República Dominicana Dominican Republic
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Dios, Patria, Libertad"  (Spanish) "God, Homeland, Liberty"
Anthem: Himno Nacional
Capital (and largest city)		Santo Domingo 1 18°30′N, 69°59′W
Official languages		Spanish
Ethnic groups		73% Multiracial, 16% White (Spanish, Italians, French, others), 11% Black
Demonym		Dominican
Government		Presidential republic
-	President	Leonel Fernández
-	Vice President	Rafael Alburquerque
Independence		From Haiti
-	Date	27 February 1844
Area
-	Total	48,730 km² (130th) 18,815 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1. The Flag of the Dominican Republic, as described by Article 96 of the Dominican Constitution features a centered White cross that extends The Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic features a shield in similarly quartered colors as the flag supported by a Bay laurel branch (left and A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group 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 nation's Himno Nacional ("National Anthem" is the National anthem of the Dominican Republic. About half of Dominicans live in Rural areas many are small landholders Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from different races. White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( The term black people usually refers to a racial group of Humans with dark Skin color, but the term has also been used to categorise a number of diverse A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A presidential system is a System of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term separately from the Legislature This page contains a list of presidents of the Dominican Republic. Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna (born 26 December 1953) is a Dominican politician and the current President of the Dominican Republic. This page contains a list of vice presidents of the Dominican Republic. Dr Rafael Francisco Alburquerque De Castro (born June 14, 1940 Santo Domingo) is a Dominican politician and the current vice president Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 1844 ( MDCCCXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions  Areas between 10000 km² and 100000 km² are listed here This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" 6
Population
-	July 2007 estimate	9,760,000 (82nd)
-	2000 census	9,365,818
-	Density	201/km² (38th) 523/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$89. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 87 billion (62nd)
-	Per capita	$9,208 (71st)
Gini (2003)		51. 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 Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita The Gini coefficient is a measure of statistical dispersion most prominently used as a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth 7 (high)
HDI (2005)		▲ 0. The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 779 (medium) (79th)
Currency		Peso (DOP)
Time zone		Atlantic (UTC-4)
Internet TLD		.do
Calling code		+1spec. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The peso oro is the currency of the Dominican Republic. Its symbol is " $ " with "RD$" used when distinction from other Pesos ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E 1-809 and +1-829
1	Known as Ciudad Trujillo from 1936 to 1961[1]

The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana, Spanish pronunciation: [reˈpuβlika ðominiˈkana]) is a nation located in the Caribbean region. Area code 809 is an Area code serving the Dominican Republic, with 829 as an overlay Area code 829 for the Dominican Republic operates as an overlay for the local ( 809) Telephone area code Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting It is on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago. Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest and most populous Island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of The Greater Antilles is one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Hispaniola lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. ^[2] The western third of Hispaniola is the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries, Saint Martin being the other. Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: The vast majority of islands in the world are either a country in their own right or part of a larger country Saint Martin is a tropical Island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 300 km (186 miles east of Puerto Rico.

The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, its capital Santo Domingo, which was also the first colonial capital in the Americas. The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492 although there was at least one earlier colonization effort The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the ^[3] It is the site of the first cathedral,^[1] university, European-built road, European-built fortress, and more. The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo —or Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (also known as UASD) is a Public university in Santo

For most of its independent history, the nation experienced political turmoil and unrest, suffering through many non-representative and tyrannical governments. Since the death of military dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina in 1961, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy. This article is about Rafael L Trujillo former dictator of the Dominican Republic Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives

History

Main articles: History of the Dominican Republic and Colony of Santo Domingo

The Taínos

The island of Hispaniola was inhabited by the Taínos, an Arawakan-speaking people, who may have arrived around A. The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest and most populous Island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The Arawakan languages (also Arahuacan, Arawakanas, Arahuacano, Maipurean, Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúrean D. 600, displacing earlier inhabitants. ^[4] The Taínos lived in villages headed by chiefs and called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya, meaning "highest land", as well as Ayti and Bohio. ^[5] By 1492, they were divided into five chiefdoms (cacicazgos in Spanish, from cacique, chief).

There are widely varying estimates of the population of Hispaniola in 1492, including 100,000,^[6] 300,000^[4] 3 million,^[7] and 7-8 million. ^[8] They engaged principally in farming and fishing,^[9] as well as hunting and gathering. ^[4]

Spanish rule

Christopher Columbus landed at Môle Saint-Nicolas on December 5, 1492 during his first voyage and claimed the island for Spain. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer Môle Saint-Nicolas ( Mòlsennikola or Omòl in Haitian Creole) is a town in the Republic of Haiti. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Nineteen days later his vessel Santa Maria ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of La Navidad. The Santa María was the largest of the three Ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 Cap-Haïtien ( Okap or Kapayisyen in Kréyòl) is a city of about 130000 people on the north coast of Haiti. La Navidad was a settlement that Christopher Colombus and his men established in present day Haiti in 1492 from the remains of the Spanish Ship the Santa María He returned to Spain, but sailed back to America three more times.

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. Anacaona, (date of birth unknown - died about 1504 Hispaniola) also called the Golden Flower was a Taíno queen sister of Behechio and wife of Caonabo two of 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. Guacanagari or Guacanagarix was one of the five Caciques of Hispaniola in the western part of the island which is now present day Haiti. Guamá (died c 1532 was a Taíno rebel chief who led a rebellion against Spanish rule in Cuba in the 1530s Hatuey was a Taíno Cacique (chief from the Island of Hispaniola, who was alive in the early sixteenth century 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. Enriquillo was a Taíno Cacique who rebelled against the Spaniards from 1519 to 1533 Baoruco Mountain Range ( Bahoruco Mountain Range, Sierra de Baoruco) is situated in the Baoruco Province in the far southwestern corner of the Dominican The Taínos were by then nearly extinct. Most of the survivors mixed with runaway African slaves, called cimarrones, producing zambos. Maroons redirects here and may refer to Queensland state rugby league team. Zambo is a Spanish term (the Portuguese language term is Cafuso) that was used in the Spanish Empire and continues to be used today The mestizos increased in number as native women conceived to European men. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin

By the mid-1500s the majority of Taíno people had died from mistreatment, diseases to which they had no immunity, suicide, the breakup of family unity, starvation,^[4] forced labor, torture, and war with the Spaniards. Most scholars now believe that, among the various contributing factors, infectious disease was the overwhelming cause of the population decline of the indigenous people. An infectious disease is a clinically evident Disease resulting from the presence of Pathogenic microbial agents including Pathogenic viruses Pathogenic ^[10] 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. Bartolomé de las Casas, OP ( August 24 1484 &ndash July 17 1566) was a 16th century Spanish Dominican Who in future generations will believe this?"^[11]

Some scholars believe that Las Casas exaggerated the Indian population decline in an effort to persuade King Carlos to intervene, and that encomenderos also exaggerated it, in order to receive permission to import more African slaves. Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was The encomienda system is a Trusteeship labor system that was employed by the Spanish crown during the Spanish colonization of the Americas and the Moreover, censuses of the time did not account for the number of Indians who fled into remote communities. There they often joined with runaway Africans. There were also confusing issues with racial categorization. People of Spanish and Taino descent (mestizo) who were culturally Spanish were counted as Spaniards. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin ^[12] Some scholars believe that many Dominicans today retain Taíno ancestry. About half of Dominicans live in Rural areas many are small landholders ^[12][13]

In 1496 Bartolomeo Columbus, Christopher's brother, built the city of Nueva Isabela (New Isabella), now Santo Domingo, in the south of Hispaniola. Bartholomew Columbus ( Spanish: Bartolomé Colón; Italian: Bartolomeo Colombo; c Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the It was one of the first Spanish settlements and became Europe's first permanent settlement in the New World. The Spanish colonization of the Americas was Spain 's conquest settlement and rule over much of the Western hemisphere. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. The Spaniards created a plantation economy on Hispaniola, particularly from the second half of the 16th century. ^[6] The island became a springboard for European conquest of the Caribbean islands, called "Antilles", and soon after, the South American mainland, including contemporary coastal Venezuela and Colombia. The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America.

