Dominican Republic: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Infobox Country

|native_name = ''República Dominicana''

|conventional_long_name = Dominican Republic

|common_name = the Dominican Republic

|image_flag = Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg

|image_coat = Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic.svg

|image_map = LocationDominicanRepublic.svg

|national_motto = ''"Dios, Patria, Libertad"''{{spaces|2}}([[Spanish language|Spanish]]) "God, Homeland, Liberty"

|national_anthem = ''[[Himno Nacional]]''

|official_languages = [[Spanish language|Spanish]]

|demonym = Dominican

|capital = [[Santo Domingo]] {{smallsup|1}}

|largest_city = capital

|government_type = [[Presidential system|Presidential republic]]

|leader_title1 = [[President of the Dominican Republic|President]]

|leader_name1 = [[Leonel Fernández]]

|leader_title2 = [[List of Vice Presidents of the Dominican Republic|Vice President]]

|leader_name2 = [[Rafael Alburquerque]]

|leader_title3 =

|leader_name3 =

|sovereignty_type = [[Independence]]

|sovereignty_note = From [[Haiti]]

|established_event1 = Date

|established_date1 = [[27 February]] [[1844]]

|area_rank = 130th

|area_magnitude = 1 E10

|area_km2 = 48730

|area_sq_mi =

|percent_water = 1.6

|population_estimate = 9,760,000

|population_estimate_rank = 82nd

|population_estimate_year = July 2007

|population_census = 9,365,818

|population_census_year = 2000

|population_density_km2 = 201

|population_density_sq_mi = 523

|population_density_rank = 38th

|GDP_PPP = $89.87 billion

|GDP_PPP_rank = 62nd

|GDP_PPP_year = 2007

|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $9,208

|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 71st

|Gini = 51.7

|Gini_year = 2003

|Gini_category = high

|HDI = {{increase}} 0.779

|HDI_rank = 79th

|HDI_year = 2005

|HDI_category = medium

|currency = [[Dominican peso|Peso]]

|currency_code = DOP

|country_code =

|time_zone = Atlantic

|utc_offset = -4

|time_zone_DST =

|utc_offset_DST =

|cctld = [[.do]]

|calling_code = 1

|calling_code_note = spec. [[Area code 809|1-809]] and +[[Area code 829|1-829]]

|footnote1 = Known as [[Ciudad Trujillo]] from 1936 to 1961<ref name=Columbia>{{cite web

| title = Santo Domingo, city, Dominican Republic

| work = The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

| publisher = Bartleby.com

| date= 2005

| url = http://www.bartleby.com/65/sn/SntoDom-city.html

| accessdate = 2007-06-03 }}</ref>}}

The '''Dominican Republic''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''República Dominicana'', {{pronounced|re'puβlika ðomini'kana}}) is a [[Latin America]]n country located on [[Hispaniola]], the second-largest island in the [[Caribbean]]'s [[Greater Antilles]] [[archipelago]]. Hispaniola lies west of [[Puerto Rico]] and east of [[Cuba]] and [[Jamaica]];<ref name="CIADemo">{{cite web

| title = CIA- The World Factbook -- Dominican Republic

| publisher = [[CIA]]

| url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html

| accessdate = 2007-06-04 }}</ref> it has a maritime border with [[Venezuela]].{{Fact|date=March 2008}} Its western third is home to [[Haiti]], making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are [[List of divided islands|split by two countries]], [[Saint Martin|Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten]] being the other. The Dominican Republic should not be confused with [[Dominica]].

The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent [[European colonization of the Americas|European settlement]] in the [[Americas]], its capital [[Santo Domingo]],<ref name="Encarta">{{cite web

|url= http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563569/Dominican_Republic.html

|title= Dominican Republic

|accessdate= 2007-06-06

|work= Encarta Encyclopedia

|publisher= Microsoft Corporation }}</ref> which was also the first colonial capital in the Americas.<ref name="ramos">{{cite web

| last = Ramos

| first = Ruth

| authorlink =

| coauthors = Esther Ramos

| title = Dominican Republic History

| work =

| publisher = Visiting the Dominican Republic.com

| date= 2005

| url = http://www.visiting-the-dominican-republic.com/dominican_republic_history.html

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref> It is the site of the first cathedral,<ref name=Columbia/> [[Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo|university]], European-built road, European-built fortress, and more.

For most of its independent history, the nation experienced political turmoil and unrest, suffering through many non-representative and tyrannical governments. However, since the death of military dictator [[Rafael Trujillo|Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina]] in 1961, the Dominican Republic has moved toward [[representative democracy]].

==History==

===The Taínos===

The island of [[Hispaniola]] was inhabited by the [[Taíno]]s, an [[Arawakan languages|Arawakan-speaking]] people, who may have arrived around A.D. 600, displacing earlier inhabitants.<ref name=kacike/> The Taínos lived in villages headed by chiefs and called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya, meaning "highest land", as well as Ayti and Bohio.<ref>[http://www.indio.net/taino/main/language/Tisland.htm Taino Name for the Islands]</ref> 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,<ref name=transat>{{cite book|last=Rawley|first=James A.|coauthors=Behrendt, Stephen D.|title=The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A History|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|date=2005|pages=49|isbn=0803239610|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Sn5pK8rbR5MC&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&dq=sugar+plantation+hispaniola&source=web&ots=T7KRe0jwdT&sig=X2RriGI4nqDC6djF5uwfpuZNpL0&output=html}}</ref> 300,000<ref name=kacike>[http://www.kacike.org/CalderonEspanol.html ADN Mitocondrial Taino en la República Dominicana]</ref> 3 million,<ref>http://www.usna.edu/Users/history/kolp/HH345/PRE1492.HTM U.S. News 08/18/97: How many people were here before Columbus? Pick a number]</ref> and 7-8 million.<ref>http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/ant/KEEGAN08.ANT</ref> They engaged principally in farming and fishing,<ref name="Encarta"/> as well as hunting and gathering.<ref name=kacike/>

===Spanish rule===

[[Christopher Columbus]] landed at [[Môle Saint-Nicolas]] on [[December 5]], [[1492]], in his first voyage, and claimed the island for [[Spain]]. Nineteen days later, the ''[[Santa María (ship)|Santa Maria]]'' ran aground near the present site of [[Cap-Haitien]]; Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, founding the settlement of [[La Navidad]]. He returned to Spain, voyaging back to America three more times.

