DominicanRepublic(David




 * Dominican Republic **

**General Information/Demographics** The Dominican Republic, also called //República Dominicana,// is a nation on the eastern two-thirds of the island La Hispaniola in the Caribbean region. Haiti makes up the remaining western third of the island, making La Hispaniola one of two islands in the Caribbean occupied by two countries. By area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest island in the Caribbean, after Cuba. The Dominican Republic was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, and it became the sight of the first European Settlement in the Americas, called Santo Domingo, now the name of the country's current capital.

The population of the Dominican Republic in 2007 was estimated by the United Nations at 9,760,000, which places it 82nd in populations among the other 192 nations in the world. In that year, 5% of the population was over the age of 65, and 35% were under the age of 15. E stimated by the Dominican government, it is said that the population density in 2007 was 192 per km². 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 3,014,000 in 2007.
 * Population **

**Religion** 69% of the countries population are said to be Roman-Catholic, 18.2% Evangelical, and 12.9% of other miscellaneous religions. The Evangelicals did not start to make an apperance in the Dominican Republic until the late 19th century, when the Catholic Church began to lose popularity. During World War II, a large group of Jews, escaping Nazi Germany, fled to the Dominican Republic and founded the city of Sasua, and this has remained the center of Jewish population in the Dominican Republic since.

The Dominican Republic in entirely Spanish speaking. The public schools are all based on a Spanish curriculum. Most of the private schools and a select few public schools have English as a secondary language option. The country's economic ties with the United States motivate other Dominicans to learn English for recreational purposes. Haitian Creole is spoken by the population of Haitian descent in the Republic. There is a community of about 8,000 speakers of Samaná English in the Dominican Republic.
 * Language **

**Exports/Industries** The Dominican Republic has a very wide range of major and minor industries and exports. Some of them are; __**Animal Husbandry**__**-**In 2001, Dominican livestock included over 200,000 goats, and 100,000 sheep. There were over 2,000,000 heads of cattle, 60% of which are used for beef, and the remaing 40% are used for dairy. Poultry is the main meat source because it is cheaper to produce than beef or pork. Poultry production relies on the amounts of feed imported from the United States. In 2001, over 200,000 tons of poultry were produced, along with over 70,000 tons of beef and 400,000 tons of milk. __**Tourism**__- Tourism is the biggest money maker in the country, in 1980 this industry profited $173 million and it increased exponentially to more than 2 billion in 2000. Around 2.1 million tourists arrived in the country in 1999. Most come from Europe, with about 25 percent originating from the United States or Canada. The Dominican Republic now has more than 70,000 hotel rooms; this is the most out of any Caribbean country. About 50,000 people in the Dominican work force are directly employed through tourism. __**Minor Exports**__-Some of the more minor exports would be gold, silver, coffee, cocoa sugar and nickel. __**Extras**__-Some extra statistics about the Dominican Republic and their work force/economy; There are close to 4 million people in the Dominican work force, 17% in agriculture, 25% in industry, and 57% in services. The unemployment rate is roughly 15.5%, and 42.2% of the population lived below the poverty line as of 2007.
 * __Agriculture__-** Almost 30% of the land in the Dominican Republic is fertile enough for crop growth. 17% of the workers in the Dominican Republic work in some shape or form with agriculture, thus making agriculture the primary occupation in the Dominican Republic, accounting for 11% of the GDP in 2001.
 * __Forestry__**- About 28.4% of the total land area consisted of forests and woodlands in 2000. Roundwood production in 2000 totaled 562,000 cubic meters. Most of the wood cut in the Dominican Republic is for land clearing.

**Currency** The national currency of the Dominican Republic is the Dominican Peso, whose symbol is the same for the American Dollar, ($). Since the country is so heavily occupied by tourists, the American Dollar, and the European Euro are accepted in most, if not all places. As of February 20, 2012, one Dominican Peso is equivalent to $0.03 in the U.S. and €0.02 in Europe.

**Geography**

The terrain of the Dominican Republic is said to have rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys media type="googlemap" key="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Dominican+Republic%5C&aq=0&oq=dominican&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.052282,86.572266&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Dominican+Republic&t=m&z=8&ll=18.735693,-70.162651&output=embed" width="425" height="350" align="right" interspersed. The coast line of the Dominican Republic is over 1,600 km long. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The Dominican Republic is home to an extremely diverse geography. ranging from semi-desert plains, lush mountains and valleys, and tropical rain forests. With 27 climate zones, the Republic has a vast variety of beautiful vegetation. __**Economic Effects**__-The economy of the Dominican Republic is the second largest in the Caribbean, and it is dependent on agriculture, trade, services, and mainly tourism, all of which stated above in the exports section. The Dominican Republic's most important trading partner is the United States. Other markets include Canada, Western Europe, and Japan. The fact that the Dominican Republic has ocean on 3 of 4 sides, allows for many ports, and it is pretty much in the middle of everything, so it is a great place for docking in between trips to different places. Its vast oceans also allow for major fish exports to other countries. Tourism also helps stimulate their economy. Since tourism is the number one revenue producer in the Dominican Republic, if tourists were to quit visiting, some 50,000 people might lose jobs who are employed directly through tourism. __**Weather and Climate**__-The majority of the Dominican Republic enjoys beautiful tropical weather all year round, with the average annual temperature hovering around 77F. Some call the Dominican Republic's climate, "the endless summer," due to warm and sunny conditions experienced throughout the country year round. The so-called "cool months," which run from November to April tend to have a slight variation from the warmer parts of the year. During these months there tends to be relatively low humidity and cools down more during the evenings. Regardless of the time of the year, the coolest part of the Dominican Republic has to be the Cordillera Central Mountain Range, where the average temperature peaks around 61F. The desert regions in the southern end of the country experience the highest temperatures, which at times soar past 104F .

**History **

The Arawakan-speaking Taínos moved into Hispaniola in AD 650. They engaged in farming, fishing, hunting, and gathering. The fierce Caribs drove the Taínos to the northeastern Caribbean during much of the 15th century. The Spanish arrived in 1492. After initially friendly relationships, the Taínos resisted the conquest, led by the female Chief Anacaona of Xaragua and her ex-husband Chief Caonabo of Maguana, as well as Chiefs Guacanagarix, Guama, Hatuey, and Enriquillo.The Taínos nearly disappeared, above all, from European infectious diseases to which they had no immunity.Other causes were abuse, suicide, the breakup of family, starvation, enslavement, forced labor, torture, war with the Spaniards, and changes in lifestyle. Laws passed for the Taínos protection were never truly enforced. Christopher Columbus arrived on Hispaniola on December 5, 1492, during the first of his four voyages to America. He claimed the island for Spain and named it // La Española //. In 1496 Bartholomew Columbus, Christopher's brother, built the city of Santo Domingo, Europe's first permanent settlement in the "New World". The Spaniards created an economy on the island. The colony was the spring board for the further Spanish conquest of America and for decades the headquarters of Spanish power in the hemisphere. Christopher was buried in Santo Domingo upon his death in 1506.
 * Indigenous People/Colonization **

In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria, which sought the complete independence of Santo Domingo, with no foreign interactions. Matias Mella and Francisco Sanchez, despite not being the founding members of La Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight for independence. Duarte, Mella, and Sánchez are considered the three Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios (members of La Trinitaria), declared the independence from Haiti. The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled after the United States Constitution.
 * Independence **


 * Government **

The Dominican Republic is a Representative Democracy, or a Democratic Democracy, with 3 branches of power; the executive, legislative, and judicial. The President of the Dominican Republic is the head of the executive branch and executes laws passed by the Congress, appoints the Cabinet, and is commander in chief of the armed forces. The president and vice-president run for office on the same ticket and are elected by popular vote for 4-year terms. The national legislature is bicameral, composed of a Senate, which has 32 members, and the Chamber of Deputies, with 178 members. Judicial authority rests with the Supreme Court of Justice's 16-members. They are appointed by a council composed of the President, the leaders of both houses of Congress, and the President of the Supreme Court. The Dominican Republic's Constitution is modeled after the United States Constitution. The Dominican Republic has a multi-party political system. Elections are held every two years, alternating between the Presidential Elections, which are held in years evenly divisible by four, and the Congressional and municipal elections, which are held in even-numbered years not divisible by four. The current President of the Dominican Republic is Leonel Fernandez Reyna of the Dominican Libertarian Party, who is serving his second consecutive term since 2004 after being re-elected for the period 2008–2012. He has held the presidency of the Dominican Republic on two other occasions, in the; 1996-2000, and 2004-2008. The next presidential elections are scheduled to take place on 20 May 2012. Currently, there are no major revolts or uprising in the Dominican Republic, and not since 1992. However, that does not mean everyone is happy with the state of the government. Much like the United States, the political parties in the Dominican Republic are always "at odds."
 * Current Government **


