Dominican Republic: Difference between revisions
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The '''Dominican Republic''', ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''República Dominicana'', [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] {{IPA|[re'puβlika domini'kana]}}) is a country located on the eastern two-thirds of the [[Caribbean Sea|Caribbean]] island of [[Hispaniola]], bordering [[Haiti]]. Hispaniola is the second-largest of the [[Greater Antilles]] islands, and lies west of [[Puerto Rico]] and east of [[Cuba]] and [[Jamaica]]. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule lasted for much of the [[20th century]]; the move towards [[representative democracy]] has improved vastly since the death of military dictator [[Rafael Leónidas Trujillo]] in [[1961]]. Dominicans sometimes refer to their country as '''Quisqueya''', a name for Hispaniola used by [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] [[Taíno]] people. The Dominican Republic is not to be confused with [[Dominica]], another Caribbean country. |
The '''Dominican Republic''', ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''República Dominicana'', [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] {{IPA|[re'puβlika domini'kana]}}) is a country located on the eastern two-thirds of the [[Caribbean Sea|Caribbean]] island of [[Hispaniola]], bordering [[Haiti]]. Hispaniola is the second-largest of the [[Greater Antilles]] islands, and lies west of [[Puerto Rico]] and east of [[Cuba]] and [[Jamaica]]. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule lasted for much of the [[20th century]]; the move towards [[representative democracy]] has improved vastly since the death of military dictator [[Rafael Leónidas Trujillo]] in [[1961]]. Dominicans sometimes refer to their country as '''Quisqueya''', a name for Hispaniola used by [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] [[Taíno]] people. The Dominican Republic is not to be confused with [[Dominica]], another Caribbean country. |
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==History== |
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:''Main article: [[History of the Dominican Republic]]'' |
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[[Image:15thcenturyhispaniola.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Early map of Hispaniola]] |
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The indigenous inhabitants of the island of Hispaniola, on which the Dominican Republic is located, were the [[Taíno]] [[Amerindian]]s. The Taínos were a seafaring branch of the [[South America]]n [[Arawaks]]. ''Taíno'' means "the good" or "noble" in that native language. A system of ''[[Cacique|cacicazgos]]'' ([[chiefdom]]s) was in place, and Marien, Maguana, Higuey, Magua and Xaragua (also written as Jaragua) were their names. These chiefdoms were then subdivided into subchiefdoms. The ''cacicazgos'' were based on a system of [[tribute]], consisting of the food grown by the Taíno. Among the cultural signs that they left were cave paintings around the country, which have become touristic and nationalistic symbols of the Dominican Republic, and words from their language, including ‘hurricane’ ''(hurrakan)'' and ‘tobacco’ ''(tabakko)''. |
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The island was subsequently explored and claimed by [[Christopher Columbus]] on his first voyage in 1492, and Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, [[Spain]] recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became [[Haiti]]. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. Later the [[United States]] ruled Dominican territory with a military government from 1916 to 1924. From 1931 to his assassination in 1961 dictator [[Rafael Leónidas Trujillo]] ruled the Dominican Republic. Since 1965 the nation has still struggled economically. |
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==Politics== |
==Politics== |
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Revision as of 20:04, 23 August 2006
Dominican Republic República Dominicana | |
|---|---|
| Motto: Spanish: Dios, Patria, Libertad (English: God, Fatherland, Liberty) | |
| Anthem: Quisqueyanos valientes | |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Santo Domingo |
| Official languages | Spanish |
| Government | Republic |
| Leonel Fernández | |
| Independence from Haiti | |
• Date | 27 February 1844 |
• Water (%) | 1.6 |
| Population | |
• July 2005 estimate | 8,895,000 (87th) |
• 2002 census | 8,562,541 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate |
• Total | $67.410 billion (68th) |
• Per capita | $7,611 (85th) |
| HDI (2003) | 0.749 high (95th) |
| Currency | Peso (DOP) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 |
| Calling code | 1-809 and +1-829 |
| ISO 3166 code | DO |
| Internet TLD | .do |
Imran y Salma Butt | |
The Dominican Republic, (Spanish: República Dominicana, IPA [re'puβlika domini'kana]) is a country located on the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, bordering Haiti. Hispaniola is the second-largest of the Greater Antilles islands, and lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule lasted for much of the 20th century; the move towards representative democracy has improved vastly since the death of military dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1961. Dominicans sometimes refer to their country as Quisqueya, a name for Hispaniola used by indigenous Taíno people. The Dominican Republic is not to be confused with Dominica, another Caribbean country.