After initially friendly relations, the Taínos resisted the conquest. One of the earliest leaders to fight against the Spanish was the female Chief [[Anacaona]] of Xaragua, in the southwest, who married Chief Caonabo of Maguana, in the center and south of the island. The two fought hard against the Europeans; she was captured by the Spanish and executed in front of her people. Other notables who resisted include Chief [[Guacanagari]], Chief [[Guamá]], and Chief [[Hatuey]], who later fled to Cuba and helped fight the Spaniards there. Chief [[Enriquillo]] fought victoriously against the Spaniards in the [[Baoruco Mountain Range]], in the southwest, to gain freedom for himself and his people in a part of the island. The Taínos were by then nearly extinct. Most of the survivors mixed with runaway African slaves, called [[Maroon (people)|''cimarrones'']], producing [[zambo]]s. The [[mestizo]]s increased in number as native women conceived to European men.

By the mid-1500s the majority of Taíno people had died out from mistreatment, disease, suicide, the breakup of family unity, starvation,<ref name=kacike/> forced labor, torture, and war with the Spaniards. In 1561 [[Bartolomé de las Casas]] wrote that when he reached Hispaniola in 1508 "There were 60,000 people living on this island, including the Indians; so that from 1494 to 1508, over three million people had perished from war, slavery and the mines. Who in future generations will believe this?"<ref>{{cite book|title=A People's History of the United States 1492 - Present|last=Zinn|first=Howard|publisher=HarperCollins|date=2003|isbn=0060528427|pages=7}}</ref> Due to the total lack of previous interaction with Europeans, and hence no previous exposure to European diseases, the Taíno had developed no immunity to smallpox — which they probably contracted in some cases via sexual relations with Europeans — and other contagious diseases, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life that some have termed a genocide.

The Taíno bloodline in Hispaniola diluted more and more as the decades went by, primarily due to the establishment of Africans and [[Mulattos]] on the island; however, it is believed that some [[Demographics of the Dominican Republic|Dominicans]] today retain native ancestry.<ref name=Guitar>[http://www.kacike.org/GuitarEnglish.html Documenting the Myth of Taíno Extinction] Dr. Lynne Guitar</ref><ref name=Martinez>[http://www.kacike.org/MartinezEnglish.html The Use of Mitochondrial DNA to Discover Pre-Columbian Migrations to the Caribbean: Results for Puerto Rico and Expectations for the Dominican Republic] Dr. Juan C. Martínez Cruzado</ref> It has been stated that Las Casas exaggerated the Indian population decline in an effort to better persuade King Charles to intervene, and that [[Encomienda|encomenderos]] also exaggerated it, in order to receive permission to import more African slaves. Moreover, censuses of the time did not account for the number of Indians who had fled from the Spanish into remote communities, where they often lived alongside runaway Africans. To this are added further problems of racial categorization itself which, evidence suggests, was influenced by social factors: for instance, mestizos who were culturally Spanish were counted as Spaniards.<ref name=Guitar/>

In 1496 [[Bartolomeo Columbus]], Christopher's brother, built the city of Nueva Isabela (New Isabella), now [[Santo Domingo]], in the south of Hispaniola. It was one of the first [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish settlements]], and became Europe's first permanent settlement in the [[New World]]. The Spaniards created a plantation economy on Hispaniola, particularly from the second half of the 16{{th}} century.<ref name=transat/> The island became a springboard for European conquest of the Caribbean islands, called "[[Antilles]]", and soon after, the [[South America]]n mainland, including what is modern-day coastal [[Venezuela]] and [[Colombia]]. Santo Domingo colony was for decades the headquarters of Spanish power in the New World. However, with the conquest of the mainland empires of the [[Aztec]]s and [[Inca Empire|Incas]], Hispaniola declined and Spain paid ever less attention to it. [[France|French]] [[bucaneer]]s settled in the western part of the island, and in the 1697 [[Treaty of Ryswick]] Spain ceded that part of Hispaniola to [[France]]. It grew into the wealthy colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), with four times the population of Santo Domingo at the end of the 18th century.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/3.htm U.S. Library of Congress Dominican Republic - THE FIRST COLONY]</ref>

===French rule===

France came to own the whole island in 1795, when in the [[Peace of Basel|Treaty of Basel]] Spain ceded Santo Domingo as a consequence of the [[French Revolutionary Wars]]. At the time the slaves in the western part (Haiti), led by [[Toussaint Louverture]], were in revolt against France. In 1801 Toussaint Louverture captured Santo Domingo from the French, thus gaining control of the entire island. However, an army sent by [[Napoleon I|Napoleon]] captured him and sent him prisoner to France in 1802; still, Toussaint Louverture's successors, and yellow fever, expelled the French again from Haiti and gained independence, although France went on to recover Spanish Santo Domingo. In 1808, following [[Peninsular War|Napoleon's invasion of Spain]], the [[Criollo (people)|''criollos'']] of Santo Domingo revolted against French rule, and with [[United Kingdom|Britain]]'s (Spain's ally) and even Haiti's help,<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/4.htm Library of Congress Country Studies; Dominican Republic - HAITI AND SANTO DOMINGO]</ref> returned Santo Domingo to Spanish control.<ref name=Britannica>{{cite web

|url= http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9117380/Dominican-Republic

|title= Dominican Republic

|accessdate= 2007-06-20

|work= [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]

