NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana, pronounced [re'puβlika ðomini'kana]) is a country located on Hispaniola, the second-largest island in the Caribbean's Greater Antilles archipelago. Hispaniola lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica;^[2] it has a maritime border with Venezuela.^{[citation needed]} Its western third is home to Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are split by two countries, Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten being the other. The Dominican Republic should not be confused with Dominica. Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic. ... Image File history File links Coat_of_arms_of_the_Dominican_Republic. ... State/war flag and ensign, ratio: 5:8 Civil flag and ensign, ratio: 5:8 Coat of arms Alternate version of Coat of arms The flag of the Dominican Republic, as described by Article 96 of the Dominican Constitution, features a centered white cross that extends to the edges and... The coat of arms of the Dominican Republic features a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right); above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Fatherland, Liberty). ... For other uses, see Motto (disambiguation). ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a countrys government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Image File history File links LocationDominicanRepublic. ... Not to be confused with capitol. ... Republica Dominicana About half of Dominicans live in rural areas; many are small landholders. ... For other uses, see Santo Domingo (disambiguation). ... An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place. ... A presidential system, also called a congressional system, is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term) separately from the legislature, to which it is not accountable and which cannot in normal circumstances dismiss it. ... This page contains a list of presidents of the Dominican Republic. ... Dr. Leonel Antonio FernÃ¡ndez Reyna (born 26 December 1953) is a Dominican politician and the current president of the Dominican Republic. ... is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here areas between 10,000 kmÂ² and 100,000 kmÂ². ... This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by area. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (â‰ˆ1,609 m) in length. ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... A percentage is a way of expressing a proportion, a ratio or a fraction as a whole number, by using 100 as the denominator. ... Map of countries by population for the year 2007. ... Population density per square kilometre by country, 2006 Population density map of the world in 1994. ... Population density by country, 2006 List of countries and dependencies by population density in inhabitants/kmÂ². The list includes sovereign states and self-governing dependent territories that are recognized by the United Nations. ... PPP of GDP for the countries of the world (2003). ... There are three lists of countries of the world sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year). ... Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head. ... This article includes two lists of countries of the world[1] sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year divided by the average population for the same year. ... Graphical representation of the Gini coefficient The Gini coefficient is a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth distribution. ... This page talks about Human Development Index, for other HDIs see HDI (disambiguation) World map indicating Human Development Index (2007). ... This talks about the countries in the Human Development Index, for information on the Human Development Index, please Click Here World map indicating Human Development Index (2007) (Colour-blind compliant map) For red-green color vision problems. ... ISO 4217 Code DOP User(s) Dominican Republic Inflation 8. ... ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... UTC redirects here. ... A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is a top-level domain used and reserved for a country or a dependent territory. ... .do is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the Dominican Republic. ... This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E.164. ... +1 can mean: +1, a jargon term, appearing mostly in Russian blog comments, used to agree with the parent post and show support. ... // Present day 809 The area codes (809) along with (829) (as an overlay), are today the local telephone area codes solely for the Dominican Republic Following Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the year 1999, no other countries still pass-thru old numbers from the legacy 809 area code. ... The area code (829) for the Dominican Republic, operates as an overlay for the local (809) telephone area code. ... ... Early map of Hispaniola Hispaniola (from Spanish, La EspaÃ±ola) is the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ... West Indies redirects here. ... Location of the Greater Antilles (green) in relation to the rest of the Caribbean The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as the West Indies are sorted by size and location into the Bahamas (or Lucayan archipelago), the Lesser Antilles and the Greater Antilles. ... The Mergui Archipelago The Archipelago Sea, situated between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland, the largest archipelago in the world by the number of islands. ... The vast majority of islands in the world are either a country in their own right or part of a larger country. ... St. ...

The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, its capital Santo Domingo,^[3] which was also the first colonial capital in the Americas.^[4] It is the site of the first cathedral,^[1] university, European-built road, European-built fortress, and more. Territories in the Americas colonized or claimed by a European great power in 1750. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas in an equal-area projection The Americas are the lands of the New World, consisting of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... For other uses, see Santo Domingo (disambiguation). ... The Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) was the first university of the new world. ...

For most of its independent history, the nation experienced political turmoil and unrest, suffering through many non-representative and tyrannical governments. However, since the death of military dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina in 1961, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy. Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina (October 24, 1891â€“May 30, 1961) ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. ... Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of popular sovereignty by the peoples representatives. ...

History

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern five-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. ...

The Taínos

The island of Hispaniola was inhabited by the Taínos, an Arawakan-speaking people, who may have arrived around A.D. 600, displacing earlier inhabitants.^[5] The Taínos lived in villages headed by chiefs and called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya, meaning "highest land", as well as Ayti and Bohio.^[6] By 1492, they were divided into five chiefdoms (cacicazgos in Spanish, from cacique, chief). Early map of Hispaniola Hispaniola (from Spanish, La EspaÃ±ola) is the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ... For other uses, see Taino (disambiguation). ... The Arawakan languages (also Arahuacan, Arawakanas, Arahuacano, Maipurean, Maipuran, Maipureano, MaipÃºrean) are a hypothetical indigenous language family of South America and the Caribbean. ...

There are widely varying estimates of the population of Hispaniola in 1492, including 100,000,^[7] 300,000^[5] 3 million,^[8] and 7-8 million.^[9] They engaged principally in farming and fishing,^[3] as well as hunting and gathering.^[5]

Spanish rule

Christopher Columbus landed at Môle Saint-Nicolas on December 5, 1492, in his first voyage, and claimed the island for Spain. Nineteen days later, the Santa Maria ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad. He returned to Spain, voyaging back to America three more times. Christopher Columbus (1451 â€“ May 20, 1506) was a navigator, colonizer, and explorer and one of the first Europeans to explore the Americas after the Vikings. ... MÃ´le Saint-Nicolas (MÃ²lsennikola or OmÃ²l in Haitian Creole) is a city in the Republic of Haiti. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also film, 1492: Conquest of Paradise. ... A functional sailing replica of the Santa Maria in Funchal, Madeira Islands, Portugal. ... Cap-Haïtien (or Le Cap) is a city of about 500,000 people on the north coast of Haiti. ... La Navidad was the colony Columbus and his men and some help from Guacanagari built in 1492. ...

After initially friendly relations, the Taínos resisted the conquest. One of the earliest leaders to fight against the Spanish was the female Chief Anacaona of Xaragua, in the southwest, who married Chief Caonabo of Maguana, in the center and south of the island. The two fought hard against the Europeans; she was captured by the Spanish and executed in front of her people. Other notables who resisted include Chief Guacanagari, Chief Guamá, and Chief Hatuey, who later fled to Cuba and helped fight the Spaniards there. Chief Enriquillo fought victoriously against the Spaniards in the Baoruco Mountain Range, in the southwest, to gain freedom for himself and his people in a part of the island. The Taínos were by then nearly extinct. Most of the survivors mixed with runaway African slaves, called cimarrones, producing zambos. The mestizos increased in number as native women conceived to European men. Anacaona, also called the Golden Flower, was an Indian queen, wife of Caonabo, one of the five caciques who possessed the island of Santo Domingo when the Spaniards discovered it and settled there in 1492. ... Guacanagari was one of the five native kings of Hispaniola. ... Hatuey was a TaÃno chief who lived on the island of Hispaniola in the early sixteenth century. ... Enriquillo was a TaÃno Cacique who rebelled against the Spaniards from 1519 to 1533. ... Body of Ndyuka Maroon child brought before a shaman, Suriname 1955 A Maroon (from the word marronage or American/Spanish cimarrÃ³n: fugitive, runaway, lit. ... A representation of Zambos in Pintura de Castas during the Latin American colonial period. ... Mestizo is a Spanish term that was formerly used in the Spanish Empire to designate people of mixed European (Spaniard) and Amerindian ancestry living in the region of Latin America. ...

By the mid-1500s the majority of Taíno people had died out from mistreatment, disease, suicide, the breakup of family unity, starvation,^[5] forced labor, torture, and war with the Spaniards. In 1561 Bartolomé de las Casas wrote that when he reached Hispaniola in 1508 "There were 60,000 people living on this island, including the Indians; so that from 1494 to 1508, over three million people had perished from war, slavery and the mines. Who in future generations will believe this?"^[10] Due to the total lack of previous interaction with Europeans, and hence no previous exposure to European diseases, the Taíno had developed no immunity to smallpox — which they probably contracted in some cases via sexual relations with Europeans — and other contagious diseases, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life that some have termed a genocide. BartolomÃ© de las Casas This article is about a Spanish priest in the 16th century. ...

The Taíno bloodline in Hispaniola diluted more and more as the decades went by, primarily due to the establishment of Africans and Mulattos on the island; however, it is believed that some Dominicans today retain native ancestry.^[11]^[12] It has been stated that Las Casas exaggerated the Indian population decline in an effort to better persuade King Charles to intervene, and that encomenderos also exaggerated it, in order to receive permission to import more African slaves. Moreover, censuses of the time did not account for the number of Indians who had fled from the Spanish into remote communities, where they often lived alongside runaway Africans. To this are added further problems of racial categorization itself which, evidence suggests, was influenced by social factors: for instance, mestizos who were culturally Spanish were counted as Spaniards.^[11] Representation of Mulattos during the Latin American colonial period Mulatto (also Mulato) is a term of Spanish and/or Portuguese origin describing the first generation offspring of a Sub-Saharan African and a European. ... The encomienda[1] system was a trusteeship labor system employed by the Spanish crown during the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the Philippines in order to consolidate their conquests. ...

In 1496 Bartolomeo Columbus, Christopher's brother, built the city of Nueva Isabela (New Isabella), now Santo Domingo, in the south of Hispaniola. It was one of the first Spanish settlements, and became Europe's first permanent settlement in the New World. The Spaniards created a plantation economy on Hispaniola, particularly from the second half of the 16^th century.^[7] The island became a springboard for European conquest of the Caribbean islands, called "Antilles", and soon after, the South American mainland, including what is modern-day coastal Venezuela and Colombia. Santo Domingo colony was for decades the headquarters of Spanish power in the New World. However, with the conquest of the mainland empires of the Aztecs and Incas, Hispaniola declined and Spain paid ever less attention to it. French bucaneers settled in the western part of the island, and in the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick Spain ceded that part of Hispaniola to France. It grew into the wealthy colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), with four times the population of Santo Domingo at the end of the 18th century.^[13] Bartolomeo Columbus (BartolomÃ© ColÃ³n) was the younger brother of Christopher Columbus. ... For other uses, see Santo Domingo (disambiguation). ... The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spains conquest, settlement, and rule over much of the western hemisphere from 1492-1898. ... Frontispiece of Peter Martyr dAnghieras De orbe novo (On the New World). Carte dAmÃ©rique, Guillaume Delisle, 1722. ... The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political and military dominance over large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the Late post-Classic... For the a general view of Inca civilisation, people and culture, see Incas. ... The Treaty of Ryswick was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick (also known as Rijswijk) in the United Provinces (now the Netherlands). ...

French rule

France came to own the whole island in 1795, when in the Treaty of Basel Spain ceded Santo Domingo as a consequence of the French Revolutionary Wars. At the time the slaves in the western part (Haiti), led by Toussaint Louverture, were in revolt against France. In 1801 Toussaint Louverture captured Santo Domingo from the French, thus gaining control of the entire island. However, an army sent by Napoleon captured him and sent him prisoner to France in 1802; still, Toussaint Louverture's successors, and yellow fever, expelled the French again from Haiti and gained independence, although France went on to recover Spanish Santo Domingo. In 1808, following Napoleon's invasion of Spain, the criollos of Santo Domingo revolted against French rule, and with Britain's (Spain's ally) and even Haiti's help,^[14] returned Santo Domingo to Spanish control.^[15] The Peace of Basel of 1795 consists of three peace treaties of France (represented by FranÃ§ois de BarthÃ©lemy). ... Combatants Great Britain Austria Prussia Spain[1] Russia Sardinia Ottoman Empire Portugal Dutch Republic[2] France The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states. ... FranÃ§ois-Dominique Toussaint Louverture FranÃ§ois-Dominique Toussaint Louverture , also Toussaint BrÃ©da, Toussaint-Louverture (born 20 May 1743 - died April 8, 1803) was an important leader of the HaÃ¯tian Revolution and the first leader of a free Haiti. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... For the 1862 American Civil War campaign, see Peninsula Campaign. ... Criollo, in the Spanish colonial Casta system (caste system) of Latin America, was a person born in the Spanish colonies deemed to have purity of blood in respect to the individuals European ancestry. ...