Politics
Template:Morepolitics Politics of the Dominican Republic takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of the Dominican Republic is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Congress. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Administrative divisions
- Main article: Provinces of the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is divided into 31 provinces. The national capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional. Please note that the names of provincial capital cities are provided in parentheses where they differ from the name of their respective provinces.
* The national capital, also known as Distrito Nacional (D.N.), is the city of Santo Domingo.
Geography
- Main article: Geography of the Dominican Republic
The capital of the country is the city of Santo Domingo (full name Santo Domingo de Guzman), located in the Southern part of the island. Originally a single city located within the province Distrito Nacional (National District), it has now been divided into a Province of Santo Domingo and the National District. The Province of Santo Domingo is comprised of several municipalities: Santo Domingo Norte (North Santo Domingo), Santo Domingo Este (East Santo Domingo, which is the provincial capital), Santo Domingo Oeste (West Santo Domingo) and Boca Chica. The Ozama River serves a natural border between the National District and the Province of Santo Domingo. Thus the capital city of the Country is the City of Santo Domingo de Guzman, Province of National District. The second largest city is Santiago de los Caballeros, more commonly referred to as simply Santiago.
The country has three major mountain ranges: The Central Mountains (Cordillera Central), which originate in Haiti and span the central part of the island, ending up in the south. This mountain range boasts the highest peak in the Antilles, Pico Duarte (3,087 m / 10,128 ft above sea level). The Septentrional Mountains, running parallel to the Central Mountains, separate the Cibao Valley and the Atlantic coastal plains. The highest point here is Pico Diego de Ocampo. The lowest and shortest of the three ranges is the Eastern Mountains, in the eastern part of the country. There are also the Sierra Bahoruco and the Sierra Neyba in the southwest. This is a country of many rivers, including the navigable Soco, Higuamo, Romana (also known as 'Rio Dulce'), Yaque del Norte, Yaque del Sur, Yuna, Yuma, and Bajabonico. Puerto Plata's Mount. Isabela is famous for the Cuban plane that crashed there in 1992.
The two largest islands, nearshore, are Saona Island in the southeast and Beata Island in the southwest. To the north, at a distance between 100 and 200 km, are three extensive, largely submerged banks, which geographically are a southeast continuation of the Bahamas:
Navidad and Silver Banks have been officially claimed by the Dominican Republic.
Climate
The country is a Tropical maritime nation, with a wet season from May to November, and periodic cyclones between June and November. Most rain falls in the Northern and Eastern regions. The average rainfall is 1346 mm, with extremes of 2500 mm in the North-east and 500 mm in the West. The mean annual temperature ranges from 21°C in the mountainous regions to 25°C on the plains and the coast. The average temperature in Santo Domingo in January is 23.9°C, and 27.2°C in July.
Economy
The Dominican Republic is a middle-income developing country primarily dependent on agriculture, trade, and services, especially tourism. Although the service sector has recently overtaken agriculture as the leading employer of Dominicans (due principally to growth in tourism and Free Trade Zones), agriculture remains the most important sector in terms of domestic consumption and is in second place (behind mining) in terms of export earnings. Tourism accounts for more than $3 billion in annual earnings. Free Trade Zone earnings and tourism are the fastest-growing export sectors. Remittances (remesas) from Dominicans living abroad are estimated to be about $3 billion per year.