|publisher= [[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]]}}</ref>

===The Ephemeral Independence and Haitian rule===

After a dozen years of Spanish misrule and neglect and failed independence plots by various groups, former Spanish Lieutenant-Governor [[José Núñez de Cáceres]] declared the colony's independence as the state of [[Haití Español]] (Spanish Haiti) on [[November 30]], [[1821]], requesting admission to [[Simón Bolívar]]'s [[Gran Colombia]]. But the new nation's independence was short-lived, as Haitian forces, led by [[Jean-Pierre Boyer]], invaded just nine weeks later in February 1822.<ref name="guitar">{{cite web

| last = Guitar

| first = Lynne

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = History of the Dominican Republic

| work =

| publisher = Hispaniola.com

| date =

| url = http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/history.php

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref>

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 [[Roman Catholic Church|Church]] property; as well as all property belonging to the former rulers, the [[Spanish monarchy|Spanish Crown]]. All levels of education suffered collapse; the university was shut down, as it was starved of resources and 16-25 year-old Dominican men were drafted into the Haitian army. A "heavy tribute" was imposed on the Dominican people.<ref name=Matibag>{{cite book |last=Matibag |first=Eugenio |title=Haitian-Dominican Counterpoint: Nation, State, and Race on Hispaniola |year=2003 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=0312294328}}</ref> Many whites fled Santo Domingo for [[Puerto Rico]], [[Cuba]] (both under Spanish rule), [[Venezuela]] and elsewhere.

Boyer also changed the Dominican economic system to place more emphasis on [[cash crop]]s to be grown on large plantations, reformed the [[Taxation|tax system]], and allowed [[foreign trade]]. But the new system was widely opposed by Dominican farmers, although it produced a boom in sugar and coffee production. Boyer's troops, which included many Dominicans, were unpaid, and had to "forage and sack" from Dominican civilians. In the end the economy faltered and taxation became more onerous. Rebellions occurred even by freed Dominican slaves, while Dominicans and Haitians worked together to oust Boyer from power. Anti-Haitian movements of several kinds — pro-independence, pro-Spanish, pro-French, pro-British, pro-[[United States|U.S.]] — gathered force following Boyer's overthrow in 1843.<ref name=Matibag/>

===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.<ref name="pons">{{cite book

| last = Moya Pons

| first = Frank

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = The Dominican Republic, A National History

| publisher =

| date =

| location =

| pages = 147-149

| url =

| doi =

| id = }}</ref> [[Ramón Matías Mella]] and [[Francisco del Rosario Sánchez]], (the latter one having African ancestry)<ref name="27febrero">http://www.27febrero.com/duarte.htm Francisco del Rosario Sánchez</ref> in spite of not being among the founding members, went on to be decisive in the fight for independence and are now hailed, along with Duarte, as the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On [[February 27]], [[1844]], the ''Trinitarios'', as the members of La Trinitaria were known, declared independence from Haiti, backed by [[Pedro Santana]], a wealthy cattle-rancher from [[El Seibo]] who became general of the army of the nascent Republic and is known as "El Liberador." The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on [[November 6]], [[1844]], and was modeled after the [[United States Constitution]].<ref name=Encarta />

Yet the decades that followed were filled with tyranny, factionalism, economic difficulties, rapid changes of government, and exile for political opponents. Threatening the nation's independence were renewed Haitian invasions, occurring in 1844, 1845-49, 1849-55, and 1855-56.<ref name=Matibag/>

Meanwhile, archrivals Santana and [[Buenaventura Báez]] held power most of the time, both ruling arbitrarily. They promoted competing plans to annex the new nation to another power: Santana favored [[Spain]], and Báez the [[United States]].

===The voluntary colony and the Restoration republic===

In 1861, after silencing or exiling many of his opponents and mainly due to political and economic reasons, Santana signed a pact with the Spanish Crown and reverted the Dominican nation to a colonial status,<ref name=Sagas>{{cite web

| last = Sagas

| first = Ernesto

| title = An Apparent Contradiction? - Popular Perceptions of Haiti and the Foreign Policy of the Dominican Republic

| work = Sixth Annual Conference of the Haitian Studies Association, Boston, MA

| publisher = [[Webster University]]

| date= October 14-15, 1994

| url = http://www.websterfl.edu/~corbetre/haiti//misctopic/dominican/conception.htm

| accessdate = 2007-06-06 }}</ref> the only Latin American country to do so. Opponents launched the [[Dominican Restoration War|War of the Restoration]] in 1863, led by a group of men including [[Santiago Rodríguez]] and [[Benito Monción]] among others; General [[Gregorio Luperón]] distinguished himself at the end of the war. Haitian authorities, fearful of the re-establishment of Spain as colonial power on their border, gave refuge and logistics to Dominican revolutionaries to re-establish independence.<ref name=Sagas /> The United States, then fighting its own [[American Civil War|Civil War]], vigorously protested the Spanish action. After two years of fighting, the Spanish troops abandoned the island.<ref name="Sagas" /> The Restoration was proclaimed on [[August 16]], [[1863]].

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,<ref name="guitar" /> 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.<ref>http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Treaties.htm#5 U.S. Senate: Art & History Home > Origins & Development > Powers & Procedures > Treaties]</ref><ref name=Encarta/> U.S. President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] supported this plan, but the United States Senate refused on [[June 30]], [[1870]],<ref name="guitar"/> albeit by just one vote. President Grant thought that former American slaves could go to the Dominican Republic and live in peace, free of harassment by Southern whites.<ref name=PBS>{{cite web

| title = Ulysses S. Grant

| work = American Experience

| publisher = [[Public Broadcasting Service]]

| date= 2006

| url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/grant/peopleevents/p_sumner.html

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-06-06 }}</ref>

[[Image:Heureaux2.gif|thumb|right|[[Ulises Heureaux|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. 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,<ref>http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/8.htm Dominican Republic - ULISES HEUREAUX, 1882-99]</ref> which saw the coming to power of [[Ulises Heureaux|General Ulises Heureaux]].