The Ephemeral Independence and Haitian rule

After a dozen years of Spanish misrule and neglect and failed independence plots by various groups, former Spanish Lieutenant-Governor José Núñez de Cáceres declared the colony's independence as the state of Haití Español (Spanish Haiti) on November 30, 1821, requesting admission to Simón Bolívar's Gran Colombia. But the new nation's independence was short-lived, as Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, invaded just nine weeks later in February 1822.^[16] is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1821 (MDCCCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the South American independence leader. ... Gran Colombia Capital BogotÃ¡ Language(s) Spanish Religion Roman Catholic Government Republic History - Established December 17, 1819 - Disestablished November 19, 1831 Gran Colombia (Spanish for Greater Colombia) is a name used today for the Republic of Colombia of the period 1819-1831. ... Jean Pierre Boyer (possibly February 15, 1776 - June 9, 1850) was president of Haiti from 1822 until 1843. ...

As Toussaint Louverture had done the first time, the Haitians abolished slavery. But they nationalized all public property; most private property, including all the property of 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. All levels of education suffered collapse; the university was shut down, as it was starved of resources and 16-25 year-old Dominican men were drafted into the Haitian army. A "heavy tribute" was imposed on the Dominican people.^[17] Many whites fled Santo Domingo for Puerto Rico, Cuba (both under Spanish rule), Venezuela and elsewhere. Catholic Church redirects here. ... Coat of Arms of the King of Spain King of Spain redirects here. ...

Boyer also changed the Dominican economic system to place more emphasis on cash crops to be grown on large plantations, reformed the tax system, and allowed foreign trade. But the new system was widely opposed by Dominican farmers, although it produced a boom in sugar and coffee production. Boyer's troops, which included many Dominicans, were unpaid, and had to "forage and sack" from Dominican civilians. In the end the economy faltered and taxation became more onerous. Rebellions occurred even by freed Dominican slaves, while Dominicans and Haitians worked together to oust Boyer from power. Anti-Haitian movements of several kinds — pro-independence, pro-Spanish, pro-French, pro-British, pro-U.S. — gathered force following Boyer's overthrow in 1843.^[17] In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for money. ... A tax is an involuntary fee paid by individuals or businesses to a state, or to functional equivalents of a state, including tribes, secessionist movements or revolutionary movements. ... International trade is defined as trade between two or more partners from different countries (an exporter and an importer). ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American...

Independence

In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria that sought pure and simple independence of Santo Domingo without any foreign intervention.^[18] Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, (the latter one having African ancestry)^[19] in spite of not being among the founding members, went on to be decisive in the fight for independence and are now hailed, along with Duarte, as the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios, as the members of La Trinitaria were known, declared independence from Haiti, backed by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle-rancher from El Seibo who became general of the army of the nascent Republic and is known as "El Liberador." The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled after the United States Constitution.^[3] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... MatÃas RamÃ³n Mella, born 25 February 1816, is regarded as a national hero in the Dominican Republic. ... Francisco Del Rosario SÃ¡nchez (March 9, 1817 - July 4, 1861) was a politician and founding father of the Dominican Republic. ... is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Pedro Santana Familias (1801-1864) was a Dominican soldier and politician born in the border community of Hincha (now in Haiti). ... El Seibo, alternatively spelt El Seybo, is a province of the Dominican Republic. ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The United States Constitution The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ...

Yet the decades that followed were filled with tyranny, factionalism, economic difficulties, rapid changes of government, and exile for political opponents. Threatening the nation's independence were renewed Haitian invasions, occurring in 1844, 1845-49, 1849-55, and 1855-56.^[17]

Meanwhile, archrivals Santana and Buenaventura Báez held power most of the time, both ruling arbitrarily. They promoted competing plans to annex the new nation to another power: Santana favored Spain, and Báez the United States. Buenaventura BÃ¡ez MÃ©ndez (July 14, 1812â€“March 14, 1884) was the President of the Dominican Republic five times. ...

The voluntary colony and the Restoration republic

In 1861, after silencing or exiling many of his opponents and mainly due to political and economic reasons, Santana signed a pact with the Spanish Crown and reverted the Dominican nation to a colonial status,^[20] the only Latin American country to do so. Opponents launched the War of the Restoration in 1863, led by a group of men including Santiago Rodríguez and Benito Monción among others; General Gregorio Luperón distinguished himself at the end of the war. Haitian authorities, fearful of the re-establishment of Spain as colonial power on their border, gave refuge and logistics to Dominican revolutionaries to re-establish independence.^[20] The United States, then fighting its own Civil War, vigorously protested the Spanish action. After two years of fighting, the Spanish troops abandoned the island.^[20] The Restoration was proclaimed on August 16, 1863. Gregorio LuperÃ³n (September 8, 1839 - May 21, 1897), was a Dominican military and state leader who is better remembered as the main leader in the restoration of the Dominican Republic after the Spanish annexation in 1863. ... The Dominican Restoration War was a guerrilla war between 1863 and 1865 in the Dominican Republic between nationalists and Spain, who had recolonized the country 17 years after its independence. ... Santiago RodrÃguez is a province of the Dominican Republic. ... Gregorio LuperÃ³n (September 8, 1839 - May 21, 1897), was a Dominican military and state leader who is better remembered as the main leader in the restoration of the Dominican Republic after the Spanish annexation in 1863. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Political strife again prevailed in the years that followed; warlords ruled, military revolts were extremely common, and the nation amassed debt. In 1869 it was the turn of Báez to act on his plan of annexing the country to the United States,^[16] with a payment of 1.5 million dollars by the U.S. as part of the deal, in order to alleviate the Dominican Republic's debts.^[21]^[3] U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant supported this plan, but the United States Senate refused on June 30, 1870,^[16] albeit by just one vote. President Grant thought that former American slaves could go to the Dominican Republic and live in peace, free of harassment by Southern whites.^[22] Ulysses S. Grant,[2] born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27, 1822 â€“ July 23, 1885), was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869â€“1877). ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Báez was toppled in 1874, returned, and was toppled for good in 1878. A new generation was now entirely in charge, with the passing of Santana (he died in 1864) and Báez from the scene. Relative peace came to the country in the 1880s,^[23] which saw the coming to power of General Ulises Heureaux. Image File history File links Heureaux2. ... Image File history File links Heureaux2. ... Ulises Heureaux (October 21, 1845 â€“ July 26, 1899) was president of the Dominican Republic from 1 September 1882 to 1 September 1883, from 6 January to 27 February 1887 and again from 30 April 1889 until his assassination, maintaining power between his terms. ... This page contains a list of presidents of the Dominican Republic. ... Ulises Heureaux (October 21, 1845 â€“ July 26, 1899) was president of the Dominican Republic from 1 September 1882 to 1 September 1883, from 6 January to 27 February 1887 and again from 30 April 1889 until his assassination, maintaining power between his terms. ...

The new president was initially popular.^[24] He was, however, "a consummate dissembler", who put the nation deep into debt while using much of the proceeds for his personal use and to maintain his police state.^[24] Heureaux's rule became more despotic with time and he all the more unpopular.^[25]^[24] In 1899 he was assassinated. However, the unprecentedly long calm over which he'd presided allowed for some improvement in the Dominican economy. The sugar industry was modernized,^[26] and the country attracted foreign workers and immigrants, both from the Old World and the New. The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus; it includes Europe, Asia, and Africa (collectively known as Africa-Eurasia), plus surrounding islands. ... Frontispiece of Peter Martyr dAnghieras De orbe novo (On the New World). Carte dAmÃ©rique, Guillaume Delisle, 1722. ...

From 1902 on, short-lived governments were again the norm and provincial leaders held much of the power. Furthermore, the national government was bankrupt and, unable to pay its debts, faced the threat of military intervention by France and other European powers seeking repayment.

U.S. intervention

It was this situation that U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt sought to prevent, in great part in order to protect the vicinity of the Panama Canal, which was then under construction.^[24] He made a small military intervention to ward off the European powers, proclaimed his famous Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, and in 1906 the Dominican Republic and the United States entered into a 50-year treaty giving control of customs administration to the United States.^[3] In exchange the United States agreed to use the customs proceeds to help reduce the immense foreign debt of the Dominican Republic,^[3] and even assumed responsibility for said debt.^[24] For other persons named Theodore Roosevelt, see Theodore Roosevelt (disambiguation). ... The Panama Canal is a waterway in Central America which joins the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. ... A political cartoonists commentary on Roosevelts big stick policy The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine was a substantial alteration (called an amendment) of the Monroe Doctrine by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. ... U.S. President James Monroe The Monroe Doctrine is a U.S. doctrine which, on December 2, 1823, proclaimed that European powers were to no longer colonize or interfere with the affairs of the newly independent nations of the Americas. ...

In 1914, the United States, due to extreme political internal instability in the Dominican Republic (inability to elect a president), expressed concern and stated that a leader must be elected, or the United States would impose one.^[27] As a result, Ramón Báez Machado was elected provisional president on August 27, 1914.^[27] Presidential elections held on October 25 returned Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra to the presidency. Despite his victory, however, Jimenes felt impelled to appoint leaders and prominent members of the various political factions to positions in his government in an effort to broaden its support. The internecine conflicts that resulted had quite the opposite effect, weakening the government and the President and emboldening Secretary of War Desiderio Arias to take control of both the armed forces and the Congress, which he compelled to impeach Jimenes for violation of the constitution and the laws. Although the United States ambassador offered military support to his government, Jimenes opted to step down on May 7, 1916. is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra (1846 - 1919) was a Dominican political figure. ... In the Dominican Republic legislative power is vested in the National Congress (Congreso Nacional), a bicameral legislature comprising a Senate (32 senators), and a Chamber of Deputies (150 deputies). ... is the 127th day of the year (128th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Arias never assumed the presidency formally. The United States government, apparently tired of its recurring role as mediator, had decided to take more direct action. By this time, U.S. forces were occupying Haiti. The initial military administrator of Haiti, Rear Admiral William Caperton, had actually forced Arias to retreat from Santo Domingo by threatening the city with naval bombardment on May 13, 1916. is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

U.S. occupation

The first Marines landed three days later, on May 19, 1916. Although they established effective control of the country within two months, the United States forces did not proclaim a military government until November. Most Dominican laws and institutions remained intact under military rule, although the shortage of Dominicans willing to serve in the Cabinet forced the military governor, Harry Shepard Knapp, to fill a number of portfolios with United States naval officers. The press and radio were censored for most of the occupation, and public speech was limited. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing force projection from the sea,[1] using the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces and is one of seven uniformed services. ... is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Harry Shepard Knapp (27 June 1856 â€“ 6 April 1928) was a Vice Admiral of the United States Navy, Military Governor of Santo Domingo, and Military Representative of the United States in Haiti. ... USN redirects here. ...

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

The most intense opposition to the occupation arose in the eastern provinces of El Seibo and San Pedro de Macorís. From 1917 to 1921, the United States forces battled a guerrilla movement in that area known as the "gavilleros". The guerrillas enjoyed considerable support among the population, and they benefited from a superior knowledge of the terrain. The movement survived the capture and the execution of its leader, Vicente Evangelista, and some initially fierce encounters with the Marines. However, the gavilleros eventually yielded to the occupying forces' superior firepower, air power (a squadron of six Curtis Jennies), and determined (often brutal) counter-insurgency methods. El Seibo, alternatively spelt El Seybo, is a province of the Dominican Republic. ... San Pedro de MacorÃs is a port city in the Dominican Republic, the capital of San Pedro de MacorÃs Province, and home of the Universidad Central del Este. ... 1st Aero Squadron on the Mexican US border, 1916 A veteran reconditioned Standard J-1, which is often confused with the Curtiss JN-4 Printed upside-down in error, the Curtiss JN-4 appears on a famous stamp; the stamp is known as the Inverted Jenny. The Curtiss JN-4... Counter-insurgency is the combating of insurgency, by the government (or allies) of the territory in which the insurgency takes place. ...

