Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic should not be confused with Dominica, another Caribbean country.
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| National motto: God, Country, Liberty (Dios, patria, libertad) | ||||
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| Official language | Spanish | |||
| Capital | Santo Domingo | |||
| President | HipÃÂólito MejÃÂÃÂa | |||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 138th 48,730 km² 1,6% | |||
| Population
- Total (2002) - Density | Ranked 86th
8,715,000 139,5/km² | |||
| Independence
since | from Haiti 27 February 1844 | |||
| Currency | Peso | |||
| Time zone | UTC -4 | |||
| National anthem | Quisqueyanos valientes (Valiant Sons of Quisqueye) | |||
| Internet TLD | .do | |||
| Calling Code | 1-809 | |||
| Table of contents |
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2 Politics 3 Provinces 4 Geography 5 Economy 6 Demographics 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics |
The country has had a history of changing ownership, with Spain, France, Haiti, Spain again, and the United States taking their turns at ruling Dominican territory amid attempts at independence and self rule. The twentieth century was marked by repeated US intervention in local affairs. Apart from the history of US support for the Trujillo dictatorship (1930-1961), the most infamous example of this is the 1965 invasion by American troops in the midst of a Dominican civil war, an uprising that was sparked by an attempt to restore the republic's first democratically-elected president, Juan Bosch, who had been overthrown by an American backed right-wing coup in 1963. This invasion had the effect of establishing the rule of JoaquÃÂÃÂn Balaguer (1966-1978), and ensuring that Juan Bosch's constitutional government never return to power.
The capital is Santo Domingo. The second largest city is Santiago de los Caballeros.
The country's economy is highly dependent on tourism.
Since the early 1960s, economic problems have led to a vast migration of Dominicans to the US, mainly to large east coast cities. New York City's Washington Heights is so densely populated by Dominicans, it is sometimes referred to as Quisqueya Heights. Quisqueya believed to be the name given to the eastern side of Hispaniola by its original inhabitants, the Arawak Indians, although this version is disputed by some historians. Dominicans are now one of the largest Latino groups in the US.
89% of Dominicans are baptised in the Roman Catholic Church
The Dominican Republic is known for a form of music called merengue, which has been popular since the mid- to late-1800s.
History
Main article: History of the Dominican RepublicPolitics
Main article: Politics of the Dominican RepublicProvinces
Main article: Provinces of the Dominican RepublicGeography
Main article: Geography of the Dominican RepublicEconomy
Main article: Economy of the Dominican RepublicDemographics
Main article: Demographics of the Dominican RepublicCulture
Main article: Culture of the Dominican Republic
Miscellaneous topics
See also:
Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom)
Antigua and Barbuda | The Bahamas1 | Barbados | Belize | Dominica | Grenada | Guyana | Haiti | Jamaica | Montserrat | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Suriname | Trinidad and Tobago
Associate members
British Virgin Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands
Observer status
Anguilla | Aruba | Bermuda | Cayman Islands | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Mexico | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Venezuela
[1] a member of the community but not the common market