The new president was initially popular.<ref name=countrystudies>{{cite web|title=Dominican Republic - ULISES HEUREAUX, 1882-99|publisher=U.S. Library of Congress|url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/8.htm|accessdate=2007-12-23}}</ref> 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.<ref name=countrystudies/> Heureaux's rule became more despotic with time and he all the more unpopular.<ref>{{cite book|last=Langley|first=Lester D.|title=The Banana Wars|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=0842050477|pages=p. 20|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Xc1RBfZd3pcC&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20&dq=despotic+heureaux+dominican&source=web&ots=5ssCqIoUR8&sig=vsKIQvRbM5LoZMdVv-og8Xw_9rs&output=html}}</ref><ref name=countrystudies/> 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,<ref>Hall, Michael R.; ''Sugar and Power in the Dominican Republic''; Greenwood Press; 2000; ISBN 0313311277; p. 10</ref> and the country attracted foreign workers and immigrants, both from the [[Old World]] and the [[New World|New]].

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.<ref name=countrystudies/> 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.<ref name=Encarta /> In exchange the United States agreed to use the customs proceeds to help reduce the immense foreign debt of the Dominican Republic,<ref name=Encarta /> and even assumed responsibility for said debt.<ref name=countrystudies/>

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.<ref name="congress">{{cite web

| last =

| first =

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Dominican Republic: Occupation by the United States, 1916-1924

| work =

| publisher = U.S. Library of Congress

| date =

| url = http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/10.htm

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref> As a result, [[Ramón Báez Machado]] was elected provisional president on [[August 27]], [[1914]].<ref name="congress"/> Presidential elections held on [[October 25]] returned [[Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra]] to the presidency. Despite his victory, however, Jimenes felt impelled to appoint leaders and prominent members of the various political factions to positions in his government in an effort to broaden its support. The internecine conflicts that resulted had quite the opposite effect, weakening the government and the President and emboldening Secretary of War [[Desiderio Arias]] to take control of both the armed forces and the [[Congress of the Dominican Republic|Congress]], which he compelled to impeach Jimenes for violation of the constitution and the laws. Although the United States ambassador offered military support to his government, Jimenes opted to step down on [[May 7]], [[1916]].

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]].

===U.S. occupation===

The first [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] landed three days later, on [[May 19]] [[1916]]. Although they established effective control of the country within two months, the United States forces did not proclaim a [[United States occupation of the Dominican Republic|military government]] until November. Most Dominican laws and institutions remained intact under military rule, although the shortage of Dominicans willing to serve in the Cabinet forced the military governor, [[Harry Shepard Knapp]], to fill a number of portfolios with United States [[United States Navy|naval]] officers. The press and radio were censored for most of the occupation, and public speech was limited.

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 Province|El Seibo]] and [[San Pedro de Macorís]]. From 1917 to 1921, the United States forces battled a guerrilla movement in that area known as the "gavilleros". The guerrillas enjoyed considerable support among the population, and they benefited from a superior knowledge of the terrain. The movement survived the capture and the execution of its leader, [[Vicente Evangelista]], and some initially fierce encounters with the Marines. However, the gavilleros eventually yielded to the occupying forces' superior firepower, air power (a squadron of six [[Curtiss JN-4|Curtis Jennies]]), and determined (often brutal) [[counter-insurgency]] methods.

After [[World War I]], public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation. U.S. President [[Warren G. Harding]], who succeeded [[Woodrow Wilson]] in March 1921, had campaigned against the occupations of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In June 1921, United States representatives presented a withdrawal proposal, known as the Harding Plan, which called for Dominican ratification of all acts of the military government, approval of a loan of US$2.5 million for public works and other expenses, the acceptance of United States officers for the constabulary — now known as the Guardia Nacional (National Guard) — and the holding of elections under United States supervision.

Popular reaction to the plan was overwhelmingly negative. Moderate Dominican leaders, however, used the plan as the basis for further negotiations that resulted in an agreement allowing for the selection of a provisional president to rule until elections could be organized. Under the supervision of High Commissioner [[Sumner Welles]], [[Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos]] assumed the provisional presidency on [[October 21]], [[1922]]. In the presidential election of [[March 15]], [[1924]], former President [[Horacio Vásquez|Horacio Vásquez Lajara]] handily defeated [[Francisco J. Peynado]]. Vásquez's Alliance Party (Partido Alianza) also won a comfortable majority in both houses of Congress. With his inauguration on [[July 13]], control of the republic returned to Dominican hands. He gave the country six years of good government, in which political and civil rights were respected and the economy grew strongly, in an atmosphere of peace.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/11.htm U.S. Library of Congress; Dominican Republic - THE ERA OF TRUJILLO]</ref>

===Trujillo era===

[[Image:Rafael Leonidas Trujillo.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Rafael Trujillo]]

The Dominican Republic was ruled by dictator [[Rafael Trujillo|Rafael Leonidas Trujillo]] from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. Trujillo ruled with an iron fist, persecuting anyone who opposed his regime. There was considerable economic growth during his rule, although a great deal of the wealth went to the dictator and other regime elements. He also renamed many towns and provinces after himself and members of his family, including the capital city Santo Domingo, renamed Ciudad Trujillo (Trujillo City).