For decades Santo Domingo colony was the headquarters of Spanish colonial power in the New World. With the Spanish conquest of the mainland empires of the Aztecs and Incas, the importance of Hispaniola declined and Spain paid less attention to it. 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 The Inca Empire (or Inka Empire) was the largest empire in Pre-Columbian America. French bucaneers settled in the western part of the island. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. This article refers to the type of pirate For other uses see Buccaneer (disambiguation The buccaneers were Pirates who attacked By the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain ceded that part of Hispaniola to France. The Treaty of Ryswick was signed on 20 September 1697 and named after Ryswick (now known as Rijswijk) in the Dutch Republic. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. It grew into the wealthy colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), with four times as much population as Spanish Santo Domingo by the end of the 18th century. ^[14]

French rule

France came to own the whole island in 1795, when by the Treaty of Basel Spain ceded Santo Domingo as a consequence of the French Revolutionary Wars. See Treaty of Basel for the 1499 treaty The Peace of Basel of 1795 consists of three peace treaties involving The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts from 1792 until 1802 fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states At the time slaves led by Toussaint Louverture in the western part (Haiti) were in revolt against France. François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture In 1801 Toussaint Louverture captured Santo Domingo from the French, thus gaining control of the entire island.

In 1802 an army sent by Napoleon captured Toussaint Louverture and sent him to France as prisoner. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. Toussaint Louverture's successors, and yellow fever, succeeded in expelling the French again from Saint-Domingue. The nation declared independence as Haiti in 1804.

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 Great Britain's (Spain's ally) and Haiti's help,^[15] returned Santo Domingo to Spanish control. The Peninsular War or Spanish War of Independence pitted an alliance of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal against France Criollo is a term that dates back to the Spanish colonial Casta system ( Caste system) of Latin America The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[16]

The Ephemeral Independence and Haitian rule

After a dozen years of Spanish rule 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. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 1821 ( MDCCCXXI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year He requested admission to Simón Bolívar's nation of Gran Colombia. Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios y Blanco,Venezuelan or commonly known as Simón Bolívar ( July 24, 1783 &ndash Gran Colombia ( Spanish for Great Colombia) is a name used today for the Republic of Colombia of the period 1819-1831 But the new nation's independence was short-lived. Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, invaded just nine weeks later in February 1822. Jean-Pierre Boyer (possibly February 15, 1776 &ndash July 9, 1850) a native of Saint-Domingue became a soldier one of the leaders in ^[17]

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 all Dominican men from 16 to 25-years-old were drafted into the Haitian army. Haiti imposed a "heavy tribute" on the Dominican people. ^[18] Many whites fled Santo Domingo for Puerto Rico and Cuba — both still under Spanish rule — Venezuela, and elsewhere. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the

Boyer 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. In Agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for Money. International trade is exchange of Capital, Goods, and Services across International borders or Territories. 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–United States — gathered force following Boyer's overthrow in 1843. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[18]

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. Juan Pablo Duarte y Díez was born on January 26, 1813 in colonial Santo Domingo (current capital city of Dominican Republic) during the period ^[19] Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (the latter of partly African ancestry),^[20] despite not being among the founding members of Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight for independence. Matías Ramón Mella, born 25 February 1816, is regarded as a National hero in the Dominican Republic. Francisco Del Rosario Sánchez ( March 9, 1817 - July 4, 1861) was a politician and founding father of They are now hailed, together 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. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 1844 ( MDCCCXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year They were 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. Pedro Santana Familias ( Pedro Santana Familias 1st Marquess of Las Carreras) (1801-1864 was a wealthy cattle rancher soldier politician and dictator of the Dominican " The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled after the United States Constitution. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1844 ( MDCCCXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme Law of the United States. ^[9]

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. ^[18]

Meanwhile, archrivals Santana and Buenaventura Báez held power most of the time, both ruling arbitrarily. Buenaventura Báez Méndez ( July 14 1812 &ndash March 14 1884 in the province of Barahona) was the President of the Dominican They promoted competing plans to annex the new nation to another power: Santana favored Spain, and Báez the United States. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

The voluntary colony and the Restoration republic

General Gregorio Luperón, Restoration Hero. Gregorio Luperón ( September 8, 1839 - May 21, 1897) born at Puerto Plata, was a Dominican military and state leader who

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,^[21] 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. The Dominican Restoration War was a guerrilla war between 1863 and 1865 in the Dominican Republic between nationalists and Spain who had recolonized Gregorio Luperón ( September 8, 1839 - May 21, 1897) born at Puerto Plata, was a Dominican military and state leader who 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. ^[21] The United States, then fighting its own Civil War, vigorously protested the Spanish action. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South After two years of fighting, the Spanish troops abandoned the island. ^[21] The Restoration was proclaimed on August 16, 1863. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

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,^[17] 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. ^[22][9] U. S. President Ulysses S. Grant supported this plan, but the United States Senate refused on June 30, 1870,^[17] albeit by just one vote. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1870 ( MDCCCLXX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common President Grant thought that former American slaves could go to the Dominican Republic and live in peace, free of harassment by Southern whites. ^[23]

Ulises 'Lilís' Heureaux, President of the Dominican Republic 1882-84, 1886-99

Báez was toppled in 1874, returned, and was toppled for good in 1878. Ulises Heureaux ( October 21, 1845 – July 26, 1899) was president of the Dominican Republic from 1 September This page contains a list of presidents of the Dominican Republic. 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,^[24] which saw the coming to power of General Ulises Heureaux. Ulises Heureaux ( October 21, 1845 – July 26, 1899) was president of the Dominican Republic from 1 September

The new president was initially popular. ^[25] 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. ^[25] Heureaux's rule became more despotic with time and he all the more unpopular. ^[26][25] 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,^[27] 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 in the 15th century The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia.

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. Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T The Panama Canal is a man-made Canal in Panama which joins the ^[25] 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. The Roosevelt Corollary was a substantial amendment to the Monroe Doctrine by U The Monroe Doctrine is a US doctrine which on December 2 1823 stated that European powers were no longer to colonize or interfere with ^[9] In exchange the United States agreed to use the customs proceeds to help reduce the immense foreign debt of the Dominican Republic,^[9] and even assumed responsibility for said debt. ^[25]

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. ^[28] As a result, Ramón Báez Machado was elected provisional president on August 27, 1914. Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year ^[28] Presidential elections held on October 25 returned Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra to the presidency. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra (1846 - 1919 was a Dominican Political figure. 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. The Congress of the Dominican Republic is the bicameral legislature of the government of the Dominican Republic, consisting of two houses the Senate and the Although the United States ambassador offered military support to his government, Jimenes opted to step down on May 7, 1916. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year

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. William Gaston Caperton III (born February 21 1940) was twice elected as governor of the U Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year

U. S. occupation

The first Marines landed three days later, on May 19, 1916. Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Although they established effective control of the country within two months, the United States forces did not proclaim a military government until November. The United States occupied the Dominican Republic from 1916-1924 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. Harry Shepard Knapp ( 27 June 1856 – 6 April 1928)was a Vice Admiral of the United States Navy, Military Governor of Santo Domingo The press and radio were censored for most of the occupation, and public speech was limited in the meantime.

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. El Seibo, alternatively spelt El Seybo, is a province of the Dominican Republic. San Pedro de Macorís is a municipality ( Municipio) and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the Dominican Republic 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. The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" is a series of Biplane aircraft built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane See also Insurgency In the context of an occupation or a Civil war, counter-insurgency (abbreviated COIN is a military term for the combat

After World War I, public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All 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. Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2 1865 August 2 1923 was the twenty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death from a heart attack aged Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28 1856—February 3 1924 was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. 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.