After World War I, public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation. U.S. President Warren G. Harding, who succeeded Woodrow Wilson in March 1921, had campaigned against the occupations of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In June 1921, United States representatives presented a withdrawal proposal, known as the Harding Plan, which called for Dominican ratification of all acts of the military government, approval of a loan of US$2.5 million for public works and other expenses, the acceptance of United States officers for the constabulary — now known as the Guardia Nacional (National Guard) — and the holding of elections under United States supervision. â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 â€“ August 2, 1923) was an American politician and the 29th President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923. ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856â€”February 3, 1924), was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. ...

Popular reaction to the plan was overwhelmingly negative. Moderate Dominican leaders, however, used the plan as the basis for further negotiations that resulted in an agreement allowing for the selection of a provisional president to rule until elections could be organized. Under the supervision of High Commissioner Sumner Welles, Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos assumed the provisional presidency on October 21, 1922. In the presidential election of March 15, 1924, former President Horacio Vásquez Lajara handily defeated Francisco J. Peynado. Vásquez's Alliance Party (Partido Alianza) also won a comfortable majority in both houses of Congress. With his inauguration on July 13, control of the republic returned to Dominican hands. He gave the country six years of good government, in which political and civil rights were respected and the economy grew strongly, in an atmosphere of peace.^[28] Sumner Welles (October 14, 1892 â€“ 1961) was Under Secretary of State in US 1937-1943 during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. ... Juan Bautista Vicini (Burgos) (18XX - 1924) was a Dominican political figure. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 74th day of the year (75th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... Horacio Vasquez (1860 - 1936) was a Dominican general and political figure. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Trujillo era

The Dominican Republic was ruled by dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. Trujillo ruled with an iron fist, persecuting anyone who opposed his regime. There was considerable economic growth during his rule, although a great deal of the wealth went to the dictator and other regime elements. He also renamed many towns and provinces after himself and members of his family, including the capital city Santo Domingo, renamed Ciudad Trujillo (Trujillo City). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina (October 24, 1891â€“May 30, 1961) ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. ...

In 1937 Trujillo (who was himself one-quarter Haitian),^[29] in an event known as the Parsley Massacre or in the Dominican Republic as El Corte (The Cutting),^[30] ordered the Army to kill Haitians on the Dominican side of the border. An estimated 17,000 to 35,000 Haitians were killed over approximately five days, from the night of October 2, 1937 through October 8, 1937. Haitians were cut down with machetes.^[29]^[16] The soldiers of Trujillo would go out and interrogate anyone with dark skin, hold up a sprig of perejil (parsley) and pronounce what they were holding up. Haitians who spoke French and/or Kreyol said the "r" in perejil with a flat long pronunciation, while Dominicans said it with a trilled "r" sound.^[30] This massacre was alleged to have been an attempt to seize money and property from Haitians living on the border.^[31] As a result of this massacre the Dominican Republic agreed to pay Haiti $750,000.00, which was later reduced to US$525,000.^[32]^[20] The Dominican government headed by Trujillo for a long time was supported by the USA,^[33] the Catholic Church, and the Dominican elite; even after the death of Dominicans in the political opposition and over 17,000 Haitians.^[30] Trujillo was assassinated on May 30, 1961 in Santo Domingo. In October of 1937, Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina ordered the execution of the Haitian population living within the borderlands with Haiti. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Haitian Creole (kreyÃ²l ayisyen) is a creole language It is spoken in Haiti by about 8. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Post-Trujillo

A democratically-elected government under leftist Juan Bosch took office in 1963, but was overthrown later in the year. After nineteen months of military rule, a pro-Bosch revolt took place in 1965. US Marines arrived in the Dominican Republic to restore order in Operation Powerpack, later to be joined by forces from the Organization of American States.^[34] They remained in the country for over a year and left after supervising elections which led to the victory of Joaquín Balaguer, who had been Trujillo's last puppet president, over Bosch. Juan Bosch y GaviÃ±o Juan Emilio Bosch y GaviÃ±o (30 June 1909, La Vega â€“ 1 November 2001, Santo Domingo) was the first democratically elected president of the Dominican Republic after the assassination of dictator Rafael LeÃ³nidas Trujillo in 1961. ... Operation Power Pack was the American intervention in the Dominican Republic in 1965. ... Headquarters Washington, D.C. Official languages English, French, Portuguese, Spanish Membership 35 countries Leaders - Secretary General JosÃ© Miguel Insulza Chile (since 26 May 2005) Establishment - Charter first signed 30 April 1948 in effect 1 December 1951 Website http://www. ... JoaquÃn Balaguer JoaquÃn Antonio Balaguer Ricardo (September 1, 1906 â€“ July 14, 2002) was the President of the Dominican Republic from 1960 to 1962, from 1966 to 1978, and again from 1986 to 1996. ...

Balaguer remained in power as president for 12 years. His tenure was a period of repression of civil liberties, presumably to prevent pro-Cuba or pro-communist parties from gaining power in the country. His rule was also criticized for a growing disparity between rich and poor and praised for an ambitious infrastructural program which included housing, theaters, museums, aqueducts, roads, highways and the massive Columbus' Lighthouse which was completed in a subsequent tenure in 1992. This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ...

1978 to present

In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by opposition candidate Antonio Guzmán Fernández, of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). From 1978 to 1986, the Dominican Republic experienced a period of relative freedom and basic human rights. Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, defeating PRD candidate José Francisco Peña Gómez, a former mayor of Santo Domingo. Both the national and international communities generally viewed these elections as a major fraud, leading to political pressure for Balaguer to step down. Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996, which was won by Bosch's Dominican Liberation Party for the first time, with Leonel Fernández as its candidate. In 2000, Hipólito Mejía won the electorate when opposing candidates Danilo Medina and a very old Joaquín Balaguer decided that they would not force a runoff after the first got 49.8% of the votes. In 2004, Leonel Fernández was elected again, with 57% of the votes, defeating then-incumbent president Mejía. Antonio GuzmÃ¡n FernÃ¡ndez (1911â€“July 4, 1982) was the President of the Dominican Republic from 1978 to 1982. ... The Dominican Revolutionary Party (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, or PRD) is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic. ... JosÃ© Francisco PeÃ±a GÃ³mez (born March 6, 1937 in Mao, Valverde, Dominican Republic, died May 10, 1998 in Cambita Garabitos, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic) was the leader of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) and former Mayor of Santo Domingo. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dr. Leonel Antonio FernÃ¡ndez Reyna (born 26 December 1953) is a Dominican politician and the current president of the Dominican Republic. ... Rafael HipÃ³lito MejÃa DomÃnguez (born February 22, 1941, in Gurabo, Santiago Province ), was President of the Dominican Republic from August 16, 2000 to August 16, 2004. ... Danilo Medina was the presidential candidate of the Dominican Liberation Party in 2000. ... JoaquÃn Balaguer JoaquÃn Antonio Balaguer Ricardo (September 1, 1906 â€“ July 14, 2002) was the President of the Dominican Republic from 1960 to 1962, from 1966 to 1978, and again from 1986 to 1996. ...

Government and politics

The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy, with national powers divided among independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The President of the Dominican Republic appoints the cabinet, executes laws passed by the legislative branch, and is commander in chief of the armed forces. The president and vice president run for office on the same ticket and are elected by direct vote for 4-year terms. Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral Congress composed of the Senate (with 32 members) and the Chamber of Deputies (with 178 members). The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy whose national powers are divided among independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. ... Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of popular sovereignty by the peoples representatives. ... A legislatureis a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to ratify laws. ... This page contains a list of presidents of the Dominican Republic. ... The Military of the Dominican Republic consists of approximately 44,000 active duty personnel, about 30 percent of which are utilized for non-military operations, including security providers for government owned non-military facilities, toll security, prison guards, forestry workers and other state enterprises. ... The Senate (Senado) is the upper house of the Dominican Republics bicameral National Congress. ... The Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) is the lower house of the Dominican Republics bicameral National Congress. ...

The Dominican Republic has a multi-party political system with national elections every 2 years (alternating between presidential elections and congressional/municipal elections). Presidential elections are held in years evenly divisible by four. Congressional and municipal elections are held in even numbered years not divisible by four. International observers have found that presidential and congressional elections since 1996 have been generally free and fair. Elections are supervised by a Central Elections Board (JCE) of 9 members chosen for a four-year term by the newly elected Senate. JCE decisions on electoral matters are final. Politics of the Dominican Republic Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in the Dominican Republic ...

Under the constitutional reforms negotiated after the 1994 elections, the 16-member Supreme Court of Justice is appointed by a National Judicial Council, which comprises the President, the leaders of both houses of Congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non-governing-party member. One other Supreme Court Justice acts as secretary of the Council, a non-voting position. The Supreme Court has sole authority over managing the court system and in hearing actions against the president, designated members of his cabinet, and members of Congress when the legislature is in session. The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy whose national powers are divided among independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. ...

The Supreme Court hears appeals from lower courts and chooses members of lower courts. Each of the 31 provinces is headed by a presidentially appointed governor. Mayors and municipal councils to administer the 124 municipal districts and the National District (Santo Domingo) are elected at the same time as congressional representatives.^[35]

Politics

The Dominican Republic holds elections every four years at the congressional levels as well as every four years at the presidential levels. The country becomes highly politicized, as millions of dollars are spent in propaganda and campaigning. The political system is characterized by clientelism, which has corrupted the system throughout the years.^[36] This article is about the system of organization called a political machine. ...

There are many political parties and interest groups and, new in this scenario, civil organizations. The three major parties 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: Partido Revolucionario Dominicano [PRD]), in power in 1963, 1978–86, and 2000–04); and the increasingly conservative Dominican Liberation Party (Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana [PLD]), in power 1996–2000 and since 2004. Political parties in the Dominican Republic# lists political parties in this country. ... This article is about political advocates. ... NGO redirects here. ... Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favor tradition and gradual change, where tradition refers to religious, cultural, or nationally defined beliefs and customs. ... The Social Christian Reformist Party (Partido Reformista Social Cristiano, PRSC) is a party formed by Joaquín Balaguer and his political heirs in the Dominican Republic. ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... The Dominican Revolutionary Party (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, or PRD) is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Foreign relations

The Dominican Republic maintains close relations with the nations of the Western Hemisphere and the principal nations of Europe. Relations with the U.S. are very close.^[37] The Dominican Republic has a close relationship with the United States and with the other states of the Inter-American system. ... The geographical western hemisphere of Earth, highlighted in yellow. ...