In 1937 Trujillo (who was himself one-quarter Haitian),<ref name="killer">{{cite web

| last =

| first =

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Rafael Trujillo: Killer File

| work =

| publisher = Moreorless.com

| date =

| url = http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/trujillo.html

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref> in an event known as the [[Parsley Massacre]] or in the Dominican Republic as El Corte (The Cutting),<ref name="Wucker">{{cite web

| last = Wucker

| first = Michele

| title = Why the Cocks Fight: Dominicans, Haitians and the Struggle for Hispaniola

| work = Windows on Haiti

| url = http://www.ling.upenn.edu/courses/Fall_2003/ling001/wucker.html

| accessdate = 2007-12-26 }}</ref> ordered the Army to kill Haitians on the Dominican side of the border. An estimated 17,000 to 35,000 Haitians were killed over approximately five days, from the night of [[October 2]], [[1937]] through [[October 8]], [[1937]]. Haitians were cut down with machetes.<ref name="killer"/><ref name="guitar"/> 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 [[Haitian Creole language|Kreyol]] said the "r" in ''perejil'' with a flat long pronunciation, while Dominicans said it with a trilled "r" sound.<ref name="Wucker"/> This massacre was alleged to have been an attempt to seize money and property from Haitians living on the border.<ref>http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti-archive/msg00235.html #219: Temwayaj Kout Kouto, 1937: Eyewitnesses to the Genocide (fwd)]</ref> As a result of this massacre the Dominican Republic agreed to pay Haiti $750,000.00, which was later reduced to US$525,000.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/11.htm Dominican Republic - THE ERA OF TRUJILLO]</ref><ref name="Sagas" /> The Dominican government headed by Trujillo for a long time was supported by the USA,<ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826562,00.html Time Magazine; [[September 5]], 1960; Retrieved [[December 26]], [[2007]]</ref> the Catholic Church, and the Dominican elite; even after the death of Dominicans in the political opposition and over 17,000 Haitians.<ref name="Wucker"/> Trujillo was assassinated on [[May 30]], [[1961]] in Santo Domingo.

===Post-Trujillo===

A democratically-elected government under leftist [[Juan Bosch]] took office in 1963, but was overthrown later in the year. After nineteen months of military rule, a pro-Bosch revolt took place in 1965. US Marines arrived in the Dominican Republic to restore order in [[Operation Powerpack]], later to be joined by forces from the [[Organization of American States]].<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/13.htm U.S. Library of Congress; Dominican Republic - Civil War and United States Intervention, 1965]</ref> 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.

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. Balaguer's rule was accompanied by a growing disparity between rich and poor.

===1978 to present===

In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by opposition candidate [[Antonio Guzmán Fernández]], of the [[Dominican Revolutionary Party]] (PRD). From 1978 to 1986, the Dominican Republic experienced a period of relative freedom and basic human rights. Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, defeating PRD candidate [[José Francisco Peña Gómez]], a former mayor of Santo Domingo. Both the national and international communities generally viewed these elections as a major fraud, leading to political pressure for Balaguer to step down. Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996, which was won by Bosch's [[Dominican Liberation Party]] for the first time, with [[Leonel Fernández]] as its candidate.

In 2000, [[Hipólito Mejía]] won the electorate when opposing candidates [[Danilo Medina]] and a very old [[Joaquín Balaguer]] decided that they would not force a runoff after the first got 49.8% of the votes. In 2004, Leonel Fernández was elected again, with 57% of the votes, defeating then-incumbent president Mejía.

==Government and politics==

The Dominican Republic is a [[representative democracy]], with national powers divided among independent [[Executive (government)|executive]], [[Legislature|legislative]], and [[Judiciary|judicial branches]]. The [[President of the Dominican Republic]] appoints the cabinet, executes laws passed by the [[Congress of the Dominican Republic|legislative branch]], and is commander in chief of the [[Military of the Dominican Republic|armed forces]]. The president and vice president run for office on the same ticket and are elected by direct vote for 4-year terms. Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral Congress composed of the [[Senate of the Dominican Republic|Senate]] (with 32 members) and the [[Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic|Chamber of Deputies]] (with 178 members).

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

Under the constitutional reforms negotiated after the 1994 elections, the 16-member [[Government of the Dominican Republic#Judicial branch|Supreme Court of Justice]] is appointed by a National Judicial Council, which comprises the President, the leaders of both houses of Congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non-governing-party member. One other Supreme Court Justice acts as secretary of the Council, a non-voting position. The Supreme Court has sole authority over managing the court system and in hearing actions against the president, designated members of his cabinet, and members of Congress when the legislature is in session.

The 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.<ref>[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35639.htm Dominican Republic (11/07)]</ref>

===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.<ref>[http://www.saxakali.com/caribbean/elangston.htm Crisis in Dominican Republic]</ref>

There are [[List of political parties in the Dominican Republic|many political parties]] and [[interest group]]s and, new in this scenario, [[Non-governmental organization|civil organizations]]. The three major parties are the [[Conservatism|conservative]] [[Social Christian Reformist Party]] (Spanish: Partido Reformista Social Cristiano [PRSC]), in power 1966–78 and 1986–96; the [[Social democracy|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.

===Foreign relations===

The Dominican Republic maintains close relations with the nations of the [[Western Hemisphere]] and the principal nations of Europe. Relations with the U.S. are very close.<ref name=ussdnote/>

The country is a member of the following international organizations:<ref name=CIADemo/>

[[ACP countries|ACP]], [[Caribbean Community|Caricom]] (observer), [[United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean|ECLAC]], [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], [[Group of 77|G-77]], [[Inter-American Development Bank|IADB]], [[International Atomic Energy Agency|IAEA]], [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]], [[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]], [[International Chamber of Commerce|ICC]], [[International Criminal Court|ICCt]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|ICRM]], [[International Development Association|IDA]] (graduate), [[International Fund for Agricultural Development|IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies|IFRCS]], [[International Hydrographic Organization|IHO]] (suspended), [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Maritime Organization|IMO]], [[Intelsat]] (or ITSO), [[Interpol]], [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]], [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]], [[Inter-Parliamentary Union|IPU]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] (correspondent member), [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[International Trade Union Confederation|ITUC]], [[Latin American Economic System|LAES]], [[Latin American Integration Association|LAIA]] (observer), [[Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency|MIGA]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]], [[Organization of American States|OAS]], [[OPANAL]], [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|OPCW]] (signatory), [[Permanent Court of Arbitration|PCA]], [[Rio Group]], [[United Nations|UN]], [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[Latin Union|Unión Latina]], [[United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire|UNOCI]], [[World Tourism Organization|UNWTO]] (or WToO), [[Universal Postal Union|UPU]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTO]] (or WTrO).