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. Benjamin Sumner Welles ( October 14, 1892 &ndash September 24, 1961) was an American government official and diplomat Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos (1871 - 1935 was a Dominican Political figure. Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. Year 1922 ( MCMXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. In the presidential election of March 15, 1924, former President Horacio Vásquez Lajara handily defeated Francisco J. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Horacio Vásquez (1860&ndash1936 was a Dominican general and political figure 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. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to 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. ^[29]

Trujillo era

Rafael Trujillo

The Dominican Republic was ruled by dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. This article is about Rafael L Trujillo former dictator of the Dominican Republic 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).

In 1937 Trujillo (who was himself one-quarter Haitian),^[30] in an event known as the Parsley Massacre or in the Dominican Republic as El Corte (The Cutting),^[31] ordered the Army to kill Haitians on the Dominican side of the border. In October of 1937 Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina ordered the execution of the Haitian population living within the borderlands with Haiti. 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. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Haitians were cut down with machetes. ^[30][17] 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. Haitian Creole language ( kreyòl ayisyen) often called simply Creole or Kreyòl ( pronounced) is a language spoken in Haiti ^[31] This massacre was alleged to have been an attempt to seize money and property from Haitians living on the border. ^[32] As a result of this massacre the Dominican Republic agreed to pay Haiti US $750,000 which was later reduced to $525,000. ^[33][21] The Dominican government headed by Trujillo for a long time was supported by the USA,^[34] the Catholic Church, and the Dominican elite; even after the death of Dominicans in the political opposition and over 17,000 Haitians. ^[31] Trujillo was assassinated on May 30, 1961 in Santo Domingo. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 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. Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño ( 30 June 1909, La Vega &ndash 1 November 2001, Santo Domingo) was a Politician 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. The Organization of American States ( OAS, or as it is known in the three other official languages OEA) is an International organization, headquartered ^[35] 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. Joaquín Amparo Balaguer Ricardo ( September 1, 1906 &ndash July 14, 2002) was the President of the Dominican Republic from

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. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based 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.

1978 to present

In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by opposition candidate Antonio Guzmán Fernández, of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). For other people named Antonio Guzmán see Antonio Guzmán. Silvestre Antonio Guzmán Fernández ( February 12, 1911 &ndash The Dominican Revolutionary Party ( Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Dominicano or PRD is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic 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. José Francisco Peña Gómez (March 6 1937 – May 10 1998 was a politician from the Dominican Republic. 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. The Dominican Liberation Party ( Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, or PLD) is one of the main political partiy of the Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna (born 26 December 1953) is a Dominican politician and the current President of the Dominican Republic. 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. Elected in 2000 as the candidate of the nominally Socialist Dominican Revolutionary Party, Hipólito Mejía was lauded as a gregarious folksy leader well known for Danilo Medina Sánchez is a Politician from the Dominican Republic. Joaquín Amparo Balaguer Ricardo ( September 1, 1906 &ndash July 14, 2002) was the President of the Dominican Republic from 8% of the votes. In 2004 Leonel Fernández was elected again, with 57% of the votes, defeating then-incumbent president Mejía.

Government and politics

Main article: Government of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy, with national powers divided among independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Government of the Dominican Republic takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic Republic, whereby the President of Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State 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. This page contains a list of presidents of the Dominican Republic. The Congress of the Dominican Republic is the bicameral legislature of the government of the Dominican Republic, consisting of two houses the Senate and the The Military of the Dominican Republic —or Fuerzas Armadas de la República Dominicana consists of approximately 44000 active duty personnel about 35 percent 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 Senate (Senado is the upper house of the Dominican Republic 's bicameral National Congress. The Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados is the lower house of the Dominican Republic 's 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). Elections in the Dominican Republic gives information on Election and election results in the Dominican Republic. 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.

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. Government of the Dominican Republic takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic Republic, whereby the President of 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 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. ^[36]

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. Clientelism refers to a form of Social organization common in many developing regions characterized by "patron-client" relationships ^[37]

There are many political parties and interest groups and, new in this scenario, civil organizations. Political parties in the Dominican Republic lists political parties in this country An interest group (also advocacy group, lobby group, pressure group or special interest group) is an organized collection of people who seek 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. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined The Social Christian Reformist Party ( Spanish: Partido Reformista Social Cristiano, PRSC is a conservative populist party in the Dominican Republic formed Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left The Dominican Revolutionary Party ( Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Dominicano or PRD is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic The Dominican Liberation Party ( Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, or PLD) is one of the main political partiy of the

The presidential elections of 2008 were held on May 16, 2008, with incumbent Leonel Fernandez winning with 53% of the vote. A presidential election was held in the Dominican Republic on 16 May 2008. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[38] This would be Fernández's third, and his second consecutive, term. Fernández and the PLD are credited with a number of initiatives that have moved the country forward technologically, with the completion in 2008 of the Metro Railway ("El Metro") in the Dominican Republic.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic maintains close relations with the nations of the Western Hemisphere and the principal nations of Europe. The Dominican Republic has a close relationship with the United States and with the other states of the Inter-American system The Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies West Relations with the U. S. are very close. ^[39]

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). The ACP States are the countries that are signatories of the Lomé Convention. The Caribbean Community ( CARICOM) is an organization of Caribbean nations and dependencies 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 The Group of 77 at the United Nations is a loose coalition of Developing nations designed to promote its members' collective Economic interests and create The Inter-American Development Bank (preferred abbreviation IDB, although sometimes found as IADB) was established and headquartered in Washington D The International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD is one of five institutions that comprise 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 The International Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit private international organization that works to promote and support global trade and Globalization. The International Criminal Court ( ICC or ICCt) was established in 2002 as a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for Genocide, crimes against The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated The International Development Association ( IDA) created on September 24, 1960, is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’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 The International Finance Corporation (IFC promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries as a way to reduce poverty and improve people's lives History Founding In 1919 representatives from the National Red Cross Societies of Britain France Italy Japan and the US came together in Paris to found the League The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO was originally established in 1921 as the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB The International Labour Organization The International Monetary Fund ( IMF) is an International organization that oversees the Global financial system by following the Macroeconomic The International Maritime Organization ( IMO) formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization ( IMCO) is a late 20th century Intelsat Ltd is the world’s largest commercial Satellite communications services provider The International Criminal Police Organization, better known by its telegraphic address Interpol is an organization facilitating international police cooperation The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization The Inter-Parliamentary Union ( IPU) ( French: L'Union Interparlementaire (UIP) is an international organization established in 1889 by William Randal Inaugural Congress The founding and first congress of the ITUC was held November 1 - 3 2006 in Vienna The Latin American Economic System, officially known as Sistema Económico Latinoamericano (SELA, is an organization founded in 1975 to promote economic cooperation and social The Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (the Latin American Integration Association; known as ALADI or occasionally by the English acronym LAIA The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA is a member of the World Bank group. The Non-Aligned Movement ( NAM) is an International organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc The Organization of American States ( OAS, or as it is known in the three other official languages OEA) is an International organization, headquartered The OPANAL (which stands for el Organismo para la Proscripción de las Armas Nucleares en la América Latina y el Caribe) is an international organization which promotes The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW is an international agency located in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ( PCA) is an International organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands. The Rio Group is an International organization of Latin American and Caribbean states The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ( UNCTAD) was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO, French/Spanish acronym ONUDI, is a specialized agency in the United Nations system headquartered The Latin Union is an International organization of nations that use a Romance language. The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (" UNOCI " is a United Nations Peacekeeping mission The United Nations World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO) headquartered in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating The Universal Postal Union ( UPU, French: Union postale universelle) is an International organization that coordinates postal policies among member The World Customs Organization ( WCO) is an Intergovernmental organization that helps Members (Governments usually represented by Customs administrations from 173 countries TemplateInfobox Union for usage -->The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU was established in the wake of the Second The World Intellectual Property Organization ( WIPO) is one of the 16 specialized agencies of the United Nations.

Provinces and municipalities

Main articles: Provinces of the Dominican Republic and Municipalities of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is divided into 31 provinces. See also Ranked list of Dominican Provinces See also Geographic Regions of the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is divided into thirty-one The provinces of the Dominican Republic are divided into two or more municipalities ( Municipios ' singular municipio) with the exception See also Ranked list of Dominican Provinces See also Geographic Regions of the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is divided into thirty-one Additionally, the national capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional (National District). Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the 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). A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or Municipio ( Spanish and Italian) and Município ( Portuguese) are terms used for subnational entities. They are the second–level political and administrative subdivisions of the country. Examples of administrative divisions English terms In many of the following terms corresponding to British cultural influence areas of relatively low mean population

Azua Bahoruco Barahona Dajabón Duarte Elías Piña El Seibo Espaillat Hato Mayor Independencia La Altagracia

La Romana La Vega María Trinidad Sánchez Monseñor Nouel Monte Cristi Monte Plata Pedernales Peravia Puerto Plata Hermanas Mirabal

Samaná Sánchez Ramírez San Cristóbal San José de Ocoa San Juan San Pedro de Macorís Santiago Santiago Rodríguez Santo Domingo Valverde D.N.*

* The national capital, also known as Distrito Nacional (D. Azua is a province of the Dominican Republic. Municipalities and municipal districts The province as of June 20 2006 is divided into the following Baoruco, alternatively spelt Bahoruco, is a province of the Dominican Republic. Barahona is a province of the Dominican Republic. Until 1958 it included what is now Pedernales Province. Dajabón is a province of the Dominican Republic, on the border with Haiti. Duarte is a province of the Dominican Republic. It is named after Juan Pablo Duarte, founder of the Dominican Republic Elías Piña is one of the 31 provinces of the Dominican Republic. El Seibo, alternatively spelt El Seybo, is a province of the Dominican Republic. Espaillat is a province of the Dominican Republic. It is named for Ulises Francisco Espaillat ( 1823 - 1878) the 19th-century author Hato Mayor (meaning "greater cattle-raising district" is a province of the Dominican Republic. Independencia is a province of the Dominican Republic on the border with Haiti. La Altagracia (aka Higüey is the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic. La Romana is a province of the Dominican Republic. The capital is also named La Romana, and is the third-largest town in the country La Vega is a province of the Dominican Republic. Until 1992 it included what is now Monseñor Nouel province María Trinidad Sánchez is a province of the Dominican Republic. Monseñor Nouel is a province of the Dominican Republic. It was split from La Vega in 1982 Monte Cristi is a province in the north-west of the Dominican Republic. Monte Plata is a province of the Dominican Republic, and also the name of its capital city Pedernales is the southernmost province of the Dominican Republic, including the offshore island of Isla Beata. Peravia is a province of the Dominican Republic. Before January 1, 2002 it included what is now San José de Ocoa province Puerto Plata is one of the northern provinces of the Dominican Republic. Hermanas Mirabal (aka Salcedo is a province of the Dominican Republic. Samaná is a province of the Dominican Republic. Its Capital is Santa Bárbara de Samaná, also known as Samaná City Sánchez Ramírez is a province of the Dominican Republic. It was split from Duarte in 1952, and is named for Brigadier Juan Sánchez San Cristóbal is a province in the southern Dominican Republic, west of the capital Santo Domingo. San José de Ocoa is a province of the Dominican Republic, and also the name of the province's capital city San Juan de la Maguana is a province of the Dominican Republic. San Pedro de Macorís is a province of the Dominican Republic, also the name of its capital city Santiago is a province of the Dominican Republic. Santiago is the heart of the country Santiago Rodríguez is a province of the Dominican Republic. It was split from Monte Cristi in 1948. Santo Domingo is a province of the Dominican Republic. It was split from the Distrito Nacional on October 16, 2001. Valverde is a province of the Dominican Republic. It was split from Santiago in 1958 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 Distrito Nacional is a subdivision of the Dominican Republic enclosing the capital Santo Domingo, which therefore is not in any one of the provinces N. ), is the city of Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Dominican Republic

See also: Hydroelectricity and dams in the Dominican Republic

Map of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern part of the second-largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic (Spanish República Dominicana) is a country in the West Indies that occupies the eastern two-thirds of the Hispaniola island There are numerous hydroelectric plants in the Dominican Republic, which is composed of rivers lakes streams and numerous waterfalls The Greater Antilles is one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest and most populous Island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of The Dominican Republic shares the island roughly at a 2:1 ratio with Haiti. Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: The whole country measures an area of 48,730 km² (or 48,921 km²),^[40] making it the second largest country in the Antilles, after Cuba. The Antilles (the same in French; Antillas in Spanish; Antillen in Dutch) refers to the islands forming the greater part of the The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la ^[2] The country's capital and greatest metropolitan area, Santo Domingo, is located on the southern coast. Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the

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. The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an independent sovereign English -speaking country consisting of two thousand Cays and Navidad Bank is an area in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Dominican Republic and southeast of the Territory of Turks & Caicos. Silver Bank 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 Pañuelo Blanco is located southeast of the Turks islands at, and geographically a continuation of the Navidad Bank and Silver Bank have been officially claimed by the Dominican Republic.

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, and for that matter the tallest mountain in all of the Americas outside of the great western Cordilleras Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface

Bust of Duarte on top of Pico Duarte, with La Pelona in the background.

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. Chaîne de la Selle is the name of a Mountain chain in Haiti.

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 Geography, a plain is an area of land with relatively low relief — meaning that it is flat In between the Central and Septentrional mountain ranges lies the rich and fertile Cibao valley. Cibao, usually referred as "El Cibao" is a region of the Dominican Republic located at the northern part of the country This major valley is home to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros and to most of the farming areas in the nation. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first " Santiago " of 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.

Cayo Levantado in Samana Bay is one of the many cays in the D. The Samana Bay is a bay in eastern Dominican Republic. The Yuna River flows into the Samana Bay and the bay is located south of the community and cape of Samana. R.

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. Saona Island or Isla Saona is a Tropical Island located a short distance from the mainland on the south-east tip of the Dominican Republic

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. Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the A savanna or savannah is a Tropical or Subtropical Grassland or Woodland Ecosystem. 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. Azua is a province of the Dominican Republic. Municipalities and municipal districts The province as of June 20 2006 is divided into the following

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

South shore of Lake Enriquillo, looking northward to the Sierra de Neiba

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. The Yaque Del Norte River is the longest River in the Dominican Republic. Likewise, the Yuna River serves the Vega Real and empties into Samaná Bay. The Yuna River is in the Dominican Republic. The river flooded in 2000 and 2004 causing loss Drainage of the San Juan Valley is provided by the San Juan River, tributary of the Yaque del Sur, which empties into the Caribbean. A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river The Yaque del Sur River is a River in the southwestern Dominican Republic. The Artibonito is the longest river of Hispaniola and flows into Haiti. The Artibonite River is a 320 km long river in Haiti (estuary located at about) Hispaniola (from Spanish, La Española) is the second-largest and most populous Island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of The Yaque del Norte is the longest and most important Dominican river.

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. A lagoon is a body of comparatively shallow salt or Brackish water separated from the deeper Sea by a shallow or exposed sandbank, coral Lake Enriquillo is a lake in the Dominican Republic, it is one of only a few saltwater Lakes in the world inhabited by crocodiles Lake Enriquillo The salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of Water which has a concentration of Salts (mostly Sodium chloride) and other minerals significantly The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Other important lakes are Laguna de Rincón or Cabral, with freshwater, and Laguna de Oviedo, a lagoon with brackish water. Freshwater is a word that refers to bodies of water such as Ponds lakes rivers and streams containing low concentrations of dissolved Salts and other Total dissolved

Climate

A beach on Saona Island

The country is a tropical, maritime nation. Saona Island or Isla Saona is a Tropical Island located a short distance from the mainland on the south-east tip of the Dominican Republic The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 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 Wet season is from May to November, and periodic hurricanes between June and November. A wet season or rainy season is a Season in which the average Rainfall in a region is significantly increased A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous Thunderstorms that produce strong winds and Flooding 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. Rain is Liquid precipitation. On Earth it is the condensation of atmospheric Water vapor into drops heavy enough to fall often making it to The main annual temperature ranges from 21 °C in the mountainous regions to 25 °C on the plains and the coast. Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature The average temperature in Santo Domingo in January is 25 °C and 30 °C in July. Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the Nonetheless, the highest mountaintops are covered in pine forests and have temperatures that can go several degrees below freezing during winter nights. 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. Bajos de Haina, also known simply as Haina (usually with the H voiced as /h/ instead of being silent, as is the norm in Spanish The Blacksmith Institute, founded in 1999, is a New York City based organization supporting pollution-related environmental projects 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. ^[41][42]

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 of the Dominican Republic, as described by Article 96 of the Dominican Constitution features a centered White cross that extends The Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic features a shield in similarly quartered colors as the flag supported by a Bay laurel branch (left and Himno Nacional ("National Anthem" is the National anthem of the Dominican Republic. 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. ^[43] In the center of the cross is the Dominican coat of arms, in the same colors as the national flag.

The national flower is the flower of the West Indies Mahogany^[44] The national bird is the Cigua Palmera or Palmchat. Swietenia mahagoni, commonly known as the West Indian Mahogany, is a species of Swietenia, native to southern Florida, and the The Palmchat, Dulus dominicus, is a small long-tailed Passerine Bird, the only species in the genus Dulus and the family Dulidae ^[45]

Economy

Recent years

Santo Domingo

See also: Economy of the Dominican Republic

See also: Dominican Peso

The Dominican Republic is a lower middle-income^[46] developing country primarily dependent on natural resources and government services. The Dominican Republic, the biggest economy in the Caribbean and Central America is a lower middle-income Developing country primarily dependent on The peso oro is the currency of the Dominican Republic. Its symbol is " $ " with "RD$" used when distinction from other Pesos Developing countries are countries that haven't reached Western-style standards of democratic government free market economy industrialization social programs and human rights guaranties 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. A free trade zone ( FTZ) or export processing zone ( EPZ) is one or more special areas of a country where some normal Trade barriers such as Mining is the extraction of valuable Minerals or other geological materials from the earth usually (but not always from an Ore body In Economics, an export is any good or Commodity, Transported from one country to another country in a Legitimate fashion Real estate tourism alone accounted for $1. Real estate is a legal term (in some jurisdictions notably in the USA, United Kingdom 5 billion in annual earnings. ^[47] 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. Remittance can also refer to the Accounting concept of a monetary payment transferred by a customer to a business Remittances are transfers

Sector of Piantini

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. In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time A recession is a contraction phase of the Business cycle. The U 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. A commercial bank is a type of Financial intermediary and a type of Bank. Banco Intercontinental (or BANINTER) was the second largest privately held Commercial bank in the Dominican Republic before collapsing in 2003 in a In the broadest sense a fraud is a Deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual 5 billion during the administration of President Hipolito Mejia (2000-2004). Elected in 2000 as the candidate of the nominally Socialist Dominican Revolutionary Party, Hipólito Mejía was lauded as a gregarious folksy leader well known for The Baninter fraud had a devastating effect on the Dominican economy, with GDP dropping by 1% in 2003 while inflation ballooned by over 27%.

Despite a widening merchandise trade deficit, tourism earnings and remittances have helped build foreign exchange reserves. The balance of trade (or net exports, sometimes symbolized as NX) is the difference between the monetary value of Exports and imports in an Foreign exchange reserves (also called Forex reserves) in a strict sense are only the foreign Currency deposits held by Central banks and monetary 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. Consumer debt is Consumer credit which is outstanding In macroeconomic terms it is debt which is used to fund consumption rather than The Commodity Credit Corporation, or CCC, is an agency of the U

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.

Santiago de los Caballeros, the second largest city in the country

The Dominican Republic has become a trans-shipment point for South American drugs to Europe as well as the United States and Canada. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first " Santiago " of Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page ^[2] Money laundering is favored by Colombian drug cartels via the Dominican Republic for the ease of illicit financial transactions. Colombia (kəˈlʌmbɪə officially the Republic of Colombia () is a country in northwestern South America. ^[2]

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. The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 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. In Economics, an import is any good (eg a Commodity) or Service brought into one country from another country in a legitimate fashion ^[48] 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,^[49] which causes frequent blackouts and very high prices.

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. The biggest tourist center in the country is the region of Puerto Plata.

Currency

The Dominican peso (DOP) is the national currency of the country, although US dollars (USD) are accepted at most tourist sites. The peso oro is the currency of the Dominican Republic. Its symbol is " $ " with "RD$" used when distinction from other Pesos The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 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.

The U. S. dollar is implicated in almost all commercial transactions of the Dominican Republic; such dollarization is common in high inflation economies. Dollarization occurs when the inhabitants of a country use foreign Currency in parallel to or instead of the domestic currency 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. ^[50][51]

Tourism

Tourism is fueling the Dominican Republic's economic growth. For example, the contribution of travel and tourism to employment is expected to rise from 550,000 jobs in 2008 — 14. 4% of total employment or 1 in every 6. 9 jobs — to 743,000 jobs — 14. 2% of total employment or 1 in every 7. 1 jobs by 2018. ^[52]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Dominican Republic

Population

The population of Dominican Republic in 2007 was estimated by the United Nations at 9,760,000,^[53] which placed it as number 82 in population among the 193 nations of the world. About half of Dominicans live in Rural areas many are small landholders 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 km² (498 per sq mi), and 63% of the population lived in urban areas. ^[54] 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, San Felipe de Puerto Plata, and Concepción de la Vega. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first " Santiago " of La Romana is the third-largest city in the Dominican Republic with a population estimated in 2005 at 250000 San Pedro de Macorís is a municipality ( Municipio) and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the Dominican Republic San Francisco de Macorís is considered as the third most important city in the Dominican Republic and is also the capital of the San Felipe de Puerto Plata, often referred to as simply Puerto Plata, is the capital of the Dominican province Puerto Plata. Concepción de La Vega better known as La Vega, is the largest city and municipality of the central Dominican Republic. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 2. 3%. ^[55]

Ethnic composition

Dominican girls at carnival in Taíno garments and makeup (2005)

According to the CIA World Fact Book, the ethnic composition of the Dominican population is 73% mixed race, 16% white and 11% black. The World Factbook ( ISSN; also known as the CIA World Factbook) is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the ^[2] The mixed population is a biracial or triracial mix of white, black, and/or Taíno. ^[56][12] Other ethnic groups in the Dominican Republic include Haitians, Germans, Italians, French, Jews, Spaniards, and Americans. Although Haiti averages approximately 250 people per square kilometer (650 per sq The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging Legal residents and citizens To be French according to the first article of the Constitution is to be a citizen of France regardless of one's origin race or religion ( PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A smaller presence of East Asians (primarily ethnic Chinese and Japanese) and Middle Easterners (primarily Lebanese) can be found throughout the population. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. The Lebanese people ( الشعب اللبناني, el shaab el libnene) are a Middle Eastern people originating in the country of 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. The Spanish Empire (Imperio Español was one of the largest Empires in history and one of the first Global empires In the 15th and 16th centuries Casta is a 17th century term used in Spanish America, which refers to the institutionalized system of social stratification based on a person's racial heritage "Peninsular" redirects here For the geographical formation see Peninsula. These were followed, in descending order of status, by: criollos, castizos, mestizos, mulattoes, Indians, zambos, and lastly, black slaves. Criollo is a term that dates back to the Spanish colonial Casta system ( Caste system) of Latin America Castizo ( or kas•'ti•so is a Spanish word with a general meaning of "pure" or "genuine" Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin Mulatto is a term used to describe a person with one white parent and one black parent or a person whose Ancestry is a mixture of black and white For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. Zambo is a Spanish term (the Portuguese language term is Cafuso) that was used in the Spanish Empire and continues to be used today Negro is a term referring to people of Black African ancestry ^[57][58] 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. ^[59][31]

According to a study by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, about 90% of the contemporary Dominican population has some African and taino ancestry. The City University of New York (CUNY Acronym ˈkjuːni is the public University system of New York City. The Taínos were pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. ^[60] 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 depending on ancestry; these include"morena"(brown), "canela" (red/brown), "india" (Indian), "blanca oscura" (dark white), and "trigueño" (wheat colored),^[61] among others.

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. Hunter College High School|Hunter College Elementary School Hunter College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York [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. "^[62]

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. The City College of The City University of New York (known more commonly as the City College of New York or simply City College, CCNY, or colloquially as "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. "^[63] 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. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld ^[63][64]

Religion

Main article: Religion in the Dominican Republic

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. The many kinds of religion in the Dominican Republic have been growing and changing Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated " Adventist " Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination Recent but small scale immigration has brought other religions, which make up small percentages of the population: Spiritist: 2. Spiritism is a Christian philosophical Doctrine, established in France in the mid-nineteenth century 18%, Mormons: 1. TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon 0%, Buddhist: 0. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices 10%, Bahá'í: 0. The Bahá'í Faith is a Religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in nineteenth-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind 07%, Muslim: 0. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion 02%, and Jewish: 0. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ 01%. ^[65]

Roman Catholicism was introduced by Columbus and Spanish missionaries. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. 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. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin 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.

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. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Evangelism is the Christian practice of proselytisation. The intention of most evangelism is to effect Eternal salvation to those who do not follow the 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.

There has always been religious freedom throughout the entire country. It wasn’t until the 1950s that restrictions were placed upon churches by Trujillo. Hector Bienvenido Trujillo Molina ( April 6, 1908 - October 19 2002) General, and Political figure; president of 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.

Judaism appeared in the Dominican Republic in the late 1930s. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut During World War Two, a group of Jews escaping Nazi Germany fled to the Dominican Republic and founded the city of Sosua. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Sosúa is a small town in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic. It has remained the center of the Jewish population since. ^[66]

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. ^[67]

Health statistics

In 2007 the Dominican Republic had a birth rate of 22. Crude birth rate is the natality or Childbirths per 1000 people per year 91 per 1000, and a death rate of 5. Mortality rate is a measure of the number of Deaths (in general or due to a specific cause in some population scaled to the size of that population per unit time 32 per 1000. ^[2] Dengue and malaria are endemic to the country. Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including ^[68] There is currently a mission based in the United States to combat the AIDS rate in the Dominican Republic. ^[69]

Immigration

A border watch tower to control illegal immigration from Haiti located in the Cordillera Central of the Dominican Republic

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. A watchtower is a type of Fortification used in many parts of the world Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: 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^[70] and Joaquín Balaguer^[71][72] both had Puerto Rican parents. Venezuela (ˌvɛnəˈzweɪlə) officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a country on the Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño ( 30 June 1909, La Vega &ndash 1 November 2001, Santo Domingo) was a Politician 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. Sosúa is a small town in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including ^[73]

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. ^[74] Current estimates put the Haitian-born population in the Dominican Republic as high as 1 million. ^[75] Working conditions on these sugar plantations have caused controversy, including assertions that conditions are near-slavery. Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. Fundamentally a plantation is usually a large Farm or estate, especially in a tropical or semitropical country on which Cotton, Tobacco As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another ^[76] Moreover, the children of illegal Haitian immigrants are denied citizenship^[74][77] and basic health care,^[78] and there are frequent physical attacks and roundups on adult immigrants. ^[79]

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". ^[80] 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". ^[81] 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. ^[82] 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,"^[82]

"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. ^[83] 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^[84] with poor housing and poor schools for their children. Illegal immigration refers to Immigration across National Borders in a way that violates the Immigration laws of the destination Country 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:^[85] 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". ^[86]

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. Childbirth (also called labour, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a Human Pregnancy or Statistics from a hospital in Santo Domingo report that over 22% of childbirths are by Haitian mothers. ^[87]

Competition for jobs has led to the deportation of many Haitians in an effort to save native Dominican rights.

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. ^[88] 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. 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 ( September 29 1940 -) is a Dominican Republic politician who currently serves as that country's Foreign minister It is important not to confuse national sovereignty with indifference, and not to confuse security with xenophobia. . . "^[89]

Emigration

Main article: Dominican American

Main article: Dominican immigration to Puerto Rico

The Dominican Republic has experienced three distinct waves of emigration in the second half of the twentieth century. A Dominican American (also Dominican-York) is an American who has ancestry from the Dominican Republic (not to be mistaken for Dominicans from the Commonwealth There's been movement of people from the territory of the Dominican Republic to its eastern neighbor Puerto Rico, and vice versa since colonial times, but 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. ^[90] 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. ^[91] 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. ^[92]

Crime

The Dominican Republic has served as a transportation hub for Colombian drug cartels. ^[93][2] In 2004 it was estimated that 8% of all cocaine smuggled into the United States has come through the Dominican Republic. ^[94] 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 legal within the country and the age of consent is 18, child prostitution is a growing phenomenon in impoverished areas. Prostitution in the Dominican Republic is legal It has become a major Sex tourism destination While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal Statutes when used with in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at In an environment where young girls are often denied employment opportunities offered to boys, prostitution frequently becomes a source of supplementary income. UNICEF estimated in 1994 that at least 25,000 children were involved in the Dominican sex trade, 63% of that figure being girls. The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 ^[95]

Culture

Carnaval of La Vega, one of the most famous carnivals in the country.

Main article: Culture of the Dominican Republic

Main article: Dominican Spanish

The culture of the Dominican Republic, like its Caribbean neighbors, is a blend of the European colonists, Taínos and Africans, and their cultural legacies. The Dominican people and their customs have origins in a unique mix of African Taino and European roots Dominican Spanish is Spanish as spoken in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola (La Española in Spanish and throughout the Dominican diaspora The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting 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 language ( kreyòl ayisyen) often called simply Creole or Kreyòl ( pronounced) is a language spoken in Haiti English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Haitian Creole is spoken fluently by 159,000^[96] or as many as 1. 2 million^[97] 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]

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(typically Dominican salami) 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. Not to be confused with Chimichurri Chimichurris are a traditional dish eaten in the Dominican Republic.

Some treats Dominicans enjoy are arroz con dulce (or arroz con leche), bizcocho dominicano (lit. Rice pudding is a Dessert enjoyed by people of different cultures all over the world originating in Asia Dominican cake), habichuelas con dulce (sweet creamed beans), flan, frío frío (snow cones), dulce de leche, and caña (sugarcane). A snow cone (or sno cone. Spanish raspado) is a dessert item usually made of crushed or shaved ice flavored with brightly colored Sugary syrup usually Dulce de leche in Spanish or doce de leite in Portuguese ("milk candy" is a milk-based syrup Sugarcane ( Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae tribe Andropogoneae

The beverages Dominicans enjoy include Morir Soñando, rum, beer, Mama Juana, batida (smoothie), ponche, mabí, and coffee. Morir Soñando ( Die dreaming) is a popular beverage of the Dominican Republic, usually made of orange juice, Milk, Cane sugar Rum is a Distilled beverage made from Sugarcane by-products such as Molasses and sugarcane Juice by a process of fermentation Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea This article is about the drink For the band see Mamajuana. For the energy drink see MamaJuana Energy although the ingredients of this product are not the true and Eggnog (or egg nog) is a sweetened Dairy -based Beverage made with Milk, Cream, Sugar, beaten eggs (which Mabi is also the name of an ethnic group in Cameroon. Mauby (also known as mavi in Puerto Rico, and mabi ^[98]

Music

Main article: Music of the Dominican Republic

Musically, the Dominican Republic is known for the creation of Merengue music,^[99] 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. The Dominican Republic is known primarily for Merengue, though Bachata and other forms are also popular Merengue is a type of music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic. Its syncopated beats use Latin percussion, brass instruments, bass, and piano or keyboard. In Music, syncopation includes a variety of Rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced This article is about percussion instruments used in Latin music A brass instrument is a Musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular Resonator. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a Musical instrument, particularly the piano 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. Juan Luis Guerra Seijas (born June 7, 1957) is a Dominican Singer, Songwriter, and self-producer who has sold over fourteen Fernando Villalona, "The first artist named "El Mayimbe" (Born Ramon Fernando Villalona Evora On May 7 1955 aged 52 is a Dominican merengue 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 in Villa Altagracia) is a famous merengue singer from the Dominican Republic who became Máximo Antonio del Rosario (born November 3, 1955) known as Toño Rosario, is a merengue singer of Dominican descent well-known in his Johnny Ventura (born Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano March 8, 1940, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican merengue composer Milagros Quezada Borbón, much better known in the musical entertainment world as Milly Quezada, is a Latin Grammy -winning Dominican Merengue music Merengue became popular mostly on the east coast of the United States during the 1980s and 90s,^[100] when many Puerto Rican groups such as Elvis Crespo were produced by Dominican bandleaders and writers living in the US territory. Elvis Crespo (born July 30, 1971 in New York City, US) is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Winner Puerto Rican - 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. Bachata, a form of Music and Dance that originated in the countryside and the rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. Merengue is a type of music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the ^[101]

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. Bachata, a form of Music and Dance that originated in the countryside and the rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. 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 grew out of, and is still closely related to, the pan-Latin American romantic style called bolero. Bolero is a name given to more than one type of Latin-American music and its associated dance and song Over time, it has been influenced by merengue and by a variety of Latin American guitar styles.

Another genre of music that has been growing in popularity in 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 or Rap music rapped in Spanish with a thick Dominican accent, with subject matter that varies from social problems to money to fame, similarly to its U. Hip hop is a cultural movement which developed in New York City in the 1970s primarily among African Americans and Latinos. Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with S. 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. Reggaeton (also spelled reggaetón, and known as reguetón and reggaetón in Spanish) is a form of urban music which became popular 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, Joa and Toxic Crow.

Sports

Juan Marichal, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1983

Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic today. Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez (born October 20 1937 in Laguna Verde Dominican Republic) is a former Right-handed Pitcher in Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each ^[102] After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number of baseball players in Major League Baseball (MLB). Some of the Dominican players have been regarded as among the best in the game. Following are a few players born in the Dominican Republic:

• Carlos Peña, first baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays
• Sammy Sosa, 1998 National League MVP Award winner and member of the exclusive (only 5 other players have reached the mark) 600 home run club
• Carlos Villanueva, pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers
• Albert Pujols, 2001 National League Rookie of the Year (2005) and National League MVP Award winner
• Pedro Martínez, three–time Cy Young Award winner and considered one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history
• Vladimir Guerrero, 2004 American League MVP Award winner and 2007 Home Run Derby winner
• David Ortiz, first baseman and designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox
• José Reyes, 2007 MLB Stolen Base Leader
• Manny Ramírez, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox
• Miguel Tejada, shortstop for the Houston Astros
• Alfonso Soriano, infielder/outfielder for the Chicago Cubs
• Héctor Luna, infielder for the Toronto Blue Jays
• Robinson Canó, second baseman for the New York Yankees
• Melky Cabrera, center fielder for the New York Yankees
• Hanley Ramírez, shortstop for the Florida Marlins, and considered one of the best all-around players in baseball. Carlos Felipe Peña (born May 17, 1978 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a left-handed First baseman for the First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St Samuel Peralta Sosa (born November 12, 1968 in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a Right fielder who is currently The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. In Major League Baseball, the 500 Home Run Club is an informal term applied to the group of players who have hit 500 or more career Home runs The first member of the Men called Carlos Villanueva include Carlos Villanueva (baseball, born 1983 Carlos Villanueva (footballer, born 1986 The Milwaukee Brewers are a Major League Baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which plays in the Central Division of the National League José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (IPA /puˌˡxols/ (born January 16, 1980 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) (nicknamed Prince Albert In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to one player from each league as voted upon by the Baseball Writers Association of America Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25 1971 in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball Starting pitcher for the In Baseball, the Cy Young Award is an honor given annually to the best Pitcher in Major League Baseball (one each for American and National Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9 1976 in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic) (known in his native Dominican Republic as Miquéas (Spanish The Most Valuable Player Award (commonly known as the MVP award is an annual award given to one outstanding player in each league of Major League Baseball. The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball Designated In Baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6 The Boston Red Sox are a Professional baseball team based in Boston Massachusetts, and are the reigning (2007 World Series Champions. José Bernabé Reyes (born June 11, 1983, in Villa Gonzalez, Dominican Republic) is an All-Star Major League Baseball Shortstop In Baseball, a stolen base occurs when a Baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the Pitcher is delivering the ball to Home plate Manuel "Manny" Aristides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30 1972 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican-American professional Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in Baseball farthest from the batter Miguel Odalis Tejada (born Miguel Odalis Tejeda on May 25 1974 Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and Third base. The Houston Astros are a Professional baseball team based in Houston Texas. Alfonso Guilleard Soriano (born January 7 1976 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic) is a professional Major League Baseball Outfielder Baseball teams take turns one "out" in the field and one "in" at bat Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in Baseball farthest from the batter The Chicago Cubs are a Professional Baseball franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. Héctor R Luna (born February 1, 1980 in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball player for the Toronto The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Robinson José Canó (kaˈno born October 22, 1982, in) is a Second baseman in Major League Baseball, who currently plays for the New Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a Baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that Melky Astacio Cabrera (born August 11 1984 in Santo Domingo Oeste, Dominican Republic) is a Baseball Outfielder for the New York Yankees A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the Outfielder in Baseball who plays defense in center field - the baseball fielding position Hanley Ramírez (born December 23, 1983, in Samana Dominican Republic) is a Shortstop in Major League Baseball for the Florida The Florida Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami Gardens Florida.

Dominican Citizen and Major League Baseball player David Ortiz

Historically, the Dominican Republic has been linked to MLB since Ozzie Virgil, Sr. became the first Dominican to play there. David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball Designated Osvaldo José (Pichardo Virgil (born May 17 1932 in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic) is a former Utility player who played in Other very notable players were Juan Marichal, Felipe Alou, Rico Carty, George Bell, Jose Rijo and Stan Javier, among many others. Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez (born October 20 1937 in Laguna Verde Dominican Republic) is a former Right-handed Pitcher in Felipe Rojas Alou (born May 12 1935 in Bajos de Haina, Dominican Republic) is a former Outfielder and First baseman in Ricardo Adolfo Jacobo Carty (born September 1 1939 San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic) was a major league baseball player with a 15 year Jorge (George Antonio Bell Mathey (born October 21, 1959, San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a former Left fielder and José Antonio Rijo Abreu (born May 13 1965 in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic) is a former right-handed Pitcher in Major League Stanley Julián Antonio Javier (born January 9, 1964 in San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League Baseball

The Dominican Republic also has its own baseball league, the Dominican Winter Baseball League, which runs its season from October to January. The Dominican Winter Baseball League (Liga Dominicana de Béisbol Invernal is a winter Baseball league consisting of six baseball teams spread across the Dominican It comprises six teams: Águilas Cibaeñas (Cibao Eagles), Azucareros del Este (Eastern Sugar-makers), Estrellas Orientales (Eastern Stars), Gigantes del Cibao (Cibao Giants), Leones del Escogido (Escogido Lions), and Tigres del Licey (Licey Tigers). Águilas Cibaeñas is a team in the Dominican Republic 's winter Baseball league The Azucareros del Este are a Baseball team in the Dominican Winter League established in. Estrellas Orientales (also known as Estrellas de Oriente) is a Baseball team in the Dominican Winter League. The Gigantes del Cibao ( English: Giants of the Cibao) are a Baseball team that plays in the Dominican Winter League. Leones del Escogido (English Lions of the chosen one) is a professional Baseball team in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Tigres del Licey is a professional Baseball team founded in 1907 based in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Many MLB and minor league players play in the Dominican League during their own off-season. Part of the History of baseball series Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of Professional baseball leagues in North As such, the Dominican Winter League serves as an important "training ground" for these leagues.

The Dominican Republic has participated in the Baseball World Cup, winning one Gold (1948), three Silver (1942, 1950, 1952), and two Bronze (1943, 1969), placing it seventh, right after Puerto Rico's one Gold, four Silver, and four Bronze. The Baseball World Cup is an international tournament in which national Baseball teams from around the world compete Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} (Cuba holds a record twenty-five Gold, two Silver and two Bronze. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la )

The country also participated in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the inaugural tournament, in which they finished semi–finalists along with Korea. The 2006 World Baseball Classic was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː

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. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Félix Sánchez (born in August 30, 1977) &mdashnicknamed Super Felix, the Invicible and the Dictator &mdash is a Track Defensive end ( DE) is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football. The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego California. The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Luis Alberto Castillo (born August 4, 1983 in Brooklyn New York) is an Dominican American football Defensive end Castillo was the cover athlete for the Spanish language version of Madden NFL 08. Madden NFL 08 is the 2008 edition of the American football Video game series published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon ^[103]

The National Basketball Association (NBA), also has players from the Dominican Republic, such as:

• Francisco García, guard–forward for the Sacramento Kings; first round pick in the 2005 NBA Draft
• Al Horford, power forward, third overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2007 NBA Draft
• Felipe López, former shooting guard for several teams

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, Julio César Green, Joan Guzmán, and Juan Carlos Payano. Francisco García (born December 31 1981, in Santo Domingo) is a Dominican professional Basketball player who currently plays for The three basketball positions normally employed by organized Basketball teams are guard forward and center The Sacramento Kings are a professional Basketball team based in Sacramento California. The 2005 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 2005 in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Alfred (Al Joel Horford Reynoso (born June 3 1986 in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican Basketball player for the Power forward is a position in the sport of Basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF" 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 Luis Felipe López (born December 19, 1974 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican professional Basketball player who The Shooting guard ( SG) also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a Basketball team Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, This article is about Carlos Cruz the boxer. For the portuguese Television presenter, see Carlos Cruz (television presenter Leonardo Cruz (born January 17, 1953 in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic) better known in the World of Boxing Julio Cesar Green (born May 19, 1967, in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic) was a professional boxer in the Middleweight Joan Guzmán (born May 1, 1976) is a Dominican professional boxer who was the WBO 's super featherweight champion Juan Carlos Payano (born December 14, 1984) is a boxer from the Dominican Republic best known for winning a silver medal at flyweight

Holidays

Notes:

• Non-working holidays are not moved to another day.
• If a movable holiday falls on Saturday, Sunday or Monday then it is not moved to another day. If it falls on Tuesday or Wednesday, the holiday is moved to the previous Monday. It falls on Thursday or Friday, the holiday is moved to the next Monday.

Military

Main article: Military of the Dominican Republic

Congress authorizes a combined military force of 44,000 active duty personnel. The Military of the Dominican Republic —or Fuerzas Armadas de la República Dominicana consists of approximately 44000 active duty personnel about 35 percent The Congress of the Dominican Republic is the bicameral legislature of the government of the Dominican Republic, consisting of two houses the Senate and the 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. A brigade is a Military unit Echelon: is The air force operates two main bases, one in the southern region near Santo Domingo and one in the northern region near Puerto Plata. Etymology The word bases is first recorded in English language from c 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 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. ^[39]

Services and transportation

Main article: Transportation in the Dominican Republic

See also: List of airports in the Dominican Republic

There are two transportation services in the Dominican Republic, one controlled by the government through the Oficina Técnica de Transito Terrestre (O. Roadways See also Highways and Routes in the Dominican Republic There are five main highways ( DR-1, DR-2, DR-3, DR-4, This is a list of Airports in the Dominican Republic (a nation sorted by location 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).

The government transportation system covers large routes in metropolitan areas, such as Santo Domingo and Santiago, for very inexpensive prices. Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago de los Caballeros (the first " Santiago " of 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. ^[104]

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. ^[105]

Communications

Main article: Communications in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has a well developed telecommunications infrastructure, with extensive mobile phone services and landline services. The Dominican Republic has extensive mobile phone and land-line services A landline, main line or fixed-line is a Telephone line which travels through a solid medium either metal Wire or Optical fibre 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. In Telecommunications cable Internet is a form of Broadband Internet access that uses the Cable television infrastructure An Internet service provider ( ISP, also called Internet access provider or IAP) is a company which primarily offers their customers access to the Internet 3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards and Technology, superseding 2 Projects to extend Wi-Fi hot spots have been made in Santo Domingo. Wi-Fi (ˈwaɪfaɪ is the trade name for the popular wireless technology used 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. WiMAX, an approximate acronym of Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a Telecommunications technology that provides for the wireless transmission The Internet Protocol ( IP) is a protocol used for communicating data across a Packet-switched Internetwork using the Internet Protocol The term broadband can have different meanings in different contexts 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.

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. In Telecommunications cable Internet is a form of Broadband Internet access that uses the Cable television infrastructure )

The Dominican Republic's commercial radio stations are in the process of transferring to the digital spectrum via HD Radio. HD Radio is the name used by iBiquity for a system of digital transmission for audio broadcast stations

As of October 2007, there are five major communication companies: CODETEL, Orange, TRICOM, Trilogy Dominicana and Onemax. Orange is the brand used by France Telecom for its Mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries

On February 1, 2007, Verizon changed the names of its wireless services to Claro and CODETEL. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "Verizon" redirects here this article is about the corporation see also Verizon Wireless, Verizon Online DSL and Verizon FiOS. The company has been owned since 2006 by Carlos Slim Helú's América Móvil. Carlos Slim Helú (born January 28 1940) is a Mexican Businessman born to Lebanese parents largely focused on the Telecommunications América Móvil (,) is the fifth largest mobile network operator and the largest corporation in Latin America, and a Fortune 500 company 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. Claro is the largest Mobile phone network in the Americas It is part of the Mexican telecom group

Highways

Main article: Highways and Routes in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has five major highways, which take travelers to every important town in the country. There are various Highways and Routes in the Dominican Republic. 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. DR-1 makes part of the five designated National highways of the country DR-3 is a designated highway in the Dominican Republic and gives Santo Domingo a rapid connection to the eastern portion of the country where most of the hotels and Dominican Republic lacks a good system of routes interconnecting small towns, and most of these routes are unpaved and are getting improved.

Ports

Main article: Port of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Sans Souci

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 of Santo Domingo is nestled in a privileged geographic location at the mouth of the marine entrance to the City of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. 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. ^[106]

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 volt (symbol V) is the SI derived unit of electric Potential difference or Electromotive force. The hertz (symbol Hz) is a measure of Frequency, informally defined as the number of events occurring per Second. 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. ^[107] Concentrated efforts were announced to increase efficiency of delivery to places where the collection rate reached 70%. ^[108] 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. ^[109]

See also

• Dominican National Team
• Foreign relations of the Dominican Republic
• Law of the Dominican Republic
• List of people from the Dominican Republic
• List of players from Dominican Republic in Major League Baseball
• List of universities in the Dominican Republic
• List of wettest known tropical cyclones in the Dominican Republic
• Military of the Dominican Republic

References

Further reading

External links

• Presidency of the Dominican Republic (Spanish)
• Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic
• Wikimedia Atlas of the Dominican Republic
• Dominican Republic travel guide from Wikitravel
• Wikia has a wiki on this subject: Dominican Republic
• Dominican Republic at the Open Directory Project
• Dominican Republic entry at The World Factbook
• Dominican Republic Politics and Elections (Spanish)