Following economic turmoil in the late 1980s and 1990, during which the GDP fell by up to 5% and consumer price inflation reached an unprecedented 100%, the Dominican Republic entered a period of moderate growth and declining inflation until 2002 after which the economy entered a recession, after the second commercial bank of the country ( Baninter ) collapsed, caused by a major fraud of 3.5 billion of dollars during the administration of President Hipolito Mejia (2000-2004). The Baninter fraud had a devastating effect on the Dominican economy, with GDP dropped by 1% in 2003 while inflation ballooned by over 27%. With the election of former president Leonel Fernandez in 2004 and implementation of economic reforms, the economy has re-stabilized and strong GDP growth has resumed. The growth of the Dominican economy remains significantly hampered by an ongoing energy shortage, which causes frequent blackouts and high prices.
Despite a widening merchandise trade deficit, tourism earnings and remittances have helped build foreign exchange reserves. The Dominican Republic is current on foreign private debt, and has agreed to pay arrears of about $130 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation.
According to the 2005 Annual Report of the United Nations Subcommittee on Human Development in the Dominican Republic, the country is ranked #71 in the world for resource availability, #94 for human development, and #14 in the world for resource mismanagement. These statistics emphasize the national government corruption, the foreign economic interference in the country, and the rift between the rich and poor.
Currency
The Dominican Peso (RD$) is the national currency of the country although the U.S. dollar is often acceptable in some places, especially tourist oriented shops and hotels. Initially, the peso was worth the same as a U.S. dollar. In more recent years, however, the value has decreased relative to the US dollar. The exchange rate to the U.S. dollar was about RD$14.00 in 1993 and RD$16.00 in 2000, but in early 2004 reached RD$54.00 per U.S. dollar. It ended the year 2005 at about RD$34.00 per dollar.
The exchange rate between the two currencies fluctuates on a daily basis, and is usually between $33.50-35.00 pesos as of February 2006. The International Monetary Fund revealed a growth of 7.6% over inflation index for 2006, which implies that the national currency of the Dominican Republic could naturally finish the year with an average basis between 35.70 and touching 38 per dollar roof. Another factor which would have a certain impact over the currency exchange market of the Dominican Republic is the fluctuations of the American Dollar at international currency market. The U.S. dollar is implicated over almost all commercial actions of the Dominican Republic, supporting the theory that explains the devaluation of the peso in front of the dollar in 2005 is the result of the international currency market; On Feb 2005 1.32 USD = one € = 29 DR pesos, later on Oct 2005 1.19 USD = one € = 32 DR pesos.
Multiple local economists (Andres Dahjalhe Jr. and Magda Azer, principally) and well-recognized commercial analyst firms and institutions estimated an over-evaluation of the Dominican Peso suggesting that the daily basis of the Dominican currency is artificially controlled by the government, considerably bordering a free market's policies.
Demographics
- Main article: Demographics of the Dominican Republic
About 70% of all Dominicans are mixed, that is, of mixed European and African and, to a lesser extent, Amerindian ancestry. Around 16% of Dominicans are white (primarily Spanish descended) and about 11% are a black minority . A smaller presence of East Asians (primarily ethnic Chinese) and Middle Easterners (primarily Lebanese) can also be found. The culturally indigenous Amerindian population is practically extinct.
Many foreigners reside or emigrate to the island for business, religious, or leisure purposes. There are significant numbers of American, Canadian, German and French expatriates residing in the country. A lot of foreign travelers when visiting the island are so in love with it, that they decide to stay and live there or adopt legally Dominican citizenship, such is the case of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias or Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner.
Since the early 1960s, economic problems have led to a vast migration of Dominicans to the United States, mainly to large east coast cities. New York City's Washington Heights is so densely populated by Dominicans that it is sometimes referred to as Quisqueya Heights. Quisqueya is a popular name for Hispaniola that derives from the island's original Arawak name, although this is disputed by some historians. Sizeable Dominican emigre communities exist in the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain, and St. Maarten.
In recent years, illegal immigration from Haiti has dramatically increased as the Dominican economy improves and the Haitian economy remains virtually moribund. Most Haitian immigrants work at low-paying, unskilled labor jobs, including construction work and household cleaning. Current estimates put the Haitian population in the Dominican Republic as high as 1 million [1]
Culture
- Main article: Culture of the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a Hispanic country, therefore, as with all Hispanic countries in the Americas, its culture and people is derived predominantly from Spain, though heavily blended with African traditions and, to a much smaller degree, with indigenous Amerindian cultural elements. The Spanish cultural heritage is most evident in the national language and predominant religion - Catholicism. African cultural elements are most prominent in musical expressions and the carnival vibe of life, testimony to the rich African heritage that existed before and after slavery, but was not allowed to be practiced during it. More recent Antillean and Anglo-American influences also exist. Near the border between Haiti and Dominican Republic, some people practice voodoo.
Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic and there are many famous Dominicans who play Major League Baseball in the U.S., including Albert Pujols, Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martínez, David Ortiz, Rafael Furcal, Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada, and Manny Ramirez. The Dominican Republic also has its own baseball league which runs from October to January. Many MLB players and minor leaguers play in this six-team league during off-season. As such, the Dominican winter league serves as an important "training ground" for the MLB. The winner of the Dominican winter league goes on to represent the country at the Caribbean World Series against Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Venezuela.
Eighty-nine percent of Dominicans are baptized in the Roman Catholic Church. Other substantial religious groups are the Evangelical Christians and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Around one percent of the nation's inhabitants practice pure spiritism, although it is very common for Catholicism and spiritism to be mixed in Santeria's seancees and "saint" parties.
Some Famous Dominicans
Baseball stars: Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero, Albert Pujols, and Oswaldo "Ozzie" Virgil the first Major Leagues baseball player from the Dominican Republic. More players in List of players from Dominican Republic in Major League Baseball
Dominican holidays
| Date | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | |
| January 6 | Catholic Day of the Epiphany | (Move the holiday to the next Monday) |
| January 21 | Patroness's day | Virgen de la Altagracia Day (Catholic) |
| January 26 | Duarte's day | Founding Father (Move the holiday to the next Monday) |
| February 27 | Independence Day | National Day |
| April 14 | Catholic Good Friday | Date for 2006 only |
| May 1 | Labour Day | Date for 2006 only |
| June 15 | Catholic Corpus Christi | Date for 2006 only |
| August 16 | Restoration Day | National Day |
| September 24 | (Catholic) Virgen de las Mercedes Day | |
| November 6 | Constitution Day | National Day |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | (Jesus' birthday). |
Music
The Dominican Republic is known for a form of music called Merengue, which has been popular since the mid- to late-1900s. Its syncopated beats use Latin percussion, brass instruments, bass and piano or keyboard. What was considered unpopular to the youth, until today, is a form of folk music called Bachata. Bachata is usually slow, romantic, and Spanish guitar-driven. However, bachata's rhythm can be sped up to the same syncopation as Merengue, and it is called bacharengue. Both genres of music are popular throughout the world.
Dominican culture is heavily based on music. Some major international exponents include Juan Luis Guerra, Millie Quezada, Sergio Vargas, and Johnny Ventura. In recent years, many young artists have also emerged such as Alih Jey and Carlo Silver.
See also
- Hispaniola
- Latin America
- Caribbean
- Bachata
- Merengue
- Military of the Dominican Republic
- List of universities in Dominican Republic
- Transportation in the Dominican Republic
External links
Photos
- Dominican Republic - photo blog Interesting photos of Dominican Republic.
Other
- Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism website, in English
- Presidency of the Dominican Republic website, in Spanish
- Latin Business Chronicle: Dominican Business Reports, Statistics and Links
- Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding the Dominican Republic
- A German Web portal of the Dominican Republic (Language German)
- Dominican Republic Travel Guide
- Portal Dominicana de Alemania (Language: Spanish)
- Tourist Guide of the Dominican Republic and useful information for travellers, in spanish
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