==Provinces and municipalities==

{{main|Provinces of the Dominican Republic|Municipalities of the Dominican Republic}}

The Dominican Republic is divided into 31 [[Provinces of the Dominican Republic|provinces]]. Additionally, the national capital, [[Santo Domingo]], is contained within its own [[Distrito Nacional]] (National District).

The provinces are divided into [[Municipality|municipalities]] (''[[municipio]]s''; singular ''municipio''). They are the second–level political and [[Administrative division|administrative subdivisions]] of the country.

<center>[[Image:DominicanRepublicSubdivisions.png|center|Provinces of the Dominican Republic.]]

| valign="top"|

# [[Azua Province|Azua]]

# [[Baoruco Province|Bahoruco]]

# [[Barahona Province|Barahona]]

# [[Dajabón Province|Dajabón]]

# [[Duarte Province|Duarte]]

# [[Elías Piña Province|Elías Piña]]

# [[El Seibo Province|El Seibo]]

# [[Espaillat Province|Espaillat]]

# [[Hato Mayor Province|Hato Mayor]]

# [[Independencia Province|Independencia]]

# [[La Altagracia Province|La Altagracia]]

<li> [[La Romana Province|La Romana]]

<li> [[La Vega Province|La Vega]]

<li> [[María Trinidad Sánchez Province|María Trinidad Sánchez]]

<li> [[Monseñor Nouel Province|Monseñor Nouel]]

<li> [[Monte Cristi Province|Monte Cristi]]

<li> [[Monte Plata Province|Monte Plata]]

<li> [[Pedernales Province|Pedernales]]

<li> [[Peravia Province|Peravia]]

<li> [[Puerto Plata Province|Puerto Plata]]

<li> [[Hermanas Mirabal Province (Dominican Republic)|Hermanas Mirabal]]

<li> [[Samaná Province|Samaná]]

<li> [[Sánchez Ramírez Province|Sánchez Ramírez]]

<li> [[San Cristóbal Province|San Cristóbal]]

<li> [[San José de Ocoa Province|San José de Ocoa]]

<li> [[San Juan Province (Dominican Republic)|San Juan]]

<li> [[San Pedro de Macorís Province|San Pedro de Macorís]]

<li> [[Santiago Province (Dominican Republic)|Santiago]]

<li> [[Santiago Rodríguez Province|Santiago Rodríguez]]

<li> [[Santo Domingo Province|Santo Domingo]]

<li> [[Valverde Province|Valverde]]

[[Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic|D.N.]]*

</ol>

* The national capital, also known as [[Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic|Distrito Nacional]] (D.N.), is the city of [[Santo Domingo]].

</center>

==Geography==

[[Image:Dr-map.gif|thumb|left|250px|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 shares the island roughly at a 2:1 ratio with [[Haiti]]. The whole country measures an area of 48,730 km² (or 48,921 km²),<ref>Hispaniola.com [http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/nature_georaphy.php Geography of the Dominican Republic] Retrieved [[2008-01-19]]</ref> making it the second largest country in the [[Antilles]], after [[Cuba]].<ref name="CIADemo" /> The country's capital and greatest metropolitan area, [[Santo Domingo]], is located on the southern coast.

To the north, at a distance between 100 and 200 km, are three extensive, largely submerged banks, which geographically are a southeast continuation of the [[Bahamas]]: [[Navidad Bank]], [[Silver Bank]] and [[Mouchoir Bank]]. Navidad Bank and Silver Bank have been officially claimed by the Dominican Republic.

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]] (3,087 [[meter|m]] / 10,128 [[Foot (unit of length)|ft]] above [[sea level]]), La Pelona (3,085m), La Rucilla (3,049m) and Pico Yaque (2,760m).

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.

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 [[plain]]s. In between the Central and Septentrional mountain ranges lies the rich and fertile [[Cibao]] valley. This major valley is home to the city of [[Santiago de los Caballeros]] and to most of the farming areas in the nation. Rather less productive is the semi-arid San Juan Valley, south of the Cordillera Central and extending westward into Haiti. Still more arid is the Neiba Valley, tucked between the Sierra de Neiba and the Sierra de Bahoruco. This valley is also known in Haiti as the Cul-de-Sac. Much of the land in the Enriquillo Basin is below sea level, with a hot, arid, desert-like environment. There are other smaller valleys in the mountains such as the Constanza, Jarabacoa, Villa Altagracia and Bonao valleys.

[[image:DomRep Bacardi Insel.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Cayo Levantado in [[Samana Bay]] is one of the many cays in the D.R.]]

There are many small offshore islands and [[cay]]s that are part of the Dominican territory. The two largest islands near shore are [[Saona Island|Saona]] in the southeast and Beata in the southwest.

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 [[savannah]]s that are common here. West of Santo Domingo its width is reduced to 10 km as it hugs the coast, finishing at the mouth of the Ocoa River. Another large plain is the ''Plena de Azua'' ("Azua Plain"), a very dry region in the [[Azua Province]].

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

[[Image:07-05-11LagoEnriquilloDR.jpg|thumb|right|250px|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 River|Yaque del Norte]] carries excess water down from the Cibao Valley and empties into Monte Cristi Bay. Likewise, the [[Yuna River]] serves the Vega Real and empties into Samaná Bay. Drainage of the San Juan Valley is provided by the San Juan River, [[tributary]] of the [[Yaque del Sur]], which empties into the Caribbean. The [[Artibonite River|Artibonito]] is the longest river of [[Hispaniola]] and flows into Haiti. The Yaque del Norte is the longest and most important Dominican river.

There are many lakes and coastal [[lagoon]]s; the largest lake is [[Lago Enriquillo]], a [[saline lake]] at 40 m below sea level, the lowest point in the [[West Indies]]. Other important lakes are Laguna de Rincón or Cabral, with [[freshwater]], and Laguna de Oviedo, a lagoon with [[brackish water]].

