History of the Dominican Republic

Discovered on December 6, 1492 by Cristophe Colomb, the name of Dominican Republic was instituted by the constitution of 1844 which starts as follows: “The deputies of the people of the old Spanish part of the island of Santo Domingo issue…”. Its origin is in the name of the capital, Saint-Domingue (Santo Domingo in Spanish), itself drawn from saint Dominique de Guzmán.

The official language is L '' Spanish and the currency is the Dominican peso (RD$).

• Population: Approximately 9 million
• National drink: rum
• National tree: the mahogany tree (caoba)
• National Fleur: the flower of mahogany tree
• National dish: sancocho
• National festival (carnival): February 27
• Popular sport: baseball
  

Santo Domingo (Holy Domingue) is oldest of the capitals of the new world and is classified with the world heritage of humanity by UNESCO. Saint Domingue proves to be a very wide big city with more than 3.000.000 inhabitants. One quickly realizes that this city is well one of the 5 noisiest cities of the world with the concerts of horns, the concentration the traffic, the congestions and the music at bottom. It is however surprising to note that the colonial district escapes this noise partly so much trott them are pleasant and peaceful there.

Saint Domingue is a city combining the sophistication of the modern world with the charisma of old times and the passion of the Latin America.
To traverse at any time of the day or the year it is a little like entering the history, discovering its works of art, its architecture and the style of its time which until today perdurent in it.
He is impressive to see his collection of architecture of the XVI ^E century which includes houses and stone churches which reflect the end of the year medieval. ….

Policy

The Dominican Republic offers a democratic regime presenting of the elections every four years. There are three legislative bodies, the presidency, the made up congress senators and representatives at the legal department. The Dominican ones are politicized and the various parties deliver a fight for supremacy. It is about a presidential democracy whose Head of the State is Leonel Fernández (Left the Dominican release), elected in May 2004, for 4 years nonrenewable.

Religions and beliefs

Since the discovery of America, Catholicism was always the official religion; 95% of catholics, and the remainder of Protestants.
In the provinces, one finds a multitude of worships, often of Protestant origin (especially in the area of Samaná). One also does not find badly rites voodoos of Haitian origin in the areas of culture of cane with sugar.
The most important point, in the religious field, it is the great tolerance between the Dominican ones, which they are catholic, Baptists, evangelists, Protestants or even Jews.

Good manners and habits

The Dominican ones, whatever their social status, are very accessible. Where that you are, especially in the moved back campaigns, it is very easy to enter the intimacy of a family.
The Dominican ones are optimists who see the life behind a pair of glasses pinks. They are friendly and hospital.

The tumba, the bachata and the merengue are musical styles originating in the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic provides, in front of Japan, the greatest number of foreign players to the professional championship of baseball of the major League of Baseball in the United States.

Located between Cuba and Puerto Rico, in the middle of the Greater Antilles the Dominican Republic is the second larger island of the Antilles, it extends on 48.730 km2.

The Dominican Republic occupies two thirds of the island of Hispaniola which it divides with Haiti in the west.  The country occupies two thirds of the island and comprises 1.600 km of coasts.

Bordered in the South by the Caribbean Sea and in the East and North by the Atlantic Ocean, it is an island which presents very diversified landscapes: mountain, beach, plain…

The country includes/understands several islands bordering, of which Beata and Saona. Its capital and more big city are Saint-Domingue with read of 3 million inhabitants.

The surface of the country is distributed between beaches bordered of coconuts, agricultural plains and mountains with the culminating point of the Caribbean, “Pico Duarte” (3175m).

The country also has the point low of the Caribbean with “Lago Enriquillo” which is located at 44 meters under the sea level.

The pincipaux rivers are it and Yuna (210 km) and Yaque del Norte (296 km).

Climate

Located between the equator and the tropic of Cancer, the island profits from a tropical climate moderate by the trade winds. There exists an important variation of temperature according to altitude (10 to 16 degrees in mountain).
The average temperature is of 30 °C the day and 20 °C the night, the temperature of water oscillating between 26 and 28 °C.

Temperatures maximum in August (29 °C) and minimal January (25 °C).Événement national: carnival (in February).

The observers spoke about a small “Dominican economic miracle” and this in spite of big problems: corruption and important inflation. Tourism is the first source of revenue for the country. The traditional activities like the exploitation of the nickel and copper, iron, gold mines still ensure a good portion of the resources of the country.

The economy is mainly dependent on the agriculture (of which tobacco) and of tourism. Tourism takes an increasing importance since the years 1990. Tourism represents more than one billion dollar and the sendings of the expatriates, mainly of the United States, account for 1,5 billion dollar (2000). Tourism and the sendings from abroad constitute both of important sources of currencies.

In 1999, the GDP increased by 8,3% and inflation reached 5%.

In the 2003 and 2004 country underwent, on bottom of various scandal a financial serious attack leading to an important inflation and a crisis of the debt. This financial crisis was accompanied by a considerable fall of the standard of living of the inhabitants.

The change of administration in continuation of the presidential election of 2004, at the end which the outgoing president was not re-elected, gave again confidence with the international speakers, year 2004 ending in a rebound of Dominican Peso. In the 2005 and 2006 country joined again with a strong growth, the macroeconomic situation being stabilized.

Beaches of dreams

The Dominican Republic profits from single sites in the world and which made its reputation of it. It is enough to evoke names the such island of Saona, the island of Catalina, Cayo Levantado,… and of others still to only find itself well in the world on a sand beach white, with a turquoise water with 28°, tasting one colada in the shade of a coconut fucked.

Flora

One finds also an immense variety of fruits and typically tropical vegetables like banana, the pineapple, the coconut, the mango, the fruit of passion, the lawyer, the cane with sugar, the cocoa, the coffee…

Side flowers: the bougainvillea, the hibiscus, the orchis,…

One finds there also many species of trees like Blazing, the Mangrove, the Mahogany tree, the cedar, the palm tree Royal, the coconuts…

National parks

The Dominican Republic became aware of the importance of protection of nature and made a point of preserving its historical heritage, its fauna and its flora and does not count less than 11 national parks (Los Haïtises, Parque Nacional Del Este, Jaragua, Isabel De Torre,…)

One finds there approximately 8000 species of plants including more than 300 varieties of Orchises.

More than 20% of the surface of the country is classified like natural reserve.

All these parks and reserves represent a surface moreover 10000km ² and are controlled by a military organization, the direction of the national parks. There exist many excursions to visit these parks, but one needs sometimes an authorization for some.