 * Culture **

The Dominican Republic is home to a vast array of different and diverse culture; __**Cuisine**__-Dominican Republic cuisine is predominantly made up of a combination of Spanish, and African influences. Dominican cuisine resembles that of other countries in Latin America such as Puerto Rico and Cuba. If anything differs in the food it is the name of the dish. __ **Clothing** __ -The year-round tropical weather in the Dominican Republic greatly influences the clothing the people wear. On special occasions men and women might wear more traditional clothes such as long dresses with bright colors like orange, yellow and red showing some Spanish influences. They might also wear matching necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. But most of the time Dominicans will wear summer type clothes such as t-shirts, sandals, blouses, skirts, light jackets, and sweaters. __**Sports**__-Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic. After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number of baseball players in Major League Baseball. Some of the Dominican players have been regarded as among the best in the game. Boxing is also a popular sport, and the country has produced some of the best world-class fighters and world champions, both professionals and amateurs. __**Holidays/Celebrations**__-Dominicans start their Christmas season at the beginning of December and end on January 6th, with the arrival of the three kings. (The three kings are the "gift givers" during the Christmas season, instead of Santa Claus, as a commemoration to the true meaning of Christmas. Modern day Dominicans give gifts on December 25th, and January 6th, mimicking world wide customs.) New Years celebrations are always loud, happy, and exciting, with Salsa and Merengue music. The majority of the celebrations are surrounded by the Fiesta Patronales, they are celebrations that are held in honor of the Patron Saint. __**Music**__-The music of the Dominican Republic is known primarily for Merengue, though Bachata and Salsa are popular.


 * Tourism **

As previously stated, one of the biggest "money makers" in the Dominican Republic is tourism. Over 50,000 people are directly employed through tourism. Some things found popular to tourists in the Dominican Republic are; whale watching, exploring the capital city Santo Domingo, shopping, scuba diving, and hiking. If you are an outdoor oriented person, then going to the Samana Peninsula might be something good for you to do. The Samana Peninsula is a stunning area of green mountains, bright wildflowers, and aquamarine waters. There is a plethora of things to do in Samana, including whale watching and hiking, while at the same time, it is a place of relaxation and romance. If you would like to tour the mountains consider hiking and horseback riding. Los Haitises National Park is only a boat ride away from Samana and is home to a very special jungle rain forest, and El Limon waterfall which has a 40m drop and a nice swimming pool. For the best beaches in the Dominican Republic, head to Playa Grande and the resort area of Playa Dorada. Goregous Playa Cabarete is the place for windsurfing and kitesurfing. The best scuba diving and snorkeling is found in reefs and wrecks aplenty. .



**Current Events ** After a long wait, Apple as of January 13th, has finally released the iPhone 4S in the Dominican Republic along with China, Ecuador and Madagascar.
 * iPhone 4S **

The canned vegetable producers in the Dominican Republic announced on February 18th that they have had a record industrial tomato harvest of over 5.6 million tons. This was over $600,000,000 of tomatoes. This years harvest is 20% more then the previous years.
 * Agriculture **

Dominican Navy Chief of Staff Nicolas Cabrera, announced on February 18th that the U.S. Southern Command is planning to build a naval base and a deck in Catuano, in Saona Island, aimed at strengthening maritime surveillance in the Dominican East. **Sources: **
 * US Naval Base **


 * 1) http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/nature_climate.php
 * 2) http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/19.htm
 * 3) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html
 * 4) http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/history.php
 * 5) http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107475.html
 * 6) 2011 World Book Encyclopedia