===Climate===

[[Image:Isla Saona.jpg|thumb|450px|A beach on [[Saona Island]].]]

The country is a [[tropical]], [[maritime nation]]. [[Wet season]] is from May to November, and periodic [[hurricanes]] between June and November. Most rain falls in the northern and eastern regions. The average [[rainfall]] is 1346 mm, with extremes of 2500 mm in the northeast and 500 mm in the west. The main annual [[temperature]] ranges from 21 °C in the mountainous regions to 25 °C on the plains and the coast. The average temperature in [[Santo Domingo]] in January is 25 °C and 30 °C in July.

===Environmental issues===

[[Bajos de Haina]], {{convert|12|mi|km|0}} west of Santo Domingo, was included on the [[Blacksmith Institute]]'s list of the world's 10 most polluted places, released in October 2006, due to lead poisoning by a battery recycling smelter closed in 1999. As the site never was cleaned up children continue to be born with high lead levels causing learning disabilities, impaired physical growth and kidney damage.<ref>{{cite web

| last = Pina

| first = Diógenes

| title = Hell in 'God's Paradise'

| publisher = Inter Press Service News Agency

| date= 2007-01-26

| url = http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36323

| accessdate = 2007-06-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web

| last = Robles

| first = Francis

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Pollution sickens children in Dominican Republic

| work =

| publisher = Miami Herald

| date= 2007-03-13

| url = http://www.miamiherald.com/949/story/39816.html

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref>

== Symbols==

Some of the important symbols include the [[flag of the Dominican Republic]], [[Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic|the coat of arms]], and the national anthem, titled ''[[Himno Nacional]]''. The flag has a large white cross that divides it into four quarters. Two quarters are red and two are blue. Red represents the blood shed by the liberators. Blue expresses God's protection over the nation. The white cross symbolizes the struggle of the liberators to bequeath future generations a free nation. An alternate interpretation is that blue represents the ideals of progress and liberty, whereas white symbolizes peace and union amongst Dominicans.<ref>[http://www.ejercito.rd.mil.do/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=9 National Army of the Dominican Republic; National Flag]</ref> 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 [[Swietenia mahagoni|West Indies Mahogany]]<ref>http://www.agricultura.gov.do/Publicaciones/anuario2004/capitulo1.pdf</ref> The national bird is the ''Cigua Palmera'' or [[Palmchat]].<ref name=depaul>[http://un.cti.depaul.edu/public/DominicanRepublic/1/Spanish/ Republica Dominicana - Permanent Mission to the United Nations]</ref>

==Economy==

===Recent years===

[[Image:Edificiosok052.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Santo Domingo.]]

The Dominican Republic is a lower middle-income<ref>[http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:20421402~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html#Lower_middle_income The World Bank; Data - Country Groups]</ref> [[developing country]] primarily dependent on natural resources and government services. Although the service sector has recently overtaken agriculture as the leading employer of Dominicans (due principally to growth in tourism and [[Free Trade Zones]]), agriculture remains the most important sector in terms of domestic consumption and is in second place, behind [[mining]], in terms of [[export]] earnings. Tourism accounts for more than $1.3 billion in annual earnings. Free Trade Zone earnings and tourism are the fastest-growing export sectors. [[Remittances from overseas|Remittances]] ("remesas") from Dominicans living abroad are estimated to be more than $2 billion dollars per year.

[[Image:Santodomingosd.jpg|300px|right|thumb|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]]. This recession followed the collapse of the second-largest [[commercial bank]] of the country ([[Baninter]]), linked to a major incident of [[fraud]] valued at $3.5 billion during the administration of President [[Hipolito Mejia]] (2000-2004). The Baninter fraud had a devastating effect on the Dominican economy, with GDP dropping by 1% in 2003 while inflation ballooned by over 27%.

Despite a widening merchandise [[trade deficit]], tourism earnings and remittances have helped build [[foreign exchange reserves]]. The Dominican Republic is current on foreign [[Consumer debt|private debt]], and has agreed to pay arrears of about $130 million to the [[U.S. Department of Agriculture|U.S. Department of Agriculture's]] [[Commodity Credit Corporation]].

According to the 2005 Annual Report of the United Nations Subcommittee on Human Development in the Dominican Republic, the country is ranked #71 in the world for resource availability, # 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.

[[Image:SantiagoCityDominicanRep.JPG|thumb|left|240px|[[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]].<ref name="CIADemo" /> Money laundering is favored by [[Colombia]]n drug cartels via the Dominican Republic for the ease of illicit financial transactions.<ref name="CIADemo" />

The Dominican Republic enjoys a growing economy and a 2007 [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] per capita of $9,208, in [[Purchasing power parity|PPP]] terms, which is relatively high in Latin America. In the trimester of January - March 2007 it experienced an exceptional growth of 9.1% in its GDP, below the previous year's 10.9% in the same period. Growth was led by [[import]]s, followed by exports, with finance and foreign investment the next largest factors.<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Dominican Economy grows 9.1% slightly less than before| date= May 14th 2007 | publisher=Diariolibre | url =http://diariolibre.com/app/article.aspx?id=105628| work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-05-24 | language = }}</ref> 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,<ref>[http://www.cne.gov.do/Page.asp?key=89 Fernández Zucco anuncia celebración Semana Internacional de la Energía]</ref> 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.

===Currency===

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

The U.S. dollar is implicated in almost all commercial transactions of the Dominican Republic; such [[dollarization]] is common in high inflation economies. On February 2005, 1.32 USD = one € = 29 DR pesos; in October 2005, 1.19 USD = one € = 32 DR pesos. As of September 2007 the value of the peso is

1 USD=0.7006 EUR=33.430 DOP.<ref>[http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=1&from=USD&to=DOP&submit=Convert Yahoo! Finance Currency Converter; US dollar to Peso]</ref><ref>[http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=1&from=USD&to=EUR&submit=Convert Yahoo! Finance Currency Converter; US dollar to Euro]</ref>

===Tourism===

According to the [[World Tourism Organization]], the Dominican Republic is the [[Caribbean]]'s most popular tourist destination.<ref>[http://www.executivetraveler.net/article.php?article=29 Dominican Golf; The Caribbean's number one destination goes for the green.] Executive Traveler - The Magazine.</ref> Tourism is an important sector of the Dominican economy.