The country is a member of the following international organizations:^[2] ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA (graduate), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (or ITSO), Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent member), ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, Rio Group, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Unión Latina, UNOCI, UNWTO (or WToO), UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (or WTrO). ACP States The ACP States are the countries that are signatories of the LomÃ© Convention. ... Map showing CARICOM members, associates and observers Seat of Secretariat Georgetown, Guyana Official languages English4 Membership 15 full members1 5 associate members2 7 observers3 Leaders - Secretary-General Edwin W. Carrington (since 1992) - CARICOM Heads of Government Establishment - August 1, 1973 Website http://www. ... The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC or ECLAC) was established in 1948 (then as the UN Economic Commission for Latin America, or UNECLA) to encourage economic cooperation among its member states. ... FAO redirects here. ... link titlelink titlelink titlelink titlelink title--210. ... The Inter-American Development Bank (preferred abbreviation: IDB; but frequently given as IADB), was established in 1959 to support Latin American and Caribbean economic/social development and regional integration by lending mainly to public institutions. ... The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for military purposes. ... Logo of the World Bank The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of the five institutions consisting the World Bank Group. ... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is an international organization that works to promote and support global trade and globalization. ... The official logo of the ICC The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt)[1] was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression, although it cannot currently exercise jurisdiction over the crime of aggression. ... Red Cross redirects here. ... The International Development Association (IDA) created on September 24, 1960, is the part of the World Bank that helps the worldâ€™s poorest countries. ... The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. ... The International Finance Corporation (IFC) promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries as a way to reduce poverty and improve peoples lives. ... The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS) is an international humanitarian organisation, often better known as the Red Cross or the Red Crescent. ... The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is an intergovernmental international organization established in 1921. ... The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues. ... IMF redirects here. ... Headquarters of the International Maritime Organisation in Lambeth, adjacent to the east end of Lambeth Bridge Headquarters building taken from the west side of the Thames Headquartered in London, U.K., the International Maritime Organization (IMO) promotes cooperation among governments and the shipping industry to improve maritime safety and to... Intelsat, Ltd. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Stamp The International Olympic Committee (French: ComitÃ© International Olympique) is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on June 23, 1894. ... The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. ... The Inter-Parliamentary Union is an international organization established in 1889 by William Randal Cremer (United Kingdom) and FrÃ©dÃ©ric Passy (France). ... â€œISOâ€ redirects here. ... The International Telecommunication Union (ITU; French: Union internationale des tÃ©lÃ©communications, Spanish: UniÃ³n Internacional de Telecomunicaciones) is an international organization established to standardize and regulate international radio and telecommunications. ... The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is the worlds largest trade union federation. ... The Latin American Economic System, officially known as Sistema EconÃ³mico Latinoamericano (SELA), is an organization founded in 1975 to promote economic cooperation and social development between Latin American countries. ... The Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (the Latin American Integration Association; known as ALADI or, occasionally, by the English acronym LAIA) is a Latin American trade integration association, based in Montevideo. ... The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) is a member of the World Bank group. ... Member states of the Non-Aligned Movement (2005). ... Headquarters Washington, D.C. Official languages English, French, Portuguese, Spanish Membership 35 countries Leaders - Secretary General JosÃ© Miguel Insulza Chile (since 26 May 2005) Establishment - Charter first signed 30 April 1948 in effect 1 December 1951 Website http://www. ... OPANAL (which stands for Organismo para la ProscripciÃ³n de las Armas Nucleares en la AmÃ©rica Latina y el Caribe) is an international organization which promotes nuclear disarmament. ... The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is not an agency of the United Nations. ... The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), also known as the Hague Tribunal is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands. ... The Rio Group is an international organization of Latin American states. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ... The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body, UNCTAD is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment and development issues. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is an agency of the United Nations with the mission of helping countries pursue sustainable industrial development, it is a specialist in industrial affairs. ... Headquarters Paris, France , Official languages Catalan, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian Membership 37 (plus 3 observers) Leaders - General Secretariat Bernardino Osio Establishment 15 May 1954 Website http://www. ... The United Nations Operation in CÃ´te dIvoire (UNOCI) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission. ... World Tourism Organization Building in Madrid The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. ... The Universal Postal Union (UPU, French: Union postale universelle) is an international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system. ... The World Customs Organization (WCO) is an intergovernmental organization that helps Members (currently Customs administrations from 169 countries) communicate and co-operate on customs issues. ... The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) was established in the wake of the Second World War to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations. ... WHO redirects here. ... The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (French: Organisation mondiale de la propriÃ©tÃ© intellectuelle or OMPI) is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations. ... WMO flag The World Meteorological Organization (WMO, French: , OMM) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 188 Member States and Territories. ... WTO redirects here. ...

Provinces and municipalities

The Dominican Republic is divided into 31 provinces. Additionally, the national capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional (National District). see the Ranked list of Dominican Provinces. ... The provinces of the Dominican Republic are divided into two or more municipalities (municipios singular municipio) with the exception of the Distrito Nacional which consist of only one municipality - Santo Domingo. ... see the Ranked list of Dominican Provinces. ... For other uses, see Santo Domingo (disambiguation). ... The Distrito Nacional is a subdivision of the Dominican Republic enclosing the capital Santo Domingo, which therefore is not in any one of the provinces. ...

The provinces are divided into municipalities (municipios; singular municipio). They are the second–level political and administrative subdivisions of the country. A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly referring to a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. ... Municipio (Spanish and Italian) and MunicÃpio (Portuguese) are the terms used for the following subnational entities: // MunicÃpio MunicÃpio (Brazil) MunicÃpio (Portugal), more commonly called concelho Municipio Municipio (Colombia) Municipio (Italy), more commonly called comune Municipio (Mexico) Municipio (Puerto Rico) Municipio (Spain) Municipio (Venezuela) See also Munic... Subnational entities redirects here. ...

Geography

The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern part of the second-largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic shares the island roughly at a 2:1 ratio with Haiti. The whole country measures an area of 48,730 km² (or 48,921 km²),^[38] making it the second largest country in the Antilles, after Cuba.^[2] The country's capital and greatest metropolitan area, Santo Domingo, is located on the southern coast. a beach in the Barahona province This article details the geography of the Dominican Republic. ... There are numerous hydroelectric plants in the Dominican Republic, which is composed of rivers, lakes, streams, and numerous waterfalls. ... Location of the Greater Antilles (green) in relation to the rest of the Caribbean The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as the West Indies are sorted by size and location into the Bahamas (or Lucayan archipelago), the Lesser Antilles and the Greater Antilles. ... Early map of Hispaniola Hispaniola (from Spanish, La EspaÃ±ola) is the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ... The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. ... For other uses, see Santo Domingo (disambiguation). ...

To the north, at a distance between 100 and 200 km, are three extensive, largely submerged banks, which geographically are a southeast continuation of the Bahamas: Navidad Bank, Silver Bank and Mouchoir Bank. Navidad Bank and Silver Bank have been officially claimed by the Dominican Republic. [--168. ... Navidad Bank This is an area in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Dominican Republic and southeast of the Territory of Turks & Caicos. ... Silver Bank This is an area in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Dominican Republic and southeast of the Territory of Turks & Caicos. ... Mouchoir Bank, in Spanish also called Banco de PaÃ±uelo Blanco islocated southeast of the Turks islands at , and geographically a continuation of the Bahamas. ...

The country's mainland has four important mountain ranges. The most northerly of these ranges is the Cordillera Septentrional ("Northern Mountain Range"), which extends from the northwestern coastal town of Monte Cristi, near the Haitian border, to the Samaná Peninsula in the east, running parallel to the Atlantic coast. The highest range in the Dominican Republic — indeed, in the whole of the West Indies — is the Cordillera Central ("Central Mountain Range") (in Haiti known as the Massif du Nord). It gradually bends southwards and finishes near the town of Azua de Compostela on the Caribbean coast. The Cordillera Central is home to the four highest peaks in the West Indies: Pico Duarte (3,098 m / 10,164 ft above sea level), La Pelona (3,094m), La Rucilla (3,049m) and Pico Yaque (2,760m). Pico Duarte is the highest peak in all the Caribbean islands. ... The metre, or meter (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, â€² â€“ a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ...

In the southwest corner of the country, south of the Cordillera Central, there are two other ranges. The more northerly of the two is the Sierra de Neiba, while in the south the Sierra de Bahoruco is a continuation of the Massif de la Selle in Haiti. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 Ã— 1200 pixel, file size: 436 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) picture taken by Isaac Alonzo in the top of Pico Duarte in the Dominican Republic, in the picture the face of Juan Pablo Duarte, independence... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 Ã— 1200 pixel, file size: 436 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) picture taken by Isaac Alonzo in the top of Pico Duarte in the Dominican Republic, in the picture the face of Juan Pablo Duarte, independence...

There are other minor mountain ranges, such as the Cordillera Oriental ("Eastern Mountain Range"), Sierra Martín García, Sierra de Yamasá and Sierra de Samaná.

With mountain ranges running parallel to each other, the Dominican Republic boasts a number of valleys and plains. In between the Central and Septentrional mountain ranges lies the rich and fertile Cibao valley. This major valley is home to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros and to most of the farming areas in the nation. Rather less productive is the semi-arid San Juan Valley, south of the Cordillera Central and extending westward into Haiti. Still more arid is the Neiba Valley, tucked between the Sierra de Neiba and the Sierra de Bahoruco. This valley is also known in Haiti as the Cul-de-Sac. Much of the land in the Enriquillo Basin is below sea level, with a hot, arid, desert-like environment. There are other smaller valleys in the mountains such as the Constanza, Jarabacoa, Villa Altagracia and Bonao valleys. In geography, a plain is a large area of land with relatively low relief. ... Cibao is a sub-region of the Dominican Republic, located at the geographical center of the country. ... Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first Santiago of America) is the second most important city in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. ...

There are many small offshore islands and cays that are part of the Dominican territory. The two largest islands near shore are Saona in the southeast and Beata in the southwest. The Samana Bay is a bay in eastern Dominican Republic. ... A cay (also spelled key, but both are pronounced alike as key [IPA: ]) is a small, low island consisting mostly of sand or coral. ... Saona Island Beach Saona Island is a tropical island located a short distance from the mainland on the south-east tip of the Dominican Republic, near the Bayahibe region. ...

The Llano Costero del Caribe ("Caribbean Coastal Plain") is the largest of the plains in the Dominican Republic. Stretching north and east of Santo Domingo, it contains many sugar plantations in the savannahs that are common here. West of Santo Domingo its width is reduced to 10 km 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 dry region in the Azua Province. For other uses, see Santo Domingo (disambiguation). ... Savannah redirects here. ... Ãzua is a province of the Dominican Republic. ...

A few other small coastal plains are in the northern coast and in the Pedernales Peninsula.

Four major rivers drain the numerous mountains of the Dominican Republic. The Yaque del Norte carries excess water down from the Cibao Valley and empties into Monte Cristi Bay. Likewise, the Yuna River serves the Vega Real and empties into Samaná Bay. Drainage of the San Juan Valley is provided by the San Juan River, tributary of the Yaque del Sur, which empties into the Caribbean. The Artibonito is the longest river of Hispaniola and flows into Haiti. The Yaque del Norte is the longest and most important Dominican river. The Yuna River is in the Dominican Republic. ... Look up tributary in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Early map of Hispaniola Hispaniola (from Spanish, La EspaÃ±ola) is the second-largest and most populous island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ...

There are many lakes and coastal lagoons; the largest lake is Lago Enriquillo, a saline lake at 40 m below sea level, the lowest point in the West Indies. Other important lakes are Laguna de Rincón or Cabral, with freshwater, and Laguna de Oviedo, a lagoon with brackish water. This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... Lake Enriquillo from space, September 1993 Lake Enriquillo (located at 18Â°30â€² N 71Â°35â€² W) is the only saltwater lake in the world inhabited by crocodiles. ... A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water which has a concentration of salts (mostly sodium chloride) and other minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least 3,000 milligrams of salt per liter). ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... Fresh water redirects here. ... Brackish redirects here. ...

Climate

The country is a tropical, maritime nation. Wet season is from May to November, and periodic hurricanes between June and November. Most rain falls in the northern and eastern regions. The average rainfall is 1346 mm, with extremes of 2500 mm in the northeast and 500 mm in the west. The main annual temperature ranges from 21 °C in the mountainous regions to 25 °C on the plains and the coast. The average temperature in Santo Domingo in January is 25 °C and 30 °C in July. Nonetheless, the highest mountaintops are covered in pine forests and have temperatures that can go several degrees below freezing during Winter nights. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 170 pixelsFull resolution (3173 Ã— 674 pixel, file size: 545 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)hello sup!!!!! File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 170 pixelsFull resolution (3173 Ã— 674 pixel, file size: 545 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg)hello sup!!!!! File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Saona Island Beach Saona Island is a tropical island located a short distance from the mainland on the south-east tip of the Dominican Republic, near the Bayahibe region. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... A maritime nation is any nation which borders the sea and utilizes it for any of the following: commerce and transport, war, to define a territorial boundary, or for any maritime activity (activities using the sea to convey or produce an end result). ... A wet season or rainy season is a season in which the average rainfall in a region is significantly increased. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... In meteorology, precipitation is any kind of water that falls from the sky as part of the weather. ... For other uses, see Temperature (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Santo Domingo (disambiguation). ... The Hispaniolan pine forests are a tropical coniferous forest ecoregion found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. ...

Environmental issues

Bajos de Haina, 12 miles (19 km) west of Santo Domingo, was included on the Blacksmith Institute's list of the world's 10 most polluted places, released in October 2006, due to lead poisoning by a battery recycling smelter closed in 1999. As the site never was cleaned up children continue to be born with high lead levels causing learning disabilities, impaired physical growth and kidney damage.^[39]^[40] Bajos de Haina, also known simply as Haina, is a town and municipality in the San CristÃ³bal (province), of the Dominican Republic. ... The Blacksmith Institute, founded in 1999, is a New York City based organization supporting pollution-related environmental projects. ...

Symbols

Some of the important symbols include the flag of the Dominican Republic, 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. Red represents the blood shed by the liberators. Blue expresses God's protection over the nation. The white cross symbolizes the struggle of the liberators to bequeath future generations a free nation. An alternate interpretation is that blue represents the ideals of progress and liberty, whereas white symbolizes peace and union amongst Dominicans.^[41] In the center of the cross is the Dominican coat of arms, in the same colors as the national flag. State/war flag and ensign, ratio: 5:8 Civil flag and ensign, ratio: 5:8 Coat of arms Alternate version of Coat of arms The flag of the Dominican Republic, as described by Article 96 of the Dominican Constitution, features a centered white cross that extends to the edges and... The coat of arms of the Dominican Republic features a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right); above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Fatherland, Liberty). ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

The national flower is the flower of the West Indies Mahogany^[42] The national bird is the Cigua Palmera or Palmchat.^[43] Binomial name Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq. ... Binomial name Dulus dominicus (Linnaeus, 1766) The Palmchat, Dulus dominicus, is a small (20 cm / 8 in long) passerine bird which is the sole member of the family Dulidae. ...

Economy

Recent years

The Dominican Republic is a lower middle-income^[44] developing country primarily dependent on natural resources and government services. Although the service sector has recently overtaken agriculture as the leading employer of Dominicans (due principally to growth in tourism and Free Trade Zones), agriculture remains the most important sector in terms of domestic consumption and is in second place, behind mining, in terms of export earnings. Tourism accounts for more than $1.3 billion in annual earnings. Free Trade Zone earnings and tourism are the fastest-growing export sectors. Remittances ("remesas") from Dominicans living abroad are estimated to be more than $2 billion dollars per year. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... The Dominican Republic is a middle-income developing country primarily dependent on agriculture, trade, and services, especially tourism. ... ISO 4217 Code DOP User(s) Dominican Republic Inflation 8. ... Newly industrialized countries Other emerging markets Other developing economies High income Upper-middle income Lower-middle income Low income A developing country is that country which has a relatively low standard of living, an undeveloped industrial base, and a moderate to low Human Development Index (HDI) score and per capita... Free trade zones, also called free trade areas or export processing zones, designate either parts of a country or groups of countries that have agreed to eliminate tariffs, quotas and preferences on most goods between them. ... This article is about mineral extractions. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Remittances. ...

Following economic turmoil in the late 1980s and 1990, during which the gross domestic product (GDP) fell by up to 5% and consumer price inflation reached an unprecedented 100%, the Dominican Republic entered a period of moderate growth and declining inflation until 2002, after which the economy entered a recession. This recession followed the collapse of the second-largest commercial bank of the country (Baninter), linked to a major incident of fraud valued at $3.5 billion during the administration of President Hipolito Mejia (2000-2004). The Baninter fraud had a devastating effect on the Dominican economy, with GDP dropping by 1% in 2003 while inflation ballooned by over 27%. GDP redirects here. ... In macroeconomics, a Recession is a decline in any countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP), or negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year. ... A commercial bank is a type of financial intermediary and a type of bank. ... Banco Intercontinental (Baninter) was the second largest privately held commercial bank in the Dominican Republic before collapsing in 2003 in a spectacular fraud tied to political corruption. ... Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez (born 22 February 1941, in Gurabo,Santiago de los Caballeros). ...

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. Balance of trade figures are the sum of the money gained by a given economy by selling exports, minus the cost of buying imports. ... Foreign exchange reserves (also called Forex reserves) in a strict sense are only the foreign currency deposits held by central banks and monetary authorities. ... Consumer debt is consumer credit which is outstanding. ... The U.S. Department of Agriculture, also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA, is a Cabinet department of the United States Federal Government. ... The Commodity Credit Corporation, or CCC, is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture created on October 17, 1933. ...

According to the 2005 Annual Report of the United Nations Subcommittee on Human Development in the Dominican Republic, the country is ranked #71 in the world for resource availability, # 79 for human development, and #14 in the world for resource mismanagement. These statistics emphasize national government corruption, foreign economic interference in the country, and the rift between the rich and poor.

The Dominican Republic has become a trans-shipment point for South American drugs to Europe as well as the United States and Canada.^[2] Money laundering is favored by Colombian drug cartels via the Dominican Republic for the ease of illicit financial transactions.^[2] Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first Santiago of America) is the second most important city in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. ...

The Dominican Republic enjoys a growing economy and 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 it experienced an exceptional growth of 9.1% in its GDP, below the previous year's 10.9% in the same period. Growth was led by imports, followed by exports, with finance and foreign investment the next largest factors.^[45] The service sector in general has experienced growth in recent years, as has construction. Economic growth takes place in spite of a chronic energy shortage,^[46] which causes frequent blackouts and very high prices. PPP of GDP for the countries of the world (2003). ...

Santo Domingo, the capital of the Republic is the source of most of is GDP and has become one of the leading cities of the Caribbean.

Currency

The Dominican peso (DOP) is the national currency of the country, although US dollars (USD) are accepted at most tourist sites. The peso was worth the same as the USD until the 1980s, but has depreciated. The exchange rate in 1993 was 14.00 pesos per USD and 16.00 pesos in 2000, but it jumped to 53.00 pesos per USD in 2003. In 2004, the exchange rate was back down to around 31.00 pesos per USD. ISO 4217 Code DOP User(s) Dominican Republic Inflation 8. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

The U.S. dollar is implicated in almost all commercial transactions of the Dominican Republic; such dollarization is common in high inflation economies. On February 2005, 1.32 USD = one € = 29 DR pesos; in October 2005, 1.19 USD = one € = 32 DR pesos. As of September 2007 the value of the peso is 1 USD=0.7006 EUR=33.430 DOP.^[47]^[48] Dollarization occurs when the inhabitants of a country use foreign currency in parallel to or instead of the domestic currency. ...

Tourism

According to the World Tourism Organization, the Dominican Republic is the Caribbean's most popular tourist destination.^[49] Tourism is an important sector of the Dominican economy. World Tourism Organization Building in Madrid The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. ... West Indies redirects here. ...

Demographics

Republica Dominicana About half of Dominicans live in rural areas; many are small landholders. ...

Population

The population of Dominican Republic in 2007 was estimated by the United Nations at 9,760,000,^[50] which placed it as number 82 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 5% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 35% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 103 males for every 100 females in the country in 2007.^[2] According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2006–2007 is 1.5%, with the 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 sq km (498 per sq mi), and 63% of the population lived in urban areas.^[51] The southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley are the most densely populated areas of the country. The capital city, Santo Domingo, had a population of 3.0 million in 2007. Other important cities are Santiago de los Caballeros, La Romana, San Pedro de Macorís, San Francisco de Macorís, and Concepción de la Vega. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 2.3%.^[52] Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first Santiago of America) is the second most important city in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. ... La Romana is the third-largest city in the Dominican Republic with a population estimated in 2005 at 240,000. ... San Pedro de MacorÃs is a port city in the Dominican Republic, the capital of San Pedro de MacorÃs Province, and home of the Universidad Central del Este. ... San Francisco de Macoris is the third largest city in the Dominican Republic. ... ConcepciÃ³n de La Vega - often simply known as La Vega - is a city of the central Dominican Republic. ...

Ethnic composition

According to the CIA World Fact Book, the ethnic composition of the Dominican population is, 73% mixed, 16% white and 11% black.^[2] The mixed population is mostly mulatto. Indigenous Taino descent has survived in some Dominicans.^[53]^[11] Other ethnic groups in the Dominican Republic include Haitians, Germans, Italians, French, Jews, Spaniards, and Americans. A smaller presence of East Asians (primarily ethnic Chinese and Japanese) and Middle Easterners (primarily Lebanese) can be found throughout the population. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (850x564, 130 KB) Summary taino girls, carnival Dominican Republic. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (850x564, 130 KB) Summary taino girls, carnival Dominican Republic. ... ... Mulatto (Spanish mulato, small mule, person of mixed race, mulatto, from mulo, mule, from Old Spanish, from Latin mÅ«lus. ... The Taíno are the pre-Hispanic Amerindian inhabitants of the Greater Antilles, which includes Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Bahamas. ... This article is about the geographical region. ... Languages various Religions Predominantly Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, traditional Chinese religions, and atheism. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Of lesser importance than religious belonging, ethnic background is still a factor in Lebanon. ...

Racial issues

As elsewhere in the Spanish Empire, the original Spanish colony of Hispaniola employed a social system known as casta, wherein Peninsulares (Spaniards born in Spain) occupied the highest echelon. These were followed, in descending order of status, by: criollos, castizos, mestizos, mulattoes, Indians, zambos, and lastly, black slaves.^[54]^[55] The stigma of these social strata persisted for many years, reaching its culmination in the Trujillo regime, as the dictator used racial persecution and nationalistic fervor against Haitians.^[56]^[30] An anachronous map of the overseas Spanish Empire (1492-1898) in red, and the Spanish Habsburg realms in Europe (1516-1714) in orange. ... Look up Casta in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In the colonial caste system of Spanish America, a peninsular was a citizen born in the metropolitan part of the Spanish Empire, modernly called just Spain, in Iberian Peninsula. ... Criollo, in the Spanish colonial Casta system (caste system) of Latin America, was a person born in the Spanish colonies deemed to have purity of blood in respect to the individuals European ancestry. ... Castizo is a Spanish word with a general meaning of genuine. It has other more concrete meanings. ... Mestizo is a Spanish term that was formerly used in the Spanish Empire to designate people of mixed European (Spaniard) and Amerindian ancestry living in the region of Latin America. ... Mulatto (Spanish mulato, small mule, person of mixed race, mulatto, from mulo, mule, from Old Spanish, from Latin mÅ«lus. ... A representation of Zambos in Pintura de Castas during the Latin American colonial period. ... Negro is a racial term referring to dark-skinned people, usually of African origin. ...

According to a study by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, about 90% of the contemporary Dominican population has some African ancestry.^[57] However, most Dominicans self-identify as being of mixed-race rather than "black" in contrast to African identity movements in the United States. A variety of terms are used to represent a range of skintones; these include "morena" (brown), "india" (Indian), "blanca oscura" (dark white), and "trigueño" (wheat colored),^[58] among others. The City University of New York (CUNY; acronym: IPA pronunciation: ), is the public university system of New York City. ... World map showing location of Africa A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second_largest continent in both area and population, after Asia. ...

Many have claimed that this represents a reluctance to self-identify with African descent and the culture of the freed slaves. According to Dr. Miguel Anibal Perdomo, professor of Dominican Identity and Literature at Hunter College in New York City, "There was a sense of 'deculturación' among the African slaves of Hispaniola. [There was] an attempt to erase any vestiges of African culture from the Dominican Republic. We were, in some way, brainwashed and we've become westernized."^[59] See also: Hunter College High School Hunter College of The City University of New York (known more commonly as simply Hunter College) is a senior college of the City University of New York (CUNY), located on Manhattans Upper East Side. ...

However, this view is not universal, as many also claim that Dominican culture is simply different and rejects the racial categorizations of other regions. Ramona Hernández, director of the Dominican Studies Institute at City College of New York asserts that the terms were originally an act of defiance in a time when being mulatto was stigmatized. "During the Trujillo regime, people who were dark skinned were rejected, so they created their own mechanism to fight it" She went on to explain "When you ask, 'What are you?' they don't give you the answer you want . . . saying we don't want to deal with our blackness is simply what you want to hear."^[60] The Dominican Republic is not unique in this respect either. In a 1976 census survey conducted in Brazil, respondents described their skin color in 136 distinct terms.^[60]^[61] â€œCity Collegeâ€ redirects here. ...

Religion

More than 95% of the population adheres to Christianity, mostly Roman Catholicism, followed by a growing contingent of Protestant groups such as Seventh-day Adventist, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Recent but small scale immigration has brought other religions, which make up small percentages of the population: Spiritist: 2.18%, Mormons: 1.0%, Buddhist: 0.10%, Bahá'í: 0.07%, Muslim: 0.02%, and Jewish: 0.01%.^[62] The many kinds of religion in the Dominican Republic have been growing and changing. ... Topics in Christianity Movements Â· Denominations Ecumenism Â· Relation to other religions Preaching Â· Prayer Music Â· Liturgy Â· Calendar Symbols Â· Art Â· Criticism Christianity Portal This box: Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), colloquially referred to as the Adventists, is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination that grew out of the prophetic Millerite movement in the United States during the middle part of the 19th century. ... Spiritism is a generic term for various beliefs that claim the existence of immortal souls that can somehow be communicated with and interact with the real world (often through channeling) even after death. ... The term Mormon is a colloquial name, most-often used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, SiddhÄrtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... This article is about the generally recognized global religious community. ... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…Ø§Ù†, Turkish: MÃ¼slÃ¼man, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ...

Roman Catholicism was introduced by Columbus and Spanish missionaries. Religion wasn’t really the foundation of their entire society, as it was in other parts of the world at the time, and most of the population didn’t attend church on a regular basis. Nonetheless, most of the education in the country was based upon the Catholic religion, as the Bible was required in the curriculum in all public schools. Children would use religious based dialogue when greeting a relative or parent. For example: a child would say “Bless me, mother,” and the mother would reply “May God bless you.” Most Dominicans are Roman Catholic. Catholic Church redirects here. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 â€“ May 20, 1506) was a navigator, colonizer, and explorer and one of the first Europeans to explore the Americas after the Vikings. ... For other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). ...

The nation has two patroness saints: Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (Our Lady Of High Grace) is the patroness of the Dominican people, and Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes (Our Lady Of Mercy) is the patroness of the Dominican Republic.

Eventually the Catholic Church began to lose popularity in the late 1800s. This was due to a lack of funding, priests, and support programs. Because of this the Protestant evangelical movement began to gain support. Protestants emphasized biblical teachings like the Catholics, but also practiced rejuvenation and economic independence. The Protestants added diversity to the Dominican Republic, and there was almost no religious conflict with the Catholics. The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ...

There has always been religious freedom throughout the entire country. It wasn’t until the 1950s that restrictions were placed upon churches by Trujillo. Letters of protest were sent against the mass arrests of government adversaries. Trujillo began a campaign against the church and planned to arrest priests and bishops who preached against the government. This campaign ended before it was even put into place, with his assassination. Hector Bienvenido Trujillo Molina (1909-2002), general, and political figure; president of Dominican Republic 1952-1960; brother of Rafael LeÃ³nidas Trujillo. ...

Judaism appeared in the Dominican Republic in the late 1930s. During World War Two, a group of Jews escaping Nazi Germany fled to the Dominican Republic and founded the city of Sosua. It has remained the center of the Jewish population since.^[63] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Languages Historical Jewish languages Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, others Liturgical languages: Hebrew and Aramaic Predominant spoken languages: The vernacular language of the home nation in the Diaspora, significantly including English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian Religions Judaism Related ethnic groups Arabs and other Semitic groups For the Jewish religion, see Judaism. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Sosua Beach Los Charamicos Sosua is a small town in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic. ...

Education

Primary education is officially free and compulsory for children between the ages of 7 and 14, although those who live in isolated areas have limited access to schooling. Primary schooling is followed by a two-year intermediate school and a four-year secondary course, after which a diploma called the bachillerato (high school diploma) is awarded. Relatively few lower-income students succeed in reaching this level due to financial hardships and limitation due to location. Most wealthier students choose to attend private schools, which are frequently sponsored by religious institutions. Some public and private vocational education is available, particularly in the field of agriculture, but this too reaches only a tiny percentage of the population.^[64]

Health statistics

In 2007 the Dominican Republic had a birth rate of 22.91 per 1000, and a death rate of 5.32/1000.^[2] Dengue and malaria are endemic to the country.^[65] There is currently a mission based in the United States to combat the AIDS rate in the Dominican Republic.^[66] Mortality rate is the annual number of deaths per 1000 people. ... For music group see Dengue Fever (rock band) Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are acute febrile diseases, found in the tropics, with a geographical spread similar to malaria. ... Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites. ... For other uses, see AIDS (disambiguation). ...

Immigration

During the Haitian rule over the whole island of Hispaniola (1822-1844) former Black slaves and escapees from the United States were invited by the Haitian government to settle there.^{[citation needed]} In the late 1800s and early 1900s large groups immigrated to the country from Venezuela and Puerto Rico, so much so that two of the country's former presidents and life long political rivals, Juan Bosch^[67] and Joaquín Balaguer^[68]^[69] both had Puerto Rican parents. During the first decades of the 20th century many Arabs primarily from Lebanon settled in the country. There is also a sizable Indian and Chinese population. The town of Sosúa has many Jews who settled there during World War II.^[70] A watchtower is a type of fortification. ... Juan Bosch y GaviÃ±o Juan Emilio Bosch y GaviÃ±o (30 June 1909, La Vega â€“ 1 November 2001, Santo Domingo) was the first democratically elected president of the Dominican Republic after the assassination of dictator Rafael LeÃ³nidas Trujillo in 1961. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

In recent decades, immigration from Haiti has increased once again. Most Haitian immigrants arrive in the Dominican Republic illegally, and work at low-paying, unskilled labor jobs, including construction work, household cleaning, and on sugar plantations.^[71] Current estimates put the Haitian-born population in the Dominican Republic as high as 1 million.^[72] Working conditions on these sugar plantations have caused controversy, including assertions that conditions are near-slavery.^[73] Moreover, the children of illegal Haitian immigrants are denied citizenship^[71]^[74] and basic health care,^[75] and there are frequent physical attacks and roundups on adult immigrants.^[76] This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely-traded commodity. ... This article is about crop plantations. ... Slave redirects here. ...

Some Dominican and Haitian officials deny such accusations of slavery, with the Haitian ambassador Fritz Cineas stating "I still have not received any complaint of violation of human rights against the Haitian immigrants in the country".^[77] However, the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández stated publicly during a seminar on immigration policy in 2005 that collective expulsions of Haitians were carried out "in an abusive and inhuman way".^[78] Selective enforcement of deportation rules is much criticized in Haiti, and it has been said that "the Dominicans could help heal many of Haiti's open political wounds by extraditing back to Haiti many of the criminals of the 1991 coup d'état and the Duvalier dictatorship who enjoy de facto political asylum in the Dominican Republic." These people enjoy de facto political asylum in the Dominican Republic, critics say.^[79] When asked for a response for the current situation, Fernandez stated "There must exist an extradition treaty between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, but there isn't one between our two countries,"^[79]

"Stateless" Haitians

Haiti, with nearly as many people but with 1/2 the land size, is much poorer than the Dominican Republic. In 2002 less than half of the Haitian population had formal jobs; in 2003 nearly half of the Haitian population was illiterate and 80% of all Haitians were poor.^[80] Facing stark prospects for survival, many Haitians cross the border to Dominican soil without authorization in search of better living conditions. But, as is usual for illegal immigrants in nearly all nations, they are relegated to working class status, largely in farming, often sugar cane plantations, and house construction^[81] with poor housing and poor schools for their children. Although any person born on Dominican soil is a Dominican citizen, per the Dominican constitution, and any legally residing person in the Dominican Republic can theoretically become a citizen, many Dominican-born children of Haitian ethnicity are stateless, as their parents are denied Dominican citizenship because they are deemed to be transient or have an illegal or undocumented residency status, or are unable to obtain Haitian citizenship for lack of proper documents or witnesses:^[82] note that Haiti's Constitution states in Title II, Article 11 that "Any person born of a Haitian father or Haitian mother who are themselves native-born Haitians and have never renounced their nationality possesses Haitian nationality at the time of birth".^[83] Illegal alien and Illegal aliens redirect here. ...

A large number of Haitian women cross the border to Dominican soil during their last weeks of pregnancy to obtain much-needed medical attention for childbirth, often arriving with several health problems, since Dominican public hospitals don't refuse medical services based on nationality or legal status. Statistics from a hospital in Santo Domingo report that over 22% of childbirths are by Haitian mothers.^[84] Parturition redirects here. ...

Competition for jobs has led to the deportation of many Haitians in an effort to save native Dominican rights. This situation is similar to that of the United States deporting mostly Mexican people, in order to preserve their nationals' job offerings.

Unofficially there are 800,000 illegal Haitians (other estimates place this figure around 1.2 million) living in the Dominican Republic, which accounts for a little over 10% of the national population.^[85] After a UN delegation issued a preliminary report stating that it found a profound problem of racism and discrimination against people of Haitian origins, Dominican Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso issued a formal statement denouncing it and asserting that "Our border with Haiti has its problems, this is our reality and it must be understood. It is important not to confuse national sovereignty with indifference, and not to confuse security with xenophobia..."^[86] A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign nation. ... Carlos Morales Troncoso is a Dominican Republic politician who currently serves as the foreign minister. ...

Emigration

The Dominican Republic has experienced three distinct waves of emigration in the second half of the twentieth century. The first period began in 1961, when a coalition of high-ranking Dominicans, with assistance from the CIA, assassinated General Rafael Trujillo, the nation's military dictator.^[87] In the wake of his death, fear of retaliation by Trujillo's allies, and political uncertainty in general, spurred migration from the island. In 1965, the United States began a military occupation of the Dominican Republic and eased travel restrictions, making it easier for Dominicans to obtain American visas.^[88] From 1966 to 1978, the exodus continued, fueled by high unemployment and political repression. Communities established by the first wave of immigrants to the U.S. created a network that assisted subsequent arrivals. In the early 1980s, underemployment, inflation, and the rise in value of the dollar all contributed to a third wave of migration from the island nation. Today, emigration from the Dominican Republic remains high, facilitated by the social networks of now-established Dominican communities in the United States.^[89] A Dominican American or Dominican-York [2] is an immigrant or descendant of immigrants from the Dominican Republic to the United States. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Crime

The Dominican Republic has served as a transportation hub for Colombian drug cartels.^[90]^[2] In 2004 it was estimated that 8% of all cocaine smuggled into the United States has come through the Dominican Republic.^[91] The Dominican Republic responded with increased efforts to seize drug shipments, arrest and extradite those involved, and combat money-laundering. A 1995 report stated that social pressures and increasing poverty — which was then increasing — have led to a rise in prostitution within the Dominican Republic. Though prostitution is illegal within the country^{[citation needed]} and the age of consent is 18, child prostitution is a growing phenomenon in impoverished areas. In an environment where young girls are often denied employment opportunities offered to boys, prostitution frequently becomes a source of supplementary income^{[citation needed]}. UNICEF estimated in 1994 that at least 25,000 children were involved in the Dominican sex trade, 63% of that figure being girls.^[92] Age of consent laws Worldwide While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes,[1] when used with reference to criminal law the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be capable of legally giving informed consent to any... UNICEF Logo The United Nations Childrens Fund or UNICEF (Arabic: ; French: ; Spanish: ) was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946. ...

Culture

The culture of the Dominican Republic, like its Caribbean neighbors, is a blend of the European colonists, Taínos and Africans, and their cultural legacies. Spanish, also known as Castellano (Castilian) is the official language. Other languages such as Haitian Creole, English, French, German, and Italian are also spoken to varying degrees. Haitian Creole is spoken fluently by 159,000^[93] or as many as 1.2 million^[94] Haitian nationals and Dominicans of Haitian descent, and is the third most spoken language after Spanish and English. European, African and Taíno cultural elements are most prominent in food, family structure, religion and music. Many Arawak/Taíno names and words are used in daily conversation and for many items endemic to the DR.^[2] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... La Vega Carnaval in the Independence Month. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... West Indies redirects here. ... Haitian Creole (Kreyòl ayisyen) is a creole language based on the French language. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Cuisine

Dominican Republic cuisine is predominantly made up of a combination of Spanish, Taino and African influences over the last few centuries. Typical cuisine is quite similar to what can be found in other Latin American countries but, many of the names of dishes are different. Breakfast usually consists of eggs and mangú (mashed, boiled plantain). For heartier versions, these are accompanied by deep-fried meat and/or cheese. Similar to Spain, lunch is generally the largest and most important meal of the day. Lunch usually consists of some type of meat (chicken, pork or fish), rice and beans, and a side portion of salad. "La Bandera" (literally, The Flag), the most popular lunch dish, consists of broiled chicken, white rice and red beans.

Typical Dominican cuisine usually accommodates all four food groups, incorporating meat or seafood; rice, potatoes or plantains; and is accompanied by some other type of vegetable or salad. However, meals usually heavily favor meats and starches, less dairy products, and little to no vegetables. Many dishes are made with sofrito, which is a mix of local herbs and spices sautéed to bring out all of the dish's flavors. Throughout the south-central coast, bulgur, or whole wheat, is a main ingredient in quipes or tipili (bulgur salad). Other favorite Dominican dishes include chicharrón, yucca, casave, and pastelitos (empanadas), batata, pasteles en hoja, chimichurris, platanos maduros and tostones .

Some treats Dominicans enjoy are arroz con dulce (arroz con leche), bizcocho dominicano, habichuelas con dulce, flan, frio frio, dulce de leche, and caña or sugar cane.

The beverages Dominicans enjoy include Morir Soñando, rum, beer, Mamajuana, batida (smoothie), ponche, mabí, and coffee.^[95] Morir SoÃ±ando (To die dreaming) is a very tasty beverage of the Venezuelan central regions (mostly Caracas, Valencia) made of oranges, yogurt, sugar and chopped ice. ... Caribbean rum, circa 1941 Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. ... For other uses, see Beer (disambiguation). ...

Music

Musically, the Dominican Republic is known for the creation of Merengue music,^[96] a type of lively, fast-paced rhythm and dance music consisting of a tempo of about 120 to 160 beats per minute (it varies wildly) based on musical elements like drums, brass, and chorded instruments, as well as some elements unique to the music style of the DR, such as the marimba. Its syncopated beats use Latin percussion, brass instruments, bass, and piano or keyboard. Not known for social content in its commercial form (Merengue Típico or Perico Ripiao is very socially charged), it is primarily a dancehall music that was declared the national music during the Trujillo regime. Well-known merengue singers include Juan Luis Guerra, Fernando Villalona, Eddy Herrera, Sergio Vargas, Toño Rosario, Johnny Ventura, and Milly Quezada. Merengue became popular mostly on the east coast of the United States during the 1980s an 90s,^[97] when many Puerto Rican groups such as Elvis Crespo were produced by Dominican bandleaders and writers living in the US territory^{[citation needed]}. The emergence of Bachata-Merengue along with a larger number of Dominicans living among other Latino groups (particularly Cubans and Puerto Ricans in New York, New Jersey, and Florida) contributed to the music's growth in popularity.^[98]. The Dominican Republic is known primarily for merengue, though bachata and other forms are also popular. ... Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic [1]. It is popular in the Dominican Republic. ... In music, syncopation is when a stressing of a normally unstressed beat in a bar or failure to sound a tone on an accented beat occurs. ... The term Latin percussion refers to any member of a large family of musical percussion instruments used in Latin music, which in turn is a very loosy related group of musical styles, mainly from the Latin American region, and ultimately having roots or influences in African tribal music. ... A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as a player blows into a tubular resonator. ... A sunburst-colored Fender Precision Bass The electric bass guitar (or electric bass[1][2]; pronounced , as in base) is a bass stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers (either by plucking, slapping, popping, or tapping) or using a pick. ... A short grand piano, with the lid up. ... The layout of a typical musical keyboard A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers on a musical instrument which cause the instrument to produce sounds. ... Juan Luis Guerra (born June 7, 1957 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is one of the most internationally recognized Dominican singer/songwriters. ... Fernando Villalona is a Dominican merengue singer whose popularity started to grow in the early 1980s and has not declined ever since. ... Eddy Jose Herrera de los Rios, also known as Eddy Herrera, is a merengue singer and winner of more than seven Casandra Awards. ... Sergio Vargas (born March 15, 1963) is a famous merengue singer and, as of 2006, politician, from the Dominican Republic. ... MÃ¡ximo Antonio del Rosario (born November 3, 1955), known as ToÃ±o Rosario is a merengue singer well-known in his native Dominican Republic and Latin America. ... Johnny Ventura (born Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano, March 8, 1940, La Romana, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican merengue composer and singer, the first to achieve widespread fame outside of the Dominican Republic. ... Milagros Quezada (born May 21, c. ... Elvis Crespo Elvis Crespo (born July 30, 1971 in New York, New York) is a Puerto Rican Merengue singer. ... Bachata, a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and rural marginal neighborhoods of Dominican Republic. ... Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic [1]. It is popular in the Dominican Republic. ... This article is about the state. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ...

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

Bachata grew out of — and is still closely related to — the pan-Latin American romantic style called bolero. Over time, it has been influenced by merengue and by a variety of Latin American guitar styles. Lineart drawing of a man dancing the Bolero, with castanets For other uses, see Bolero (disambiguation). ...

Another genre of music that has been growing in popularity in the recent years in the Dominican Republic is Dominican Rap, or "Rap Del Patio" (Street Rap). This genre can be described as similar to American hip hop/rap, but rapped in Spanish with a thick Dominican accent, and the subject matters vary from social problems to money, riches, and fame, similar to its English counterpart. It must be noted, however, that it differs from Reggaeton in the fact that the beats do not use the familiar Dem Bow rhythm of Reggaeton, instead using beats similar to American rap; singing is usually not a part of Rap Del Patio; and the themes of Rap Del Patio are usually more street-oriented rather than the club-themed Reggaeton. Notable artists are Lapiz Conciente, R-1, Vakero, and Toxic Crow.

Sports

Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic today.^[99] After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number of baseball players in the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB). These players, some of them regarded as some of the best in the game, include: Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Juan Antonio Marichal SÃ¡nchez (born October 20, 1937 in Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball known for his high leg kick, dominating stuff and intimidation tactics, which included aiming pitches directly at the opposing batters helmets. ... The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 62 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a semi-official museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related... This article is about the sport. ... Major Leagues redirects here. ...

The Dominican Republic has participated in the Baseball World Cup winning one Gold (1948), three Silver (1942, 1950, 1952), and two Bronze (1943, 1969), second behind Cuba's record of twenty-five Gold, two Silver and two Bronze. Samuel Sosa Peralta (born November 12, 1968 in San Pedro de MacorÃs, Dominican Republic) is a designated hitter for the Texas Rangers of the American League. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carlos Villanueva (born November 28, 1983 in the Santiago, Dominican Republic) is a pitcher on the Milwaukee Brewers of MLB. He is amazing and showed his dominance last year. ... This article is about the contemporary American major league baseball team. ... â€œPujolsâ€ redirects here. ... In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given to the best first-year players in the American and National Leagues. ... This article is about the multiple All-Star/Cy Young right-handed pitcher. ... The Cy Young Award of the American League, 1983. ... Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1976 in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic), nicknamed Vladdy, Super Vlad,Vlad The Impaler, Bad Vlad, and known in his native Dominican Republic as MiquÃ©as (Spanish for Micah), is a Major League Baseball right fielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of... In the game of baseball, both amateur and professional, it is tradition to annually recognize the one player in the league who has contributed the most to the success of the players team. ... The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. ... David Ortiz (IPA , or roughly or-TEES, according to Latin American pronunciation) (born November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as David AmÃ©rico Ortiz Arias), is a Major League Baseball designated hitter who plays for the Boston Red Sox (since 2003). ... Major league affiliations American League (1901â€“present) East Division (1969â€“present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 4, 8, 9, 27, 42 Name Boston Red Sox (1908â€“present) Boston Americans (1901-1907) Other nicknames The BoSox, The Olde Towne Team, The Sox Ballpark Fenway Park (1912â€“present) Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds... Alexander Emmanuel Alex Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975, in New York, New York), commonly nicknamed A-Rod, is a Dominican-American baseball infielder. ... In the game of baseball, both amateur and professional, it is tradition to annually recognize the one player in the league who has contributed the most to the success of the players team. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901â€“present) East Division (1969â€“present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 23, 32, 37, 44, 49 Name New York Yankees (1913â€“present) New York Highlanders (1903-1912) Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902) (Also referred to as... José Reyes (born June 11, 1983 born in Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball shortstop who has played for the New York Mets since 2003. ... For other persons of the same name, see Manuel Ramirez. ... Miguel Odalis Tejada (born May 25, 1976 in BanÃ, Dominican Republic), nicknamed Miggi, is currently the shortstop of the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball team. ... Major league affiliations National League (1962â€“present) Central Division (1994â€“present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 5, 24, 25, 32, 33, 34, 40, 42, 49 Name Houston Astros (1965â€“present) Houston Colt . ... Alfonso Guilleard Soriano (born January 7, 1976 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs. ... Major league affiliations National League (1876â€“present) Central Division (1994â€“present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 10, 14, 23, 26, 42 Name Chicago Cubs (1902â€“present) Chicago Orphans (1898-1901) Chicago Colts (1890-1897) Chicago White Stockings (1870-1871, 1874-1889) (a. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (418x700, 356 KB) Summary Photo by Googie Man Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (418x700, 356 KB) Summary Photo by Googie Man Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Major Leagues redirects here. ... David Ortiz (IPA , or roughly or-TEES, according to Latin American pronunciation) (born November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as David AmÃ©rico Ortiz Arias), is a Major League Baseball designated hitter who plays for the Boston Red Sox (since 2003). ... The Baseball World Cup is an international tournament in which national baseball teams from around the world compete. ...

The country also participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the inaugural tournament in which they finished semifinalists along with Korea. The 2006 World Baseball Classic was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. ...

Historically, the Dominican Republic has been linked to MLB since Ozzie Virgil, Sr. became the first Dominican to play there. Other very notable players were Juan Marichal, Felipe Alou, Rico Carty, George Bell, Jose Rijo and Stan Javier, among many others. Osvaldo Jose (Sr. ... Juan Antonio Marichal SÃ¡nchez (born October 20, 1937 in Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball known for his high leg kick, dominating stuff and intimidation tactics, which included aiming pitches directly at the opposing batters helmets. ... Felipe Rojas Alou (born May 12, 1935 in Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic) is a former outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball and the former manager of the San Francisco Giants. ... Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty (born September 1, 1939 San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic - ) was a utlity player with a 15 year career from 1963-1967, 1969-1970, 1972-1979. ... George Antonio Bell Mathey (born October 21, 1959, San Pedro de MacorÃs, Dominican Republic) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball. ... Jose Rijo, born Jose Antonio Rijo Abreu (May 13, 1965 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. ... Stanley JuliÃ¡n Antonio Javier [hah-ve-ERR] (born January 9, 1964 in San Francisco de MacorÃs, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and switch-hitter who played with the New York Yankees (1984), Oakland Athletics (1986-90, 1994-95), Los Angeles Dodgers (1990-92), Philadelphia...

The Dominican Republic also has its own baseball league, which runs its season from October to January (called The Winter League by MLB), and includes six teams: Tigres del Licey (Licey Tigers), Aguilas Cibaeñas (Cibao Eagles), Gigantes del Cibao (Cibao Giants), Azucareros del Este (Eastern Sugar-makers), Estrellas Orientales (Eastern Stars), and Leones del Escogido (Escogido Lions). Many MLB players and minor leaguers play in this six-team league during the off-season. As such, the Dominican winter league serves as an important "training ground" for MLB. Tigres del Licey is a professional baseball team established in 1907 located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. ... Ãguilas CibaeÃ±as is a team in the Dominican Republics winter baseball league. ... The Gigantes del Cibao (English: Giants of the Cibao) are a baseball team from that plays in the Dominican Winter League. ... The Azucareros del Este are a baseball team in the Dominican Winter League established in 1983. ... Estrellas Orientales (also known as Estrellas de Oriente) is a baseball team in the Dominican Winter League. ... Leones del Escogido (English: Lions of the chosen one) is a professional baseball team in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. ... Minor leagues in the sense intended in this article are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. ...

Olympic gold medalist and world champion over 400 m hurdles Félix Sánchez hails from the Dominican Republic, as does current defensive end for the San Diego Chargers (National Football League (NFL)), Luis Castillo. He was the cover athlete for the Spanish language version of Madden NFL 08.^[100] The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... SÃ¡nchez celebrates after winning the 400m hurdles in August 28, 2004 at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens Greece. ... Chargers redirects here. ... NFL redirects here. ... Luis Alberto Castillo (born August 4, 1983 in Garfield, New Jersey), is an American football defensive end for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL. // He was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Northwestern University, one of the first Dominicans in the NFL... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... Madden NFL 08 is an American football video game that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. ...

Boxing is one of the more important sports after baseball, and the country has produced scores of world-class fighters and world champions, among them Carlos Teo Cruz, Leo Cruz, Héctor Acero Sánchez, Julio César Green, Joan Guzmán, and Juan Carlos Payano. Francisco GarcÃa (born December 31, 1981 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a basketball player in the NBA. He played college basketball at Louisville and was taken with the 23rd overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. ... The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. ... Alfred (Al) Joel Horford Reynoso (born June 3, 1986 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican basketball player for the NBA Atlanta Hawks. ... Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. ... The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. The first 14 picks in the draft belonged to teams that had missed the 2007 NBA Playoffs, with their... Luis Felipe LÃ³pez (born December 19, 1974 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a professional basketball player currently with the NBAs Orlando Magic. ... The Shooting guard (SG), also known as the two or off guard,[1] is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Leonardo Cruz (born 17 January 1953 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic), better known in the world of boxing as Leo Cruz, was a world Jr. ... Joan GuzmÃ¡n (born May 1, 1976) is a Dominican boxer who is the WBOs former world super-bantamweight and super-featherweight champion. ... Juan Carlos Payano (born December 14, 1984) is a boxer from the Dominican Republic, who participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics for his native Caribbean country. ...

Holidays

Notes: is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the date January 1 in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Wise Men (Magi) adoring the infant Jesus. ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Independence Day (disambiguation). ... The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a country. ... For the 1958 novel of the same name by Louis Aragon, see La Semaine Sainte. ... Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Labour Day Parade in Toronto in the early 1900s A Labour Day is an annual holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. ... Corpus Christi Procession in Germany This article is about the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dominican Restoration War was a guerrilla war between 1863 and 1865 in the Dominican Republic between nationalists and Spain, who had recolonized the country 17 years after its independence. ... is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Listen to this article Â· (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-12-10, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ...

is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Military

Congress authorizes a combined military force of 44,000 active duty personnel. Actual active duty strength is approximately 32,000. However, approximately 50% of those are used for non-military activities such as security providers for government-owned non-military facilities, highway toll stations, prisons, forestry work, state enterprises, and private businesses. The Commander in Chief of the military is the President. The principal missions are to defend the nation and protect the territorial integrity of the country. The army, larger than the other services combined with approximately 20,000 active duty personnel, consists of six infantry brigades, a combat support brigade, and a combat service support brigade. The air force operates two main bases, one in the southern region near Santo Domingo and one in the northern region near Puerto Plata. The navy operates two major naval bases, one in Santo Domingo and one in Las Calderas on the southwestern coast, and maintains 12 operational vessels. In the Caribbean, only Cuba has a larger military force. The Military of the Dominican Republic consists of approximately 44,000 active duty personnel, about 30 percent of which are utilized for non-military operations, including security providers for government owned non-military facilities, toll security, prison guards, forestry workers and other state enterprises. ... In the Dominican Republic legislative power is vested in the National Congress (Congreso Nacional), a bicameral legislature comprising a Senate (32 senators), and a Chamber of Deputies (150 deputies). ... In military science a brigade is a military unit that is part of a division and includes regiments (where that level exists), or (in modern armies) is composed of several battalions (typically two to four) and directly attached supporting units. ... A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by and/or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. ...

The armed forces have organized a Specialized Airport Security Corps (CESA) and a Specialized Port Security Corps (CESEP) to meet international security needs in these areas. The Secretary of the Armed Forces has also announced plans to form a specialized border corps (CESEF). Additionally, the armed forces provide 75% of personnel 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 traditional police functions, similar to the situation of their military counterparts.^[37]

Services and transportation

There are two transportation services in the Dominican Republic, one controlled by the government through the Oficina Técnica de Transito Terrestre (O.T.T.T.) and the Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses (OMSA), and the other controlled by private business, among them, Federación Nacional de Transporte La Nueva Opción (FENATRANO) and the Confederacion Nacional de Transporte (CONATRA). To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A list of airports in the Dominican Republic, sorted by location. ...

The government transportation system covers large routes in metropolitan areas, such as Santo Domingo and Santiago, for very inexpensive prices. In December 2006, the price was DOP$5.00(US$0.15), and air-conditioned bus rides were priced at DOP$10 (US$0.30). It should be noted that most OMSA buses are currently in very poor condition, and OMSA has been criticized for its incapability to fully meet the people's needs.^[101] For other uses, see Santo Domingo (disambiguation). ... Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first Santiago of America) is the second most important city in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. ...

FENATRANO and CONATRA offer their services with voladoras (vans) or conchos (cars), which have routes in most parts of the cities. These cars have roofs painted in yellow or green in order to identify them. The cars have scheduled days to work, depending on the color of the roof, and have been described as unsafe.^[102]

Communications

The Dominican Republic has a well developed telecommunications infrastructure. With extensive mobile phone services and landline services. The telecommunications regulator in the country is INDOTEL, Instituto Dominicano De Telecomunicaciones. The Dominican Republic offers cable internet and DSL in most parts of the country, and many ISPs provide 3G wireless internet service. Projects to extend Wi-Fi hot spots have been made in Santo Domingo. As of October 2007 a new service was introduced in the country via WiMax, by OneMax, Tricom, and the former Codetel, now Claro, that provides telephony over IP as well as nation-wide broadband services to both residential and commercial users. In fact the DR is the only country in all Latin America to have this kind of service up to this date at a national level. Telephones - main lines in use: 938,392 (2005) Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,789,196 (2005) Telephone system: domestic: relatively efficient system based on islandwide microwave radio relay network international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) Radio broadcast stations: AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998... A landline or main line is a telephone line which travels through a solid medium, either metal wire or optical fibre. ... Telecommunication involves the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ... // The term cable Internet access or Cable Internet refers to the delivery of Internet service over this infrastructure. ... DSL may refer to: Damn Small Linux Dark and Shattered Lands, a MUD based loosely on Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance books. ... ISP may mean: Internet service provider, an organization that offers users access to the Internet and related services. ... 3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology, after 2G. It is based on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) family of standards under the International Mobile Telecommunications programme, IMT-2000. 3G technologies enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving... Official Wi-Fi logo Wi-Fi (pronounced wye-fye, IPA: ) is a wireless technology brand owned by the Wi-Fi Alliance intended to improve the interoperability of wireless local area network products based on the IEEE 802. ... Official WiMax logo WiMAX, the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless data over long distances in a variety of ways, from point-to-point links to full mobile cellular type access. ... The Internet Protocol (IP) is a data-oriented protocol used for communicating data across a packet-switched internetwork. ... Broadband in telecommunications is a term that refers to a signaling method that includes or handles a relatively wide range of frequencies, which may be divided into channels or frequency bins. ...

Numerous television channels are available, including digital cable Telecable Nacional and Aster. Many other companies provide digital television services with channels from Latin America and the world. The reported speeds are from 256 kbit/s /128 kbit/s for residential services and up to 4 MB / 2 MB for commercial and residential service. (Each set of numbers denotes downstream/upstream speed.) // The term cable Internet access or Cable Internet refers to the delivery of Internet service over this infrastructure. ...

The Dominican Republic's commercial radio stations are in the process of transferring to the digital spectrum via HD Radio. HD Radio is an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio system created by iBiquity for broadcasting via existing FM and AM radio stations. ...

As of October 2007, there are five major communication companies: CODETEL, Orange, TRICOM, Trilogy Dominicana and Onemax. CLARO - CODETEL is the largest telecommunications company in the Dominican Republic providing local, long-distance, and wireless voice services, together with advanced data services, to approximately a million customers. ... Orange SA IPA: is a mobile network operator and an internet service provider that is a subsidiary of France TÃ©lÃ©com. ...

On February 1, 2007, Verizon changed the names of its wireless services to Claro and CODETEL. The company has been owned since 2006 by Carlos Slim Helú's América Móvil. Claro is now the official name of the Wireless Division and CODETEL (the original Compañia Dominicana de Teléfonos) is the updated name for the Verizon Dominicana landline and broadband market. is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... This article or section should include material from Bell Atlantic This article or section should include material from GTE Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is a local exchange telephone company formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic, a former Bell Operating Company, and GTE, which was the largest independant local exchange... CLARO - CODETEL is the largest telecommunications company in the Dominican Republic providing local, long-distance, and wireless voice services, together with advanced data services, to approximately a million customers. ... Carlos Slim HelÃº (born January 28, 1940 in Mexico City) is a Mexican businessman of Lebanese Arab heritage[2] and the worlds richest person as of August 2007, according to Fortune magazine and the Wall Street Journal. ... AmÃ©rica MÃ³vil (NYSE: AMX, BMV: AMX, NASDAQ: AMOV) is the largest mobile network operator in Germano America and Latin America and the largest corporation in Latin America. ... Claro is a mobile phone network in Brazil, Peru, Chile, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. ... CLARO - CODETEL is the largest telecommunications company in the Dominican Republic providing local, long-distance, and wireless voice services, together with advanced data services, to approximately a million customers. ... The Verizon Communications Corporation Dominican Republic is the largest telecommunications company in the Dominican Republic providing local, long-distance, and wireless voice services, together with advanced data services, to approximately a million customers. ...

Highways

The Dominican Republic has five major highways, which take travelers to every important town in the country. The three major highways are Autopista Duarte, Autopista del Este, and Autopista del Sur, which go to the north, east, and western side of the country. Dominican Republic lacks a good system of routes interconnecting small towns, and most of these routes are unpaved and are getting improved. There are various Highways and Routes in the Dominican Republic. ... DR-1 is a four-lane, divided highway in the Dominican Republic and runs from Santo Domingo to San Fernando de Monte Cristi passing by important cities like ConcepciÃ³n de la Vega and Santiago de los Caballeros and other cities like Bonao and Villa Altagracia. ... DR-3 is Highway Number three in The Dominican Republic and its the most important one because it gives Santo Domingo a rapid connection to the East Of The Country were most of the Hotels & Resorts lie. ...

Ports

The Port of Santo Domingo, with its location at the center of the Caribbean is well suited for flexible itinerary planning and has excellent support, road and airport infrastructure within the Santo Domingo region, which facilitate access and transfers. The port is suitable for both turnaround and transit calls.

Electricity

Electrical services in the country have been a headache for the population, as well as the business and other areas for more than 40 years. Due to the extreme corruption within the government, no administration has been able to cope with this problem. In 1998, three regional electricity distribution systems were privatized via sale of 50% of shares to foreign operators; in an unexpected decision, the Mejía administration repurchased all foreign-owned shares in two of these systems in late 2003. The third, serving the eastern provinces, is operated by U.S. concerns and is 50% U.S.-owned. Industry experts estimated distribution losses for 2006 surpassed 40%, primarily due to low collection rates, theft, and corruption. At the close of 2006, the government had exceeded its budget for electricity subsidies, spending close to U.S. $650 million.^[103]

Household and general electrical service is delivered at 110 volts alternating at 60 Hz; electrically-powered items from the United States work with no modifications. The majority of the country has access to electricity. Still, in 2007 some areas have outages lasting as long as 20 hours a day. Tourist areas tend to have more reliable power, as do business, travel, healthcare, and vital infrastructure. The situation improved in 2006, with 200 circuits (40% of the total) providing permanent electricity, as 85% of electric demand overall was met and blackouts were reduced from 6.3 hours per day to 3.7.^[104] Concentrated efforts were announced to increase efficiency of delivery to places where the collection rate reached 70%.^[105] The electricity sector is highly politicized, and with 2008 presidential election campaigning already in motion the prospect of further effective reforms of the sector is poor. Debts, including government debt, amount to more than U.S. $500 million. Some generating companies are undercapitalized and at times unable to purchase adequate fuel supplies.^[106] Josephson junction array chip developed by NIST as a standard volt. ... This article is about the SI unit of frequency. ...