the Americas occurred on Hispaniola in 1507. The last record of pure Taínosin the country was from 1864. Still, Taíno biological heritage survived to an important extent, due to intermixing.Census records from 1514 reveal that 40% of Spanish men in the colony had Taíno wives,[9] and some present-dayDominicans have Taíno ancestry. "By 1535, say the leading scholars on this grim topic for all practical purposes, thenative population was extinct."Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources Remnants of the Taino culture include theircave paintings, as well as pottery designs which are still used in the small artisan village of Higüerito,Moca.Wikipedia:Citation needed

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Spaniard and French rule

Arrival of Christopher Columbus.

Christopher Columbus arrived on Hispaniola on December 5, 1492,during the first of his four voyages to America. He claimed the land forSpain and named it La Española, because the diverse climate andterrain reminded him of the country.[10] In 1496 BartholomewColumbus, Christopher's brother, built the city of Santo Domingo,Western Europe's first permanent settlement in the "New World". TheSpaniards created a plantation economy on the island. The colony wasthe springboard for the further Spanish conquest of America and fordecades the headquarters of Spanish power in the hemisphere.

The Taínos nearly disappeared, above all, from European infectious diseases to which they had no immunity. Othercauses were abuse, suicide, the breakup of family, starvation, the encomienda system, which resembled a feudalsystem in Medieval Europe,[11] war with the Spaniards, changes in lifestyle, and mixing with other peoples. Lawspassed for the Indians' protection (beginning with the Laws of Burgos, 1512–1513)[12] were never truly enforced.Some scholars believe that las Casas exaggerated the Indian population decline in an effort to persuade King Carlosto intervene, and that encomenderos also exaggerated it, in order to receive permission to import more Africanslaves. Wikipedia:Citation needed Moreover, censuses of the time omitted the Indians who fled into remotecommunities, where they often joined with runaway Africans (cimarrones), producing Zambos. Also, Mestizos whowere culturally Spanish were counted as Spaniards, some Zambos as black, and some Indians as Mulattoes.Wikipedia:Citation needed

Alcázar of Colón, located in Santo Domingo, isthe oldest Viceregal residence in all of the

Americas.

Santo Domingo's population saw a spectacular increase during the 18thcentury, as it rose from some 6,000 in 1737 to about 125,000 in 1790.Approximately, this was composed of 40,000 white landowners,25,000 black or mulatto freedmen, and 60,000 slaves.After its conquest of the Aztecs and Incas, Spain neglected itsCaribbean holdings. English and French buccaneers settled innorthwestern Hispaniola coast, and by the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick,Spain ceded the western coast of the island to France, whilst theCentral Plateau remained under Spanish domain. France created awealthy colony Saint-Domingue there, with a population – at the endof the 18th century – 90% enslaved and overall four times as numerous(500,000 vs 125,000) as the Spanish area (now Dominican).

France came to own the island in 1795, when by the Peace of Basel Spain ceded Santo Domingo as a consequence ofthe French Revolutionary Wars. At the time, Saint-Domingue's slaves, led by Toussaint Louverture, were in revoltagainst France. In 1801 they captured Santo Domingo, thus controlling the entire island; but in 1802 an army sent byNapoleon captured Toussaint Louverture and sent him to France as prisoner. However, Toussaint Louverture’slieutenants, and yellow fever, succeeded in expelling the French again from Saint-Domingue, which in 1804 therebels made independent as the Republic of Haiti. Eastwards, France continued to rule Spanish Santo Domingo.

In 1805, Haitian troops of general Henri Christophe invaded Santo Domingo and sacked the towns of Santiago de losCaballeros and Moca, killing most of their residents and helping to lay the foundation for two centuries of animositybetween the two countries.

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Haitian occupationIn 1808, following Napoleon's invasion of Spain, the criollos of Santo Domingo revolted against French rule and,with the aid of Great Britain (Spain's ally) and Haiti, returned Santo Domingo to Spanish control.

Juan Pablo Duarte is widelyconsidered the architect of theDominican Republic and the

country's independence from Haitianrule in 1844.

After a dozen years of discontent and failed independence plots by variousgroups, Santo Domingo's former Lieutenant-Governor (top administrator), JoséNúñez de Cáceres, declared the colony's independence from the Spanish crownas Spanish Haiti, on November 30, 1821. He requested the new state's admissionto Simón Bolívar's republic of Gran Colombia, but Haitian forces, led byJean-Pierre Boyer, invaded just nine weeks later, in February 1822.

As Toussaint Louverture had done two decades earlier, the Haitians abolishedslavery. They also nationalized most private property, including all the propertyof landowners who had left in the wake of the invasion; much Church property;as well as all property belonging to the former rulers, the Spanish Crown. Boyeralso placed more emphasis on cash crops grown on large plantations, reformedthe tax system, and allowed foreign trade. The new system was widely opposedby Dominican farmers, although it produced a boom in sugar and coffeeproduction. All levels of education collapsed; the university was shut down, as itwas starved both of resources and students, with young Dominican men from 16to 25 years old being drafted into the Haitian army. Boyer's occupation troops,

who were largely Dominicans, were unpaid, and had to "forage and sack" from Dominican civilians. Haiti imposed a"heavy tribute" on the Dominican people.:page number needed Many whites fled Santo Domingo for Puerto Rico andCuba (both still under Spanish rule), Venezuela, and elsewhere. In the end the economy faltered and taxation becamemore onerous. Rebellions occurred even by Dominican freedmen, while Dominicans and Haitians worked togetherto oust Boyer from power. Anti-Haitian movements of several kinds – pro-independence, pro-Spanish, pro-French,pro-British, pro-United States – gathered force following the overthrow of Boyer in 1843.:page number needed

IndependenceSee also: Dominican War of Independence

La Trinitaria was the organizer of the formation and independence of theDominican Republic.

In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secretsociety called La Trinitaria, which soughtthe complete independence of SantoDomingo without any foreignintervention.:p147–149 Matías Ramón Mellaand Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, despitenot being among the founding members ofLa Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight forindependence. Duarte, Mella, and Sánchezare considered the three Founding Fathers ofthe Dominican Republic.[13] On February27, 1844, the Trinitarios (the members of LaTrinitaria), declared the independence fromHaiti. They were backed by Pedro Santana,a wealthy cattle rancher from El Seibo, whobecame general of the army of the nascent

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Republic. The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled afterthe United States Constitution.The decades that followed were filled with tyranny, factionalism, economic difficulties, rapid changes ofgovernment, and exile for political opponents. Threatening the nation's independence were renewed Haitianinvasions occurring in 1844, 1845–49, 1849–55, and 1855–56.:page number needed

Meanwhile, archrivals Santana and Buenaventura Báez held power most of the time, both ruling arbitrarily. Theypromoted competing plans to annex the new nation to another power: Santana favored Spain, and Báez the UnitedStates.

Restoration republicSee also: Dominican Restoration War

General Gregorio Luperón,Restoration hero and laterPresident of the Republic

In 1861, after imprisoning, silencing, exiling, and executing many of his opponentsand due to political and economic reasons, Santana signed a pact with the SpanishCrown and reverted the Dominican nation to colonial status, the only Latin Americancountry to do so. His ostensible aim was to protect the nation from another Haitianannexation. But opponents launched the War of Restoration in 1863, led by SantiagoRodríguez, Benito Monción, and Gregorio Luperón, among others. Haiti, fearful ofthe re-establishment of Spain as colonial power on its border, gave refuge andsupplies to the revolutionaries. The United States, then fighting its own Civil War,vigorously protested the Spanish action. After two years of fighting, Spain abandonedthe island in 1865.

Political strife again prevailed in the following years; warlords ruled, military revoltswere extremely common, and the nation amassed debt. It was now Báez's turn to act

on his plan of annexing the country to the United States, where two successive presidents were supportive. U.S.President Grant desired a naval base at Samaná and also a place for resettling newly freed Blacks. The treaty, whichincluded U.S. payment of $1.5 million for Dominican debt repayment, was defeated in the United States Senate in1870 on a vote of 28–28, two-thirds being required.

Ulises 'Lilís' Heureaux, President of theRepublic 1882–84, 1886–99

Báez was toppled in 1874, returned, and was toppled for good in 1878. A newgeneration was thence in charge, with the passing of Santana (he died in1864) and Báez from the scene. Relative peace came to the country in the1880s, which saw the coming to power of General Ulises Heureaux.

"Lilís", as the new president was nicknamed, enjoyed a period of popularity.He was, however, "a consummate dissembler", who put the nation deep intodebt while using much of the proceeds for his personal use and to maintainhis police state. Heureaux became rampantly despotic and unpopular. In 1899he was assassinated. However, the relative calm over which he presidedallowed improvement in the Dominican economy. The sugar industry wasmodernized,:p10 and the country attracted foreign workers and immigrants.

20th century

From 1902 on, short-lived governments were again the norm, with their power usurped by caudillos in parts of thecountry. Furthermore, the national government was bankrupt and, unable to pay Heureaux's debts, faced the threat ofmilitary intervention by France and other European creditor powers.

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U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt sought to prevent European intervention, largely to protect the routes to thefuture Panama Canal, as the canal was already under construction. He made a small military intervention to ward offthe European powers, proclaimed his famous Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, and in 1905 obtainedDominican agreement for U.S. administration of Dominican customs, then the chief source of income for theDominican government. A 1906 agreement provided for the arrangement to last 50 years. The United States agreedto use part of the customs proceeds to reduce the immense foreign debt of the Dominican Republic, and assumedresponsibility for said debt.

Ramón Cáceres

After six years in power, President Ramón Cáceres (who had himselfassassinated Heureaux) was assassinated in 1911. The result was severalyears of great political instability and civil war. U.S. mediation by theWilliam Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson administrations achieved only ashort respite each time. A political deadlock in 1914 was broken after anultimatum by Wilson telling Dominicans to choose a president or see the U.S.impose one. A provisional president was chosen, and later the same yearrelatively free elections put former president (1899–1902) Juan IsidroJimenes Pereyra back in power. To achieve a more broadly supportedgovernment, Jimenes named opposition individuals to his Cabinet. But thisbrought no peace and, with his former Secretary of War Desiderio Ariasmaneuvering to depose him and despite a U.S. offer of military aid against

Arias, Jimenes resigned on May 7, 1916.

Wilson thus ordered the U.S. occupation of the Dominican Republic. U.S. Marines landed on May 16, 1916, and hadcontrol of the country two months later. The military government established by the U.S., led by Rear Admiral HarryShepard Knapp, was widely repudiated by Dominicans, with many factions within the country leading guerillacampaigns against U.S. forces. However, the occupation regime, which kept most Dominican laws and institutions,largely pacified the general population. The occupying government also revived the Dominican economy, reducedthe nation's debt, built a road network that at last interconnected all regions of the country, and created a professionalNational Guard to replace the warring partisan units.

Vigorous opposition to the occupation continued, nevertheless, and after World War I it increased in the U.S. aswell. There, President Warren G. Harding (1921–23), Wilson's successor, worked to put an end to the occupation, ashe had promised to do during his campaign. The U.S. government's rule ended in October 1922, and elections wereheld in March 1924.

Horacio Vásquez Lajara

The victor was former president (1902–03) Horacio VásquezLajara, who had cooperated with the U.S. He was inaugurated onJuly 13, and the last U.S. forces left in September. Vásquez gavethe country six years of stable governance, in which political andcivil rights were respected and the economy grew strongly, in arelatively peaceful atmosphere.

During the government of Horacio Vásquez, Rafael Trujillo heldthe rank of Lieutenant Colonel and was Chief of Police. Thisposition helped him launch his plans to overthrow the governmentof Vásquez. Trujillo had the support of Carlos Rosario Peña, whoformed the Civic Movement, which had as its main objective tooverthrow the government of Vásquez.

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Rafael Leonidas Trujillo to the right of the then president RafaelEstrella Ureña.

In February 1930, when Vásquez attempted to winanother term, his opponents rebelled in secret alliancewith the commander of the National Army (the formerNational Guard), General Rafael Leonidas TrujilloMolina. Trujillo secretly cut a deal with rebel leaderRafael Estrella Ureña; in return for letting Estrella takepower, Trujillo would be allowed to run for president innew elections. As the rebels marched toward SantoDomingo, Vásquez ordered Trujillo to suppress them.However, feigning "neutrality," Trujillo kept his men inbarracks, allowing Estrella's rebels to take the capitalvirtually unmolested. On March 3, Estrella wasproclaimed acting president with Trujillo confirmed ashead of the police and the army.

As per their agreement, Trujillo became the presidential nominee of the newly formed Patriotic Coalition of Citizens(Spanish: Coalición patriotica de los ciudadanos), with Estrella as his running mate. During the election campaign,Trujillo used the army to unleash his repression, forcing his opponents to withdraw from the race. Trujillo stood toelect himself, and in May he was elected president virtually unopposed, after a violent campaign against hisopponents. Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina ascends to power on August 16, 1930.

Trujillo EraThere was considerable economic growth during Rafael Trujillo's long and iron-fisted regime, although a great dealof the wealth was taken by the dictator and other regime elements. There was progress in healthcare, education, andtransportation, with the building of hospitals and clinics, schools, and roads and harbors. Trujillo also carried out animportant housing construction program and instituted a pension plan. He finally negotiated an undisputed borderwith Haiti in 1935, and achieved the end of the 50-year customs agreement in 1941, instead of 1956. He made thecountry debt-free in 1947.This was accompanied by absolute repression and the copious use of murder, torture, and terrorist methods againstthe opposition. Trujillo renamed Santo Domingo to "Ciudad Trujillo" (Trujillo City), the nation's – and theCaribbean's – highest mountain La Pelona Grande (Spanish for: The Great Bald) to "Pico Trujillo" (Spanish for:Trujillo Peak), and many towns and a province. Some other places he renamed after members of his family. By theend of his first term in 1934 he was the country's wealthiest person,:p360 and one of the wealthiest in the world by theearly 1950s; near the end of his regime his fortune was an estimated $800 million.:p111

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Rafael Trujillo, dictator of the DominicanRepublic.

Although one-quarter Haitian, Trujillo promoted propaganda against them.In 1937, he ordered what became known as the Parsley Massacre or, in theDominican Republic, as El Corte (The Cutting), directing the Army to killHaitians living on the Dominican side of the border. The Army killed anestimated 17,000 to 35,000 Haitians over six days, from the night ofOctober 2, 1937 through October 8, 1937. To avoid leaving evidence of theArmy's involvement, the soldiers used machetes rather than bullets. Thesoldiers were said to have interrogated anyone with dark skin, using theshibboleth perejil (parsley) to distinguish Haitians from Afro-Dominicanswhen necessary; the 'r' of perejil was of difficult pronunciation for Haitians.As a result of the massacre, the Dominican Republic agreed to pay HaitiUS$750,000, later reduced to US$525,000.

On November 25, 1960 Trujillo killed three of the four Mirabal sisters,nicknamed Las Mariposas (The Butterflies). The victims were PatriaMercedes Mirabal (born on February 27, 1924), Argentina Minerva

Mirabal (born on March 12, 1926), and Antonia María Teresa Mirabal (born on October 15, 1935). Minerva was anaspiring lawyer who was extremely opposed to Trujillo's dictatorship since Trujillo had begun to make rude sexualadvances towards her. The sisters have received many honors posthumously, and have many memorials in variouscities in the Dominican Republic. Salcedo, their home province, changed its name to Provincia Hermanas Mirabal(Mirabal Sisters Province). The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed on theanniversary of their deaths.

For a long time, the US and the Dominican elite supported the Trujillo government. This support persisted despitethe assassinations of political opposition, the massacre of Haitians, and Trujillo's plots against other countries. TheUS believed Trujillo was the lesser of two or more evils. The U.S. finally broke with Trujillo in 1960, after Trujillo'sagents attempted to assassinate the Venezuelan president, Rómulo Betancourt, a fierce critic of Trujillo.

Post-Trujillo

Juan Bosch, the first democraticallyelected president of the Dominican

Republic.

Trujillo was assassinated on May 30, 1961. In February 1963, ademocratically elected government under leftist Juan Bosch took office but itwas overthrown in September. In April 1965, after 19 months of military rule,a pro-Bosch revolt broke out. Days later, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson,concerned that Communists might take over the revolt and create a "secondCuba", sent the Marines, followed immediately by the Army's 82nd AirborneDivision and other elements of the XVIIIth Airborne Corps, in OperationPowerpack. "We don't propose to sit here in a rocking chair with our handsfolded and let the Communist set up any government in the westernhemisphere", Johnson said. The forces were soon joined by comparativelysmall contingents from the Organization of American States.

All these remained in the country for over a year and left after supervisingelections in 1966 won by Joaquín Balaguer. He had been Trujillo’s lastpuppet-president.

Balaguer remained in power as president for 12 years. His tenure was a periodof repression of human rights and civil liberties, ostensibly to keep pro-Castro

or pro-communist parties out of power; over 11,000 people died. His rule was criticized for a growing disparity between rich and poor. It was, however, praised for an ambitious infrastructure program, which included

Dominican Republic 11

construction of large housing projects, sports complexes, theaters, museums, aqueducts, roads, highways, and themassive Columbus Lighthouse, completed in 1992 during a later tenure.In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by opposition candidate Antonio Guzmán Fernández, of theDominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). Another PRD win in 1982 followed, under Salvador Jorge Blanco. Underthe PRD presidents, the Dominican Republic enjoyed a period of relative freedom and basic human rights.Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, this last time just defeating PRDcandidate José Francisco Peña Gómez, a former mayor of Santo Domingo. The 1994 elections were flawed, bringingon international pressure, to which Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996.That year Leonel Fernández achieved the first-ever win for the Dominican Liberation Party (DLP), which Bosch hadfounded in 1973 after leaving the PRD (which he also had founded). Fernández oversaw a fast-growing economy:growth averaged 7.7% per year, unemployment fell, and there were stable exchange and inflation rates.

21st century

George W. Bush and Leonel Fernandez meetingin the White House

In 2000 the PRD's Hipólito Mejía won the election. This was a time ofeconomic troubles. Mejía was defeated in his re-election effort in 2004.

Leonel Fernández of the PLD was elected president. He was re-electedin 2008. Fernández and the PLD are credited with initiatives that havemoved the country forward technologically, such as the construction ofthe Metro Railway ("El Metro"). On the other hand, his administrationshave been accused of corruption.

Danilo Medina of the PLD was elected president in 2012. Hecampaigned on a platform of investing more in social programs andeducation and less in infrastructure.

GeographyMain article: Geography of the Dominican RepublicSee also: Hydroelectricity and dams in the Dominican Republic

Map of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern part of thesecond-largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. It shares theisland roughly at a 2:1 ratio with Haiti. The country's area is reportedvariously as 48,442 km2 (18,704 sq mi) (by the embassy in the UnitedStates) and 48,730 km2 (18,815 sq mi) (by the U.S. CIA), making it thesecond largest country in the Antilles, after Cuba. The country's capitaland greatest metropolitan area, Santo Domingo, is located on thesouthern coast. The country lies between latitudes 17° and 20°N, andlongitudes 68° and 72°W.

There are many small offshore islands and cays that are part of theDominican territory. The two largest islands near shore are Saona, in

the southeast, and Beata, in the southwest. To the north, at distances of 100–200 kilometres (62–124 mi), are threeextensive, largely submerged banks, which geographically are a southeast continuation of the Bahamas: NavidadBank, Silver Bank, and Mouchoir Bank. Navidad Bank and Silver Bank have been officially claimed by theDominican Republic.

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Coastline of Monte Cristi.

The country's mainland has four important mountain ranges. The mostnortherly is the Cordillera Septentrional ("Northern MountainRange"), which extends from the northwestern coastal town of MonteCristi, near the Haitian border, to the Samaná Peninsula in the east,running parallel to the Atlantic coast. The highest range in theDominican Republic – indeed, in the whole of the West Indies – is theCordillera Central ("Central Mountain Range"). It gradually bendssouthwards and finishes near the town of Azua, on the Caribbean coast.In the Cordillera Central are found the four highest peaks in theCaribbean: Pico Duarte (3,098 metres or 10,164 feet above sea level),La Pelona (3,094 metres or 10,151 feet), La Rucilla (3,049 metres or10,003 feet) and Pico Yaque (2,760 metres or 9,055 feet). In the southwest corner of the country, south of theCordillera Central, there are two other ranges. The more northerly of the two is the Sierra de Neiba, while in thesouth the Sierra de Bahoruco is a continuation of the Massif de la Selle in Haiti. There are other, minor mountainranges, such as the Cordillera Oriental ("Eastern Mountain Range"), Sierra Martín García, Sierra de Yamasá andSierra de Samaná.

Aerial view of Constanza in the Cibao valley.

Between the Central and Northern mountain ranges lies the rich andfertile Cibao valley. This major valley is home to the cities of Santiagoand La Vega, and most of the farming areas in the nation. Rather lessproductive are the semi-arid San Juan Valley, south of the CentralCordillera, and the Neiba Valley, tucked between the Sierra de Neibaand the Sierra de Bahoruco. Much of the land in the Enriquillo Basin isbelow sea level, with a hot, arid, desert-like environment. There areother smaller valleys in the mountains, such as the Constanza,Jarabacoa, Villa Altagracia, and Bonao valleys.

The Llano Costero del Caribe ("Caribbean Coastal Plain") is thelargest of the plains in the Dominican Republic. Stretching north and east of Santo Domingo, it contains many sugarplantations in the savannahs that are common there. West of Santo Domingo its width is reduced to 10 kilometres(6.2 mi) as it hugs the coast, finishing at the mouth of the Ocoa River. Another large plain is the Plena de Azua("Azua Plain"), a very arid region in Azua Province. A few other small coastal plains are in the northern coast and inthe Pedernales Peninsula.

Four major rivers drain the numerous mountains of the Dominican Republic. The Yaque del Norte is the longest andmost important Dominican river. It carries excess water down from the Cibao Valley and empties into Monte CristiBay, in the northwest. Likewise, the Yuna River serves the Vega Real and empties into Samaná Bay, in thenortheast. Drainage of the San Juan Valley is provided by the San Juan River, tributary of the Yaque del Sur, whichempties into the Caribbean, in the south. The Artibonito is the longest river of Hispaniola and flows westward intoHaiti.

Dominican Republic 13

South shore of Lake Enriquillo, lookingnorthward to the Sierra de Neiba

There are many lakes and coastal lagoons. The largest lake isEnriquillo, a salt lake at 45 metres (148 ft) below sea level, the lowestpoint in the Caribbean. Other important lakes are Laguna de Rincón orCabral, with freshwater, and Laguna de Oviedo, a lagoon with brackishwater.

Dominican Republic is located near fault action in the Caribbean. In1946 it suffered a magnitude 8.1 earthquake off the northeast coast.This triggered a tsunami that killed about 1,800, mostly in coastalcommunities. The wave was also recorded at Daytona Beach, Floridaand Atlantic City, New Jersey. The area remains at risk. Caribbean

countries and the United States have collaborated to create tsunami warning systems, and are mapping risk inlow-lying areas.

ClimateMain article: Climate of the Dominican Republic

Hurricane Georges making landfall in theDominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a tropical, maritime nation. Due to itsdiverse topography, the country's climate shows considerable variationover short distances, and is the most varied of all the Antilles. Theannual average temperature is 25 °C (77 °F). At higher elevations, thetemperature averages 18 °C (64.4 °F) while near sea level the averagetemperature is 28 °C (82.4 °F). Low temperatures of 0 °C (32 °F) arepossible in the mountains while high temperatures of 40 °C (104 °F)are possible in protected valleys. January and February are the coolestmonths of the year, while August is the hottest month. Somesnowflakes can fall in rare occasions on the top of the Pico Duarte.

The wet season along the northern coast lasts from November throughJanuary. Elsewhere, the wet season stretches from May through November, with May being the wettest month.Average annual rainfall is 1,500 millimetres (59.1 in) countrywide, with individual locations in the Valle de Neibaseeing averages as low as 350 millimetres (13.8 in) while the Cordillera Oriental averages 2,740 millimetres(107.9 in). The driest part of the country lies in the west. Tropical cyclones strike the country every couple of years,with 65% of the impacts along the southern coast. Hurricanes are most likely between August and October. The lasttime a category 5 hurricane struck the country was Hurricane David in 1979.

Government and politics

National Palace in Santo Domingo

Main article: Government of the Dominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a representative democracy or democraticrepublic, with three branches of power: executive, legislative, andjudicial. The President of the Dominican Republic heads the executivebranch and executes laws passed by the Congress, appoints theCabinet, and is commander in chief of the armed forces. The presidentand vice-president run for office on the same ticket and are elected bydirect vote for 4-year terms. The national legislature is bicameral,composed of a Senate, which has 32 members, and the Chamber of

Dominican Republic 14

Deputies, with 178 members. Judicial authority rests with the Supreme Court of Justice's 16 members. They areappointed by a council composed of the President, the leaders of both houses of Congress, the President of theSupreme Court, and an opposition or non–governing-party member. The Court "alone hears actions against thepresident, designated members of his Cabinet, and members of Congress when the legislature is in session."The president appoints the governors of the 31 provinces. Mayors and municipal councils administer the 124municipal districts and the National District (Santo Domingo). They are elected at the same time as congressionalrepresentatives.The Dominican Republic has a multi-party political system. Elections were held every two years, alternatingbetween the Presidential elections, which are held in years evenly divisible by four, and the Congressional andmunicipal elections, which are held in even-numbered years not divisible by four. "International observers havefound that presidential and congressional elections since 1996 have been generally free and fair." The CentralElections Board (JCE) of 9 members supervises elections, and its decisions are unappealable. Starting from 2016,elections will be held jointly, after a constitutional reform.Wikipedia:Citation neededThere are many political parties and advocacy groups and, new on the scene, civil organizations. The three majorparties are the conservative Social Christian Reformist Party (Spanish: Partido Reformista Social Cristiano [PRSC]),in power 1966–78 and 1986–96; the social democratic Dominican Revolutionary Party (Spanish: PartidoRevolucionario Dominicano [PRD]), in power in 1963, 1978–86, and 2000–04; and the centrist liberal and reformistDominican Liberation Party (Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana [PLD]), in power 1996–2000 and since2004.The presidential elections of 2008 were held on May 16, 2008, with incumbent Leonel Fernández winning with 53%of the vote. He defeated Miguel Vargas Maldonado, of the PRD, who achieved a 40.48% share of the vote. AmableAristy, of the PRSC, achieved 4.59% of the vote. Other minority candidates, which includes former AttorneyGeneral Guillermo Moreno from the Movement for Independence, Unity and Change (Movimiento Independencia,Unidad y Cambio [MIUCA]) and PRSC former presidential candidate and defector Eduardo Estrella obtained lessthan 1% of the vote.

MilitaryMain article: Military of the Dominican RepublicCongress authorizes a combined military force of 44,000 active duty personnel. Actual active duty strength isapproximately 32,000. However, approximately 50% of those are used for non-military activities such as securityproviders for government-owned non-military facilities, highway toll stations, prisons, forestry work, stateenterprises, and private businesses. The Commander in Chief of the military is the President. The principal missionsare to defend the nation and protect the territorial integrity of the country. The army, larger than the other servicescombined with approximately 20,000 active duty personnel, consists of six infantry brigades, a combat supportbrigade, and a combat service support brigade. The air force operates two main bases, one in the southern region nearSanto Domingo and one in the northern region near Puerto Plata. The navy operates two major naval bases, one inSanto Domingo and one in Las Calderas on the southwestern coast, and maintains 12 operational vessels. In theCaribbean, only Cuba has a larger military force.The armed forces have organized a Specialized Airport Security Corps (CESA) and a Specialized Port SecurityCorps (CESEP) to meet international security needs in these areas. The Secretary of the Armed Forces has alsoannounced plans to form a specialized border corps (CESEF). Additionally, the armed forces provide 75% ofpersonnel to the National Investigations Directorate (DNI) and the Counter-Drug Directorate (DNCD).The Dominican National Police force contains 32,000 agents. The police are not part of the Dominican armed forces,but share some overlapping security functions. Sixty-three percent of the force serve in areas outside traditionalpolice functions, similar to the situation of their military counterparts.

Dominican Republic 15

Law enforcement and crimeFurther information: Dominican National Police and Crime in the Dominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic has become a trans-shipment point for Colombian drugs destined to Europe as well as theUnited States and Canada. Money laundering via the Dominican Republic is favored by Colombian drug cartels forthe ease of illicit financial transactions. In 2004 it was estimated that 8% of all cocaine smuggled into the UnitedStates had come through the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic responded with increased efforts toseize drug shipments, arrest and extradite those involved, and combat money-laundering.The often light treatment of violent criminals has been a continuous source of local controversy. In April 2010, fiveteenagers ages 15 to 17 shot and killed two taxi drivers and killed another five by forcing them to drink draincleaning acid. On September 24, 2010, the teens were sentenced to only 3–5 year prison terms, despite the protestsof the taxi drivers' families.

Provinces and municipalitiesMain articles: Provinces of the Dominican Republic and Municipalities of the Dominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is divided into 31 provinces. Santo Domingo, the capital, is designated Distrito Nacional(National District). The provinces are divided into municipalities (municipios; singular municipio). They are thesecond-level political and administrative subdivisions of the country.

* The national capital is the city of Santo Domingo, in the Distrito Nacional (DN).

Dominican Republic 16

EconomyMain article: Economy of the Dominican RepublicSee also: Dominican PesoThe Dominican Republic has the second largest economy (the largest, according to the U.S. State Department) inCentral America and the Caribbean. It is an upper middle-income developing country, with a 2007 GDP per capita of$9,208, in PPP terms, which is relatively high in Latin America. In the trimester of January–March 2007 itexperienced an exceptional growth of 9.1% in its GDP, which was actually below the previous year's 10.9% in thesame period. Growth was led by imports, followed by exports, with finance and foreign investment the next largestfactors.

The Naco sector, in Santo Domingo, with a viewof Tiradentes Avenue

The Dominican Republic is primarily dependent on natural resourcesand government services. Although the service sector has recentlyovertaken agriculture as the leading employer of Dominicans (dueprincipally to growth in tourism and Free Trade Zones), agricultureremains the most important sector in terms of domestic consumptionand is in second place, behind mining, in terms of export earnings. Theservice sector in general has experienced growth in recent years, as hasconstruction. Free Trade Zone earnings and tourism are thefastest-growing export sectors. Real estate tourism alone accounted for$1.5 billion in earnings for 2007. Remittances from Dominicans living abroad amounted to nearly $3.2 billion in2007.

La Trinitaria in Santiago de Los Caballeros is anarea of increasing development.

Economic growth takes place in spite of a chronic energy shortage,which causes frequent blackouts and very high prices. Despite awidening merchandise trade deficit, tourism earnings and remittanceshave helped build foreign exchange reserves. The Dominican Republicis current on foreign private debt.Wikipedia:Citation needed

Following economic turmoil in the late 1980s and 1990, during whichthe gross domestic product (GDP) fell by up to 5% and consumer priceinflation reached an unprecedented 100%, the Dominican Republicentered a period of growth and declining inflation until 2002, afterwhich the economy entered a recession.

View of the southern part of San Francisco deMacorís.

This recession followed the collapse of the second-largest commercialbank in the country, Baninter, linked to a major incident of fraudvalued at $3.5 billion. The Baninter fraud had a devastating effect onthe Dominican economy, with GDP dropping by 1% in 2003 asinflation ballooned by over 27%. All defendants, including the star ofthe trial, Ramón Báez Figueroa (who is curiously great-grandson of theaforementioned President Buenaventura Báez), were convicted. Onesubpoena was not delivered because the United States deniedextradition.Wikipedia:Citation needed

According to the 2005 Annual Report of the United NationsSubcommittee on Human Development in the Dominican Republic, the country is ranked No. 71 in the world forresource availability, No. 79 for human development, and No. 14 in the world for resource mismanagement. Thesestatistics emphasize national government corruption, foreign economic interference in the country, and the rift

Dominican Republic 17

between the rich and poor.The country has a noted problem of child labor in its coffee, rice, sugarcane, and tomato industries.[14] The laborinjustices in the sugarcane industry extends to forced labor according to the US Department of Labor.Three large groups own 75% of the land: the State Sugar Council (Consejo Estatal del Azúcar, CEA), Grupo Vicini,and Central Romana Corporation.

CurrencyThe Dominican peso (DOP, or RD$) is the national currency, although United States dollars (USD), the Canadiandollar and euros (EUR) are also accepted at most tourist sites. The dollar is implicated in almost all commercialtransactions of the Dominican Republic; such dollarization is common in high inflation economies. Americanstraveling to the Dominican Republic have a very good exchange rate. The exchange rate to the U.S. dollar,liberalized by 1985, stood at 2.70 pesos per dollar in August 1986,:p417, 428 14.00 pesos in 1993, and 16.00 pesos in2000. Having jumped to 53.00 pesos per dollar in 2003, the rate was back down to around 31.00 pesos per dollar in2004. As of November 2010 the rate was 37.00 pesos per US dollar. As of January 2013 the rate was 40.00 pesos perdollar.[]

Tourism

A beach in Punta Cana

Tourism is fueling the Dominican Republic's economic growth. Thecountry is the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean. Withthe construction of projects like Cap Cana, San Souci Port in SantoDomingo, and the Moon Palace Resort in Punta Cana, the DominicanRepublic expects increased tourism activity in the upcoming years.Ecotourism has also been a topic increasingly important in this nation,with towns like Jarabacoa and neighboring Constanza, and locationslike the Pico Duarte, Bahia de las Aguilas and others becoming moresignificant in efforts to increase direct benefits from tourism. Mostresidents from other countries are required to get a tourist card,depending on the country they live in.

Infrastructure

TransportationMain article: Transportation in the Dominican Republic

El Malecon av. in Santo Domingo

The Dominican Republic has Latin America's third best transportationinfrastructure. The country has three national trunk highways, whichconnect every major town. These are DR-1, DR-2, and DR-3, whichdepart from Santo Domingo towards the northern (Cibao),southwestern (Sur), and eastern (El Este) parts of the countryrespectively. These highways have been consistently improved withthe expansion and reconstruction of many sections. Two other nationalhighways serve as spur (DR-5) or alternate routes (DR-4). In additionto the national highways, the government has embarked on anexpansive reconstruction of spur secondary routes, which connect

Dominican Republic 18

smaller towns to the trunk routes. In the last few years the government constructed a 106-kilometer toll road thatconnects Santo Domingo with the country's northeastern peninsula. Travelers may now arrive in the SamanáPeninsula in less than two hours. Other additions are the reconstruction of the DR-28 (Jarabacoa – Constanza) andDR-12 (Constanza – Bonao). Despite these efforts, many secondary routes still remain either unpaved or in need ofmaintenance. There is currently a nation-wide program to pave these and other commonly used routes. Also, theSantiago light rail system is in planning stages and currently on hold.

Bus serviceThere are two main bus transportation services in the Dominican Republic: one controlled by the government,through the Oficina Técnica de Transito Terrestre (OTTT) and the Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses(OMSA); and the other controlled by private business, among them, Federación Nacional de Transporte La NuevaOpción (FENATRANO) and the Confederacion Nacional de Transporte (CONATRA). The governmenttransportation system covers large routes in metropolitan areas, such as Santo Domingo and Santiago.There are many privately owned bus companies, such as Metro Servicios Turísticos and Caribe Tours, that run dailyroutes.

Santo Domingo Metro

A pair of 9000 series are tested on the Santo Domingo Metro.

The Dominican government has put efforttowards providing efficient publictransportation with the construction of theSanto Domingo Metro, the first mass transitsystem in the country, and second in theCaribbean and Central American nations,after the Tren Urbano in San Juan, PuertoRico. On February 27, 2008 presidentLeonel Fernández tested the system for thefirst time and free service was offeredthereafter several times. Commercial servicestarted on January 30, 2009. Severaladditional lines are currently being planned,and the metro is currently the largest in the Caribbean region by length and number of stations.

Line 1

Line 1 of the Santo Domingo Metro currently runs from Villa Mella, in the Santo Domingo Norte area, to the UASDUniversity. Running through Maximo Gomez Ave. for most of its run.

Line 2

Line 2 of the Santo Domingo Metro is running in an "abridged" version, from the intersection of John F. KennedyAve. & Luperon Ave. to Quinto Centenario Av. (Puente de la 17). It connects to Line 1 at the Juan Pablo Duartestation on Maximo Gomez Ave. And ground is just being broken on an extension of the line into MegacentroShopping Mall at the intersection of San Vicente de Paul Av. and Carretera Mella in Eastern Santo Domingo.

Dominican Republic 19

CommunicationsMain article: Telecommunications in the Dominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic has a well-developed telecommunications infrastructure, with extensive mobile phone andlandline services. Cable Internet and DSL are available in most parts of the country, and many Internet serviceproviders offer 3G wireless internet service and most recently, the Dominican Republic became the second countryin Latin America to have 4G LTE wireless service, offered by Orange. The reported speeds are from 256 kbit/s / 128kbit/s for residential services, up to 5 Mbit/s / 1 Mbit/s for residential service. For commercial service there arespeeds from 256 kbit/s up to 154 Mbit/s. (Each set of numbers denotes downstream/upstream speed; that is, to theuser/from the user.) Projects to extend Wi-Fi hot spots have been made in Santo Domingo. The country's commercialradio stations and television stations are in the process of transferring to the digital spectrum, via HD Radio andHDTV after officially adopting ATSC as the digital medium in the country with a switch-off of analog transmissionby September 2015. The telecommunications regulator in the country is INDOTEL (Instituto Dominicano deTelecomunicaciones).The largest telecommunications company is Claro – part of Carlos Slim's América Móvil – which provides wireless,landline, broadband, and IPTV services. Indotel reports that as of June 5, 2009 there are more than 8 million phoneline subscribers (land and cell users) in the D.R., representing 81% of the country's population and a fivefoldincrease since the year 2000, when there were 1.6 million. The communications sector generates about 3.0% of theGDP. Indotel reports 6,807,831 prepaid and just under a million (994,027) post-pay (under-contract) cell useraccounts. For fixed phone lines (non-cell) it reports 678,901 dedicated lines in use for residential services. Forbusiness lines it reports 266,341. For public phones/services it reports 13,639. As of the second quarter of 2008,there are no more analog lines in the trunk services by local providers. Indotel reports 2,439,997 Internet users in thecountry for the end of March 2009.In November 2009, the Dominican Republic became the first Latin American country to pledge to include a "genderperspective" in every information and communications technology (ICT) initiative and policy developed by thegovernment.[15] The Dominican Republic is leading Latin American governments' thinking around gender andtechnology as part of the regional eLAC2010 plan. The tool the Dominicans have chosen to design and evaluate allthe public policies is the APC Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM).

ElectricityMain article: Electricity sector in the Dominican RepublicElectric power service has been unreliable since the Trujillo era, and as much as 75% of the equipment is that old.The country's antiquated power grid causes transmission losses that account for a large share of billed electricityfrom generators. The privatization of the sector started under a previous administration of Leonel Fernández. Therecent investment in a "Santo Domingo-Santiago Electrical Highway" to carry 345 kW power, with reduced losses intransmission, is being heralded as a major capital improvement to the national grid since the mid-1960s.During the Trujillo regime, electrical service was introduced to many cities; still, almost 95% of usage was not billedat all. Around half of the Dominican Republic's 2.1 million houses have no meters and so most do not pay or just paya fixed monthly rate for their electric service.Household and general electrical service is delivered at 110 volts alternating at 60 Hz; electrically powered itemsfrom the United States work with no modifications. The majority of the country has access to electricity. Touristareas tend to have more reliable power, as do business, travel, healthcare, and vital infrastructure. The situationimproved somewhat after 2006.[16] Concentrated efforts were announced to increase efficiency of delivery to placeswhere the collection rate reached 70%. The electricity sector is highly politicized. Some generating companies areundercapitalized and at times unable to purchase adequate fuel supplies.

Dominican Republic 20

DemographicsMain article: Demographics of the Dominican RepublicThe population of the Dominican Republic in 2007 was estimated by the United Nations at 9,760,000, which placedit number 82 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 5% of the population wasover 65 years of age, while 35% of the population was under 15 years of age. There were 103 males for every 100females in the country in 2007. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2006–2007 is 1.5%, withthe projected population for the year 2015 at 10,121,000.It was estimated by the Dominican government that the population density in 2007 was 192 per km² (498 per sq mi),and 63% of the population lived in urban areas. The southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley are the mostdensely populated areas of the country. The capital city, Santo Domingo, had a population of 2,907,100 in 2010.Other important cities are: Santiago de los Caballeros (pop. 745,293), La Romana (pop. 214,109), San Pedro deMacorís (pop. 185,255), Higüey (153,174), San Francisco de Macorís (pop. 132,725), Puerto Plata (pop. 118,282),and La Vega (pop. 104,536). Per the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 2.3%.[17]

Ethnicity

Dominican woman from Santo DomingoEste

The Dominican Republic's population is 73% mixed, 16% white, and 11%black. Ethnic immigrant groups in the country include WestAsians—mostly Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians.

Numerous immigrants have come from other Caribbean countries, as thecountry has offered economic opportunities. There are about 30,000Jamaicans living in the Dominican Republic. There is an increasing numberof Puerto Rican immigrants, especially in and around Santo Domingo; theyare believed to number around 10,000. There are over 700,000 people ofHaitian descent, including a generation born in Dominican Republic.

East Asians, primarily ethnic Chinese and Japanese, can also be found.Europeans are represented mostly by Spanish whites, but also with smallerpopulations of German Jews, Italians, Portuguese, British, Dutch, Danes,and Hungarians. Some converted Sephardic Jews from Spain were part ofearly expeditions; only Catholics were allowed to come to the New World.Later there were Jewish migrants coming from Iberia and Europe in the1700s. Some managed to reach the Caribbean as refugees during and afterthe Second World War. Some Sephardic Jews reside in Sosúa while othersare dispersed throughout the country. Self-identified Jews number about 3,000; other Dominicans may have someJewish ancestry because of marriages among converted Jewish Catholics and other Dominicans since the colonialyears. Some Dominicans born in the United States now reside here, creating a kind of expatriate community.

Casta discriminationMain article: CastaDuring colonial times, Spain created a system of racial stratification, known as casta. The Spaniards considered people of Spanish and other white lineage to have a higher social status. The effects of casta have since persisted not only in the Dominican Republic, but also throughout the rest of Latin America. Through competition and fear because of the Dominican Republic's identification with its European heritage rather than the nation's African heritage as well as its neighbor the nation of Haiti, the Rafael Trujillo regime was explicitly anti-Haitian. Trujillo used racial persecution and nationalistic fervor against Haitians and Blacks in general. In doing so, Trujillo – himself a mulatto – went out of his way to hide his African heritage to further his racist ideologies without fear of racial

Dominican Republic 21

backlash. In October 2007, a U.N. envoy found that there was rampant racism and discrimination against blacksthroughout every sector and segment of Dominican society, especially towards Haitians.Silvio Torres-Saillant of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute stated that up to 90% of the contemporaryDominican population is made of Mulattoes and Blacks. However, most Dominicans do not self-identify as black,and thus have not gained power in proportion to their numbers, in contrast to people of sub-Saharan African ancestryin other countries. Torres-Saillant writes:

"... no other country in the hemisphere exhibits greater indeterminacy regarding the population's sense ofracial identity. To the bewilderment of outside observers, Afro-Dominicans have traditionally failed toflaunt their blackness as a collective banner to advance economic, cultural or political causes."

A variety of terms are used to represent the range of skin tones among residents, such as moreno/a (brown), canelo/a(red/brown) ["cinnamon"], indio/a (Indian), blanco/a oscuro/a (dark white), and trigueño/a (literally "wheatcolored", or olive skin). Ramona Hernández, director of the Dominican Studies Institute at City College of NewYork asserts that the terms were originally a defense against racism:

"During the Trujillo regime, people who were dark skinned were rejected, so they created their ownmechanism to fight it." She went on to explain, "When you ask, 'What are you?' they don't give you theanswer you want ... saying we don't want to deal with our blackness is simply what you want to hear."

Population genetics

Child with grandmother in Santo Domingo

Genetic studies of MtDNA, which assesses the direct-line maternalancestors, found in a 21st -century study that the Dominican Republic'spopulation racial admixture is primarily European and African, butthere is also a noticeable Taíno element in the population. Based onMtDNA tests, approximately 15% of Dominicans have Taíno genesnot found anywhere else. Another 15% have Euro-Asian geneticcharacteristics, whereas most of the Dominican population, 70%, haveMtDNA of African origin.

According to the most recent genealogical testing the averageDominican is estimated to be 58.1% Caucasian, 35.2% African, and6.4% Amerindian overall.[18]

ReligionMain article: Religion in the Dominican Republic

Cathedral of Santa María la Menor, SantoDomingo, the first cathedral in America, built

1512–1540

The Dominican Republic is 68.9% Roman Catholic, 18.2%Evangelical, 10.6% with no religion, and 2.3% other. However, othersources place the irreligious ratio at 7% and nearly 10%. Recentimmigration, as well as proselytizing, has brought other religions, withthe following shares of the population: Spiritist: 2.2%, The Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 1.1%, Buddhist: 0.1%, Bahá'í: 0.1%,Chinese Folk Religion: 0.1%, Islam: 0.02%, Judaism: 0.01%. Thenation has two patroness saints: Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (OurLady Of High Grace) and Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes (Our LadyOf Mercy).

Dominican Republic 22

The Catholic Church began to lose popularity in the late 19th century. This was due to a lack of funding, of priests,and of support programs. During the same time, the Protestant evangelical movement began to gain support.Religious tension between Catholics and Protestants in the country has been rare.There has always been religious freedom throughout the entire country. Not until the 1950s were restrictions placedupon churches by Trujillo. Letters of protest were sent against the mass arrests of government adversaries. Trujillobegan 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, with his assassination.During World War II, a group of Jews escaping Nazi Germany fled to the Dominican Republic and founded the cityof Sosúa. It has remained the center of the Jewish population since.

LanguagesMain article: Dominican SpanishThe population of the Dominican Republic is entirely Spanish-speaking; its local dialect is called DominicanSpanish, it closely resembles Canarian Spanish, and has borrowed vocabularies from the Arawak language. Schoolsare based on a Spanish educational model,[19] with English and French being taught as secondary languages in bothprivate and public schools. Haitian Creole is spoken by the population of Haitian descent. There is a community ofabout 8,000 speakers of Samaná English in the Samaná Peninsula. They are the descendants of formerly enslavedAfrican Americans who arrived in the nineteenth century.[20] Tourism, American pop culture, the influence ofDominican Americans, and the country's economic ties with the United States motivate other Dominicans to learnEnglish.

Mother tongue of the Dominican population, 1950 Census

Language Total % Urban % Rural %

Spanish 98.00 97.82 98.06

French 1.19 0.39 1.44

English 0.57 0.96 0.45

Arabic 0.09 0.35 0.01

Italian 0.03 0.10 0.06

Other language 0.12 0.35 0.04

20th century immigrationMain articles: Japanese settlement in the Dominican Republic, Ethnic Chinese in the Dominican Republic andHistory of the Jews in the Dominican RepublicIn the 20th century, many Arabs (from Lebanon, Syria and Palestine), Japanese, and, to a lesser degree, Koreanssettled in the country as agricultural laborers and merchants. The Chinese companies found business in telecom,mining and railroads. The current Chinese Dominican population totals 50,000.Wikipedia:Citation needed The Arabcommunity is rising at an increasing rate and is estimated at 80,000. Japanese immigrants, who mostly work in thebusiness districts and markets, are at an estimate of 1,900 living in the country.Wikipedia:Citation needed TheKorean presence is minor but evident, at a population of 500.Wikipedia:Citation neededIn addition, there are descendants of immigrants who came from other Caribbean islands, including St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua, St. Vincent, Montserrat, Tortola, St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Guadeloupe. They worked on sugarcane plantations and docks, and settled mainly in the cities of San Pedro de Macorís and Puerto Plata. Historically, from the mid-1800s until about 1940, Puerto Rican, and to a lesser extant, Cuban immigrants, were fleeing for the Dominican Republic in droves, facing a poor economy and social unrest in their respective home countries. Many

Dominican Republic 23

Puerto Rican immigants setteled in Higüey, and quickly assimilated. Before and during World War II, 800 Jewishrefugees moved to the Dominican Republic.

Illegal Haitian immigration

Main article: Haitians in the Dominican Republic

A border watch tower to control illegalimmigration from Haiti, located in the Cordillera

Central, Dominican Republic

Satellite image depicting the border betweenHaiti (left) and the Dominican Republic (right),

highlighting the deforestation on the Haitian side.

Haiti is the neighboring nation to the Dominican Republic and isconsiderably poorer and less developed. In 2003, 80% of all Haitianswere poor (54% in abject poverty) and 47.1% were illiterate. Thecountry of nine million people has a fast-growing population, but overtwo-thirds of the labor force lack formal jobs. Haiti's per capita GDP(PPP) was $1,300 in 2008, or less than one-sixth of the Dominicanfigure. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Haitians have migrated tothe Dominican Republic, with some estimates of 800,000 Haitians inthe country, while others put the Haitian-born population as high asone million. They usually work at low-paying and unskilled jobs inbuilding construction, household cleaning, and in sugar plantations.There have been accusations that some Haitian immigrants work inslavery-like conditions and are severely exploited.[21]

Due to the lack of basic amenities and medical facilities in Haiti a largenumber of Haitian women, often arriving with several health problems,cross the border to Dominican soil. They deliberately come duringtheir last weeks of pregnancy to obtain much-needed medical attentionfor childbirth, since Dominican public hospitals do not refuse medicalservices based on nationality or legal status. Statistics from a hospitalin Santo Domingo report that over 22% of childbirths are by Haitianmothers.Haiti also suffers from severe environmental degradation.Deforestation is rampant in Haiti, with more than 98% of the landbeing barren of forest cover. Haitians use wood charcoal for 60% oftheir domestic energy production, because of Haiti's lack of supply,Haitians have created an illegal market for coal on the Dominican side.Conservative estimates calculate the illegal movement of 115 tons ofcharcoal per week from the Dominican Republic to Haiti. Dominicanofficials estimate that at least 10 trucks per week are crossing theborder loaded with charcoal.In 2005, Dominican President Leonel Fernández criticized collectiveexpulsions of Haitians as having taken place "in an abusive and inhuman way". After a UN delegation issued apreliminary report stating that it found a profound problem of racism and discrimination against people of Haitianorigin, Dominican Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso issued a formal statement denouncing it, asserting that"Our border with Haiti has its problems, this is our reality and it must be understood. It is important not to confusenational sovereignty with indifference, and not to confuse security with xenophobia".

Children of illegal Haitian immigrants are often stateless and denied services, as their parents are denied Dominicannationality, being deemed transient residents due to their illegal or undocumented status; the children, though ofteneligible for Haitian nationality, are denied it by Haiti because of a lack of proper documents or witnesses.In a 2013 news story, Reuters reported, "The September 23 court ruling retroactively denies Dominican nationality to anyone born after 1929 who does not have at least one parent of Dominican blood or legal resident of The

Dominican Republic 24

Dominican Republic, under a constitutional clause declaring all others to be either in the country illegally or "intransit."[22]

EmigrationMain articles: Dominican American and Dominican Republic immigration to Puerto RicoThe first of three, late-20th century emigration waves began in 1961, after the assassination of dictator Trujillo, dueto fear of retaliation by Trujillo's allies, and political uncertainty in general. In 1965, the United States began amilitary occupation of the Dominican Republic to end a civil war. Upon this, the U.S. eased travel restrictions,making it easier for Dominicans to obtain US visas. From 1966 to 1978, the exodus continued, fueled by highunemployment and political repression. Communities established by the first wave of immigrants to the U.S. createda network that assisted subsequent arrivals. In the early 1980s, underemployment, inflation, and the rise in value ofthe dollar all contributed to a third wave of emigration from the island nation. Today, emigration from theDominican Republic remains high. In 2006, there were approximately 1.3 million people of Dominican descent inthe US, counting both native- and foreign-born. There is also a growing Dominican immigration to Puerto Rico, withnearly 70,000 Dominicans residing in the commonwealth nation.

CultureMain article: Culture of the Dominican RepublicSee also: List of Dominican Republic filmsThe culture and people of the Dominican Republic are a mixture of the cultures of the Spaniard colonists, Africanslaves, and Taíno natives. European, African and Taíno cultural elements are most prominent in food, familystructure, religion and music. Many Arawak/Taíno names and words are used in daily conversation and for manyfoods native to the Dominican Republic.

Architecture

National palace in Santo Domingo

The architecture in the Dominican Republic represents a complexblend of diverse cultures. The deep influence of the European colonistsis the most evident throughout the country. Characterized by ornatedesigns and baroque structures, the style can best be seen in the capitalcity of Santo Domingo, which is home to the first cathedral, castle,monastery, and fortress in all of the Americas, located in the city'sColonial Zone, an area declared as a World Heritage Site byUNESCO.[23][24] The designs carry over into the villas and buildingsthroughout the country. It can also be observed on buildings thatcontain stucco exteriors, arched doors and windows, and red tiledroofs.

The indigenous peoples of the Dominican Republic have also had a significant influence on the architecture of thecountry. The Taino people relied heavily on the mahogany and guano (dried palm tree leaf) to put together crafts,artwork, furniture, and houses. Utilizing mud, thatched roofs, and mahogany trees give buildings and the furnitureinside a natural look, seamlessly blending in with the island’s surroundings.

Lately, with the rise in tourism and increasing popularity as a Caribbean vacation destination, architects in the Dominican Republic have now began to incorporate cutting-edge designs that emphasized luxury. In many ways an architectural playground, villas and hotels implemented new styles, while still offering new takes on the old. This new style, though diverse, is characterized by simplified, angular corners, and large windows that blend outdoor and indoor spaces. As with the culture as a whole, contemporary architects embrace the Dominican Republic’s rich

Dominican Republic 25

history and various cultures to create something new. Surveying modern villas, one can find any combination of thethree major styles: a villa may contain angular, modernist building construction, Spanish Colonial-style archedwindows, and a traditional Taino hammock in the bedroom balcony.

CuisineMain article: Cuisine of the Dominican Republic

Tostones, fried plantain dish.

Dominican cuisine is predominantly Spanish, Taíno, and African. Thetypical cuisine is quite similar to what can be found in other LatinAmerican countries, but many of the names of dishes are different. Onebreakfast dish consists of eggs and mangú (mashed, boiled plantain).For heartier versions, mangú is accompanied by deep-fried meat(Dominican salami, typically) and/or cheese. Similarly to Spain, lunchis generally the largest and most important meal of the day. Lunchusually consists of rice, meat (such as chicken, beef, pork, or fish),beans, and a side portion of salad. "La Bandera" (literally "The Flag")is the most popular lunch dish; it consists of meat and red beans onwhite rice. Sancocho is a stew often made with seven varieties of meat.

Meals are mostly split into three courses throughout the day like in any other country. You have breakfast which canbe served between 8-9am. Then you have lunch, which is usually the heaviest meal course of the day which isusually served at noon sharp. The last meal of the day which is dinner is usually served by 5:30-6PM.Meals tend to favor meats and starches over dairy products and vegetables. Many dishes are made with sofrito,which is a mix of local herbs used as a wet rub for meats and sautéed to bring out all of a dish's flavors. Throughoutthe south-central coast, bulgur, or whole wheat, is a main ingredient in quipes or tipili (bulgur salad). Other favoriteDominican foods are chicharrón, yuca, casabe, pastelitos (empanadas), batata, yam, pasteles en hoja, chimichurris,tostones. Some treats Dominicans enjoy are arroz con leche (or arroz con dulce), bizcocho dominicano (lit.Dominican cake), habichuelas con dulce, flan, frío frío (snow cones), dulce de leche, and caña (sugarcane). Thebeverages Dominicans enjoy include Morir Soñando, rum, beer, Mama Juana, batida (smoothie), jugos naturales(freshly squeezed fruit juices), mabí, coffee, and chaca (also called maiz caqueao/casqueado, maiz con dulce andmaiz con leche), the last item being only found in the southern provinces of the country such as San Juan.

Dominican Republic 26

Music and danceMain article: Music of the Dominican Republic

Merengue dance.

Musically, the Dominican Republic is known for the creation ofthe musical style called merengue,:376–7 a type of lively,fast-paced rhythm and dance music consisting of a tempo of about120 to 160 beats per minute (though it varies) based on musicalelements like drums, brass, chorded instruments, and accordion, aswell as some elements unique to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean,such as the tambora and güira. Its syncopated beats use Latinpercussion, brass instruments, bass, and piano or keyboard.Between 1937 and 1950 merengue music was promotedinternationally by Dominicans groups like Billo's Caracas Boys,Chapuseaux and Damiron "Los Reyes del Merengue", JoseitoMateo, and others. Radio, television, and international mediapopularized it further. Some well-known merengue performersinclude Johnny Ventura, singer/songwriter Juan Luis Guerra,Fernando Villalona, Eddy Herrera, Sergio Vargas, Toño Rosario,Milly Quezada, and Chichí Peralta. Merengue became popular inthe United States, mostly on the East Coast, during the 1980s and1990s,:375 when many Dominican artists, among them VictorRoque y La Gran Manzana, Henry Hierro, Zacarias Ferreira,Aventura, and Milly Jocelyn Y Los Vecinos, residing in the U.S.(particularly New York) started performing in the Latin club scene

and gained radio airplay. The emergence of bachata, along with an increase in the number of Dominicans livingamong other Latino groups in New York, New Jersey, and Florida have contributed to Dominican music's overallgrowth in popularity.:378

Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra in concert,2010

Bachata, a form of music and dance that originated in the countrysideand rural marginal neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic, hasbecome quite popular in recent years. Its subjects are often romantic;especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, theoriginal name for the genre was amargue ("bitterness", or "bittermusic", or blues music), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral)term bachata became popular. Bachata grew out of, and is still closelyrelated to, the pan-Latin American romantic style called bolero. Overtime, it has been influenced by merengue and by a variety of LatinAmerican guitar styles.

Salsa music has had a great deal of popularity in the country. During the late 1960s Dominican musicians likeJohnny Pacheco, creator of the Fania All Stars, played a significant role in the development and popularization of thegenre.

Dominican rock is also popular. Many, if not the majority, of its performers are based in Santo Domingo andSantiago.Particularly among the young, hip-hop/rap has been growing in popularity in recent years. Also known as Rap del Patio ("backyard rap"), Dominican rap is created by Dominican crews and solo artists. Originating in the early 2000s with crews such as Charles Family, successful rappers such as Lapiz Conciente, Vakero, Toxic Crow, and R-1 emerged. The youth have embraced the music, sometimes over merengue, merengue típico, bachata, as well as salsa,

Dominican Republic 27

and, most recently, reggaeton. Dominican rap differs from reggaeton in the fact that Dominican rap does not use thetraditional Dem Bow rhythm frequently used in reggaeton, instead using more hip hop-influencedbeats.Wikipedia:Citation needed

Fashion

Dominican native, fashion designer and perfumemaker Oscar de la Renta

In only seven years, the Dominican Republic's fashion week hasbecome the most important event of its kind in all of the Caribbean andone of the fastest growing fashion events in the entire Latin Americanfashion world. The country boasts one of the ten most important designschools in the region, La Escuela de Diseño de Altos de Chavón, whichis making the country a key player in the world of fashion and design.

World famous fashion designer Oscar de la Renta was born in theDominican Republic in 1932, and became a US citizen in 1971. Hestudied under the leading Spaniard designer Cristóbal Balenciaga andthen worked with the house of Lanvin in Paris. Then by 1963, de laRenta had designs carrying his own label. After establishing himself inthe US, de la Renta opened boutiques across the country. His workblends French and Spaniard fashion with American styles.[25][26]

Although he settled in New York, de la Renta also marketed his workin Latin America, where it became very popular, and remained activein his native Dominican Republic, where his charitable activities andpersonal achievements earned him the Juan Pablo Duarte Order ofMerit and the Order of Cristóbal Colón.

National symbolsSome of the important symbols include the flag, the coat of arms, and the national anthem, titled Himno Nacional.The flag has a large white cross that divides it into four quarters. Two quarters are red and two are blue. Redrepresents the blood shed by the liberators. Blue expresses God's protection over the nation. The white crosssymbolizes the struggle of the liberators to bequeath future generations a free nation. An alternate interpretation isthat blue represents the ideals of progress and liberty, whereas white symbolizes peace and unity among Dominicans.In the center of the cross is the Dominican coat of arms, in the same colors as the national flag. The coat of armspictures a red, white and blue flag-draped shield with a Bible, a gold cross and arrows; the shield is surrounded by anolive branch (on the left) and a palm branch (on the right). The Bible traditionally represents the truth and the light.The Gold Cross symbolizes the redemption from slavery, and the arrows symbolize the noble soldiers and theirproud military. A blue ribbon above the shield reads, "Dios, Patria, Libertad" (meaning "God, Fatherland, Liberty").A red ribbon under the shield reads, "República Dominicana" (meaning "Dominican Republic"). Out of all the flagsin the world, the depiction of a Bible is unique to the Dominican flag.The national flower is the Bayahibe Rose and the national tree is the West Indian Mahogany. The national bird is theCigua Palmera or Palmchat ("Dulus dominicus").The Dominican Republic celebrates Dia de la Altagracia on January 21 in honor of its patroness, Duarte's Day onJanuary 26 in honor of one of its founding fathers, Independence Day on February 27, Restoration Day on August16, Virgen de las Mercedes on September 24, and Constitution Day on November 6.

Dominican Republic 28

SportsMain article: Sports in the Dominican Republic

Dominican nativeand Major League

Baseball playerAlbert Pujols

Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic.:59 The country has abaseball league of six teams. The Milwaukee Brewers have a summer league in the DominicanRepublic called the baseball academy. Its season usually begins in October and ends inJanuary. After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) players. Ozzie Virgil, Sr. became the first Dominican-bornplayer in the MLB on September 23, 1956. Juan Marichal is the only Dominican-born playerin the Baseball Hall of Fame. Other notable baseball players born in the Dominican Republicare: Robinson Cano, Julian Javier, Pedro Martínez, Francisco Liriano, Manny Ramírez, JoseBautista, Hanley Ramírez, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, Ubaldo Jiménez, José Reyes, PlácidoPolanco and Sammy Sosa. Felipe Alou has also enjoyed success as a manager, and OmarMinaya as a general manager. In 2013, the Dominican team went undefeated en route towinning the World Baseball Classic.

In boxing, the country has produced scores of world-class fighters and several worldchampions. Basketball also enjoys a relatively high level of popularity. Al Horford, Felipe

Lopez, and Francisco Garcia are among the Dominican-born players currently or formerly in the National BasketballAssociation (NBA). Olympic gold medalist and world champion hurdler Félix Sánchez hails from the DominicanRepublic, as does NFL defensive end Luis Castillo.

Other important sports include, Volleyball, which was introduced in 1916 by US Marines, is controlled by theDominican Volleyball Federation. Other sports include taekwondo, in which Gabriel Mercedes is an Olympic silvermedalist, and judo.

EducationMain article: Education in the Dominican RepublicPrimary education is officially free and compulsory for children between the ages of 3 and 17, although those wholive in isolated areas have limited access to schooling. Primary schooling is followed by a two-year intermediateschool and a four-year secondary course, after which a diploma called the bachillerato (high school diploma) isawarded. Relatively few lower-income students succeed in reaching this level, due to financial hardships andlimitation due to location. Most of the wealthier students attend private schools, which are frequently sponsored byreligious institutions. Some public and private vocational schools are available, particularly in the field ofagriculture, but this too reaches only a tiny percentage of the population.

HealthMain article: Health in the Dominican RepublicIn 2007 the Dominican Republic had a birth rate of 22.91 per 1000, and a death rate of 5.32 per 1000.The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic in 2011 stood at approximately 0.7%, which is relativelylow by Caribbean standards, with an estimated 62,000 HIV/AIDS-positive Dominicans.[27] In contrast theneighboring Haiti has an HIV/AIDS rates more than double that of the Dominican Republic. A mission based in theUnited States has been helping to combat AIDS in the country. Dengue has become endemic to the island, speciallyin Haiti, and there are cases of malaria in the border towns.The practice of abortion is illegal in all cases in the Dominican Republic, a ban that includes conceptions followingrape, incest, and in situations where the health of the mother is in danger, even if life-threatening.[28] This ban wasreiterated by the Dominican government in a September 2009 provision of a constitutional reform bill.

Dominican Republic 29

Notable people•• List of Dominican people

References[1] http:/ / tools. wmflabs. org/ geohack/ geohack. php?pagename=Dominican_Republic& params=19_00_N_70_40_W_type:country[2][2] Context:[3] The US State Department calls it the largest (http:/ / www. state. gov/ r/ pa/ ei/ bgn/ 35639. htm); however, GDP figures from the CIA's The

World Factbook indicate that the Dominican Republic is second in PPP GDP, third in nominal terms.[4] Colonial City of Santo Domingo – UNESCO World Heritage Centre (http:/ / whc. unesco. org/ en/ list/ 526). Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved on

2014-04-02.[5] UNESCO around the World | República Dominicana (http:/ / www. unesco. org/ nac/ geoportal. php?country=DO& language=S). Unesco.org

(1957-11-14). Retrieved on 2014-04-02.[6][6] For example, the French Republic is generally known as France, but the Dominican Republic has no such equivalent, although the name

"Quisqueya" is used sometimes. The Czech Republic is also known as "Czechia".[7] " What Became of the Taíno? (http:/ / www. smithsonianmag. com/ people-places/ What-Became-of-the-Taino. html)". Smithsonian October

2011[8] "History of Smallpox – Smallpox Through the Ages" (http:/ / www. dshs. state. tx. us/ preparedness/ bt_public_history_smallpox. shtm).

Texas Department of State Health Services.[9] Ferbel, Dr. P. J. "Not Everyone Who Speaks Spanish is from Spain: Taíno Survival in the 21st Century Dominican Republic." () Kacike:

Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology. . Retrieved Sep 24, 2009.[10] Christopher Columbus (http:/ / www. catholictradition. org/ Tradition/ christopher-columbus. htm). Catholictradition.org. Retrieved on

2014-04-02.[11] McAlister, Lyle N. (1984). Spain and Portugal in the New World, 1492–1700 (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=lFwnCYl85VEC).

University of Minnesota Press. p. 164. ISBN 0-8166-1218-8.[12] " Laws of Burgos, 1512–1513 (http:/ / faculty. smu. edu/ bakewell/ BAKEWELL/ texts/ burgoslaws. html)". faculty.smu.edu[13] Francisco del Rosario Sánchez One of the Padres de la Patria / Fathers of the Patriotism (http:/ / www. colonialzone-dr. com/

people_history-sanchez. html) – Colonial Zone-Dominican Republic (DR) – Retrieved November 3, 2012.[14] List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (http:/ / www. dol. gov/ ilab/ programs/ ocft/ PDF/ 2011TVPRA. pdf). U.S.

Department of Labor's (2011).[15] Indotel garantiza igualdad de género en proyectos tecnológicos realiza en todo el país (http:/ / elnuevodiario. com. do/ app/ article.

aspx?id=175919). elnuevodiario.com.do. November 16, 2009[16] EDESUR agrega 3,500 familias a 24 Horas de Luz (http:/ / www. cdeee. gov. do/ index. php?option=com_content& view=article&

id=791:edesur-agrega-3500-familias-a-24-horas-de-luz& catid=6:noticias& Itemid=2). Cdeee.gov.do. Retrieved on September 22, 2011.[17] Dominican Republic – Population (http:/ / www. nationsencyclopedia. com/ Americas/ Dominican-Republic-POPULATION. html).

Encyclopedia of the Nations[18] http:/ / oi46. tinypic. com/ jl2efa. jpg[19][19] . Vol. I. Ministry of Education, Dominican Republic. ISBN 978-99934-43-26-1[20] Ethnologue, Languages of Dominican Republic (http:/ / www. ethnologue. org/ show_country. asp?name=DO)[21] Richard Morse: Haitian Cane Workers in the Dominican Republic (http:/ / www. huffingtonpost. com/ richard-morse/

haitian-cane-workers-in-t_b_626610. html?ref=twitter). Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved on September 22, 2011.[22] " Dominican court ruling renders hundreds of thousands stateless (http:/ / uk. reuters. com/ article/ 2013/ 10/ 12/

uk-dominicanrepublic-citizenship-idUKBRE99B02120131012)," Reuters, October 12, 2013[23] http:/ / whc. unesco. org/ en/ list/ 526[24] http:/ / www. unesco. org/ nac/ geoportal. php?country=DO& language=S[25] Fashion: Oscar de la Renta (Dominican Republic) (http:/ / www. wcax. com/ story/ 7036793/ fashion-oscar-de-la-renta-dominican-republic)

WCAX.com – Retrieved October 31, 2012.[26] Oscar de la Renta (http:/ / www. britannica. com/ EBchecked/ topic/ 764644/ Oscar-de-la-Renta). Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved

October 31, 2012.[27] Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population ages 15–49) | Data | Table (http:/ / data. worldbank. org/ indicator/ SH. DYN. AIDS. ZS).

Data.worldbank.org. Retrieved on 2014-04-02.[28] Romo, Rafael (August 18, 2012) Pregnant teen dies after abortion ban (http:/ / edition. cnn. com/ 2012/ 08/ 18/ world/ americas/

dominican-republic-abortion/ index. html). CNN

Dominican Republic 30

Bibliography• ThatsDominican.Com (June 18, 2011). "Dominican Republic Population" (http:/ / www. thatsdominican. com/

dominican-facts-population).

Further reading• Wiarda, Howard J., and Michael J. Kryzanek. The Dominican Republic: a Caribbean Crucible, in series, Nations

of Contemporary Latin America, and also Westview Profiles. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1982. ISBN0-86531-333-4 pbk.

External linksGovernment• (Spanish) Presidency of the Dominican Republic (http:/ / www. presidencia. gob. do)• Chief of State and Cabinet Members (https:/ / www. cia. gov/ library/ publications/ world-leaders-1/

world-leaders-d/ dominican-republic. html) CIA The World Factbook• World Bank Dominican Republic (http:/ / www. bancomundial. org. do/ )General information• Dominican Republic (https:/ / www. cia. gov/ library/ publications/ the-world-factbook/ geos/ dr. html) entry at

The World Factbook• Dominican Republic (http:/ / ucblibraries. colorado. edu/ govpubs/ for/ dominicanrepublic. htm) at UCB Libraries

GovPubs• Dominican Republic (http:/ / www. dmoz. org/ Regional/ Caribbean/ Dominican_Republic/ ) at DMOZ• Dominican Republic profile (http:/ / news. bbc. co. uk/ 2/ hi/ americas/ country_profiles/ 1216926. stm) from the

BBC News• Wikimedia Atlas of the Dominican Republic• Key Development Forecasts for the Dominican Republic (http:/ / www. ifs. du. edu/ ifs/ frm_CountryProfile.

aspx?Country=DO) from International FuturesTrade• World Bank Summary Trade Statistics Dominican Republic (http:/ / wits. worldbank. org/ CountryProfile/

Country/ DOM/ Year/ 2012/ Summary)Travel• Official Website of the Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic (http:/ / www. godominicanrepublic.

com/ )Social Development• Official Website of the IDDI, Instituto Dominicano de Desarrollo Integral (http:/ / www. iddi. org/ )

Article Sources and Contributors 31

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Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors:User:NightstallionFile:Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coat_of_arms_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg  License: Public Domain Contributors: CheposoFile:Dominican Republic (orthographic projection).svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Dominican_Republic_(orthographic_projection).svg  License: GNU FreeDocumentation License  Contributors: Dominican_Republic_(orthographic_projection).png: Hispania derivative work: L'Américain (talk)File:Dominican Republic - Location Map (2013) - DOM - UNOCHA.svg  Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Dominican_Republic_-_Location_Map_(2013)_-_DOM_-_UNOCHA.svg  License: unknown  Contributors: PharosFile:Decrease Positive.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Decrease_Positive.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Decrease2.svg: Sarang derivative work:Dodoïste (talk)File:Increase2.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Increase2.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Sarangfile:speakerlink-new.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Speakerlink-new.svg  License: Creative Commons Zero  Contributors: User:KelvinsongFile:Copia de Cacicazgos de la Hispaniola.gif  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Copia_de_Cacicazgos_de_la_Hispaniola.gif  License: Public Domain  Contributors:República DominicanaFile:Landing of Columbus (2).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Landing_of_Columbus_(2).jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Davepape, Hispalois, JMCC1,Kilom691, Mattes, Neutrality, Origamiemensch, PericlesofAthens, UpstateNYer, Uyvsdi, 1 anonymous editsFile:Alcazar de Colon.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Alcazar_de_Colon.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0  Contributors: Original uploader wasAfterimagefilms at en.wikipediaFile:Juan pablo duarte diez.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Juan_pablo_duarte_diez.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Abelardo Rodríguez Urdaneta(1870-1933).File:Independencia-trinitarios-rd.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Independencia-trinitarios-rd.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: IslandMan89File:GregorioLuperon.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:GregorioLuperon.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Balboa41, Jbarta, Kilom691, Man vyi, VerneEquinoxFile:Hereaux2.gif  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Hereaux2.gif  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Frank DominguezFile:Ramon Caceres.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ramon_Caceres.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Unknown/DesconocidoFile:Horacio Vasquez.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Horacio_Vasquez.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Inefable001File:Rafael Trujillo and Rafael Estrella.jpeg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Rafael_Trujillo_and_Rafael_Estrella.jpeg  License: Public Domain  Contributors:IslandMan89File:Rafael Trujillo.gif  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Rafael_Trujillo.gif  License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  Contributors:Trujillo-7.gif: unknown derivative work: Makakaaaa (talk)File:Juan Bosch (1963).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Juan_Bosch_(1963).jpg  License: unknown  Contributors: Jan ArkesteijnFile:20061025-2 d-0304-2-515h.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:20061025-2_d-0304-2-515h.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Eric DraperFile:Dominican Republic relief location map.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Dominican_Republic_relief_location_map.jpg  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: Alexrk2File:Monte Cristi, Coastline.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Monte_Cristi,_Coastline.JPG  License: Public Domain  Contributors: TreemanFile:Constanza.jpeg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Constanza.jpeg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Fqueliz, JMCC1, 1 anonymous editsFile:07-05-11LagoEnriquilloDR.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:07-05-11LagoEnriquilloDR.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Tim RossFile:Hurr-georges-19980922-g8vis.gif  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Hurr-georges-19980922-g8vis.gif  License: Public Domain  Contributors: NASAFile:National Palace Dominican Republic1.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:National_Palace_Dominican_Republic1.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: K-Bien, original uploader was BigGabriel555 at en.wikipediaFile:Dominican Labelled Map.PNG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Dominican_Labelled_Map.PNG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: MRDU08File:Santodomingosd.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Santodomingosd.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Siso84File:SantiagoCitySkyline2.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:SantiagoCitySkyline2.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0  Contributors:derivative work: Fogster (talk) : ChezSantFile:SFM-Vista panoramica.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:SFM-Vista_panoramica.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors:User:WikiskylordFile:Playa Bavaro.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Playa_Bavaro.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.5  Contributors: Andreas VolkmerFile:Obelisco Santo Domingo.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Obelisco_Santo_Domingo.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0  Contributors: Mercedes..Life as I PicturedFile:Stodgo metro.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Stodgo_metro.jpg  License: Attribution  Contributors: ORAD

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 33

File:Miss Dominican Rep 08 Nathali Montes de Oca.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Miss_Dominican_Rep_08_Nathali_Montes_de_Oca.jpg  License: CreativeCommons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: RosengurttFile:Missione del Guaricano-Bambina con la nonna.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Missione_del_Guaricano-Bambina_con_la_nonna.jpg  License: CreativeCommons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5  Contributors: DonpaoloFile:Catedral Primada - exterior.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Catedral_Primada_-_exterior.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors:User:LapoLuchiniFile:DR-Haiti-border.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DR-Haiti-border.jpg  License: Public domain  Contributors: Not home at en.wikipedia. Retouched by Gigs aten.wikipedia ().File:Haiti deforestation.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Haiti_deforestation.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: NASAFile:National Palace Dominican Republic.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:National_Palace_Dominican_Republic.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: K-Bien, original uploader was BigGabriel555 at en.wikipediaFile:Patacones.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Patacones.JPG  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: JdvillalobosFile:Merengue dancing.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Merengue_dancing.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0  Contributors: Garry KnightFile:Juan Luis Guerra en Acceso Total (6).jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Juan_Luis_Guerra_en_Acceso_Total_(6).jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Contributors: Lunchbox LPFile:Oscar de la Renta by foto di matti.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Oscar_de_la_Renta_by_foto_di_matti.jpg  License: Creative CommonsAttribution-Sharealike 3.0  Contributors: User:FotodimattiFile:DSC00621 Albert Pujols.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:DSC00621_Albert_Pujols.jpg  License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0  Contributors:shgmom56 on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop)File:Gnome-globe.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Gnome-globe.svg  License: GNU Lesser General Public License  Contributors: David Vignoni

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