==Demographics==

===Population===

The population of Dominican Republic in 2007 was estimated by the United Nations at 9,760,000,<ref name=esa>United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2007). [http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2006/WPP2006_Highlights_rev.pdf World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revision, Highlights, Working Paper No. ESA/P/WP.202.] Retrieved on [[2008-01-13]]</ref> which placed it as number 82 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 5% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 35% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 103 males for every 100 females in the country in 2007.<ref name="CIADemo"/> According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2006–2007 is 1.5%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 10,121,000.

It was estimated by the Dominican government that the population density in 2007 was 192 per sq km (498 per sq mi), and 63% of the population lived in urban areas.<ref name=conapofa>[http://www.conapofa.gov.do/estimaciones.asp Población en Tiempo Real] Consejo Nacional de Población y Familia; Estimaciones. Retrieved [[2008-01-13]]</ref> 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, Dominican Republic|La Romana]], [[San Pedro de Macorís]], [[San Francisco de Macorís]], and [[Concepción de la Vega]]. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 2.3%.<ref>[http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Dominican-Republic-POPULATION.html Dominican Republic - Population] Encyclopedia of the Nations</ref>

===Ethnic composition===

[[Image:Carnival 002 4412.JPG|Right|300px|thumb|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, 16% white and 11% black.<ref name="CIADemo" /> The mixed population is mostly [[mulatto]]. Indigenous [[Taino]] descent has survived in some Dominicans.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-217428/Dominican-Republic Dominican Republic -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia]</ref><ref name=Guitar/> Other ethnic groups in the Dominican Republic include [[Demographics of Haiti|Haitians]], [[Germans]], [[Italians]], [[French people|French]], [[Jew]]s, [[Spanish people|Spaniards]], and [[United States|Americans]]. A smaller presence of [[East Asia]]ns (primarily [[Overseas Chinese|ethnic Chinese]] and [[Japan]]ese) and [[Middle East]]erners (primarily [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]]) can be found throughout the population.

===Racial issues===

As elsewhere in the [[Spanish Empire]], the original Spanish colony of Hispaniola employed a social system known as [[casta]], wherein [[Peninsulares]] (Spaniards born in Spain) occupied the highest echelon. These were followed, in descending order of status, by: [[criollo (people)|criollos]], [[castizo]]s, [[mestizo]]s, [[mulatto]]es, [[Native peoples of the Americas|Indians]], [[zambo]]s, and lastly, [[Negro|black slaves]].<ref name="Casta">{{cite web

| last = Soong

| first = Roland

| title = Racial Classifications in Latin America

| publisher = Zona Latina

| date = August 1999

| url = http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata55.htm

| accessdate = 2007-12-22 }}</ref><ref name="Criollos">{{cite web

| last = Guitar

| first = Lynne

| title = Criollos: The Birth of a Dynamic New Indo - Afro - European People and Culture on Hispaniola.

| publisher = KACIKE: Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology

| date = March 2000

| url = http://www.kacike.org/LynneGuitar.html

| accessdate = 2007-12-23 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Shadow">{{cite web

| last = McLaughlin

| first = John J.

| title = The shadow of Trujillo.

| work = VIEWPOINT - racism fuels political violence in Dominican Republic

| publisher = National Catholic Reporter

| date = September 2006

| url = http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-151974298.html

| accessdate = 2007-12-22 }}</ref><ref name="Wucker"/>

According to a study by the [[City University of New York|CUNY]] Dominican Studies Institute, about 90% of the contemporary Dominican population has some [[African]] ancestry.<ref name="CUNY">{{cite web

| last = Torres-Saillant

| first = Silvio

| title = The Tribulations of Blackness: Stages in Dominican Racial Identity

| work = Latin American Perspectives, Issue 100

| publisher = CUNY Dominican Studies Institute

| date = May 1998

| url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0094-582X(199805)25%3A3%3C126%3ATTOBSI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-W

| accessdate = 2007-06-04 }}</ref> However, most Dominicans self-identify as being of mixed-race rather than "black" in contrast to African identity movements in the United States. A variety of terms are used to represent a range of skintones; these include "morena" (brown), "india" (Indian), "blanca oscura" (dark white), and "trigueño" (wheat colored),<ref name="kiiniiburasalaam">{{cite web

| last = Salaam

| first = Kiini Ibura

| title = There's No Racism Here? - A Black Woman in the Dominican Republic

| work = Eyeball Literary Magazine

| publisher = ChickenBones: A Journal

| date = 2000

| url = http://www.nathanielturner.com/kiiniiburasalaam2.htm

| accessdate = 2007-06-07 }}</ref> 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. [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."<ref name=worldpress>{{cite web

| last = Zahka

| first = Jeffrey

| title = Anti-Haitian Bias Rooted in Dominican History

| publisher = Worldpress.org

| date = February 28, 2006

| url = http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2276.cfm

| accessdate = 2007-06-06 }}</ref>

However, this view is not universal, as many also claim that Dominican culture is simply different and rejects the racial categorizations of other regions. Ramona Hernández, director of the Dominican Studies Institute at [[City College of New York]] asserts that the terms were originally an act of defiance in a time when being mulatto was stigmatized. "During the Trujillo regime, people who were dark skinned were rejected, so they created their own mechanism to fight it" She went on to explain "When you ask, 'What are you?' they don't give you the answer you want . . . saying we don't want to deal with our blackness is simply what you want to hear."<ref name=miamiherald>{{cite web

| last = Robles

| first = Frances

| title = Black Denial

| work = A Rising Voice: Afro-Latin Americans

| publisher = The Miami Herald

| date = June 13, 2007

| url = http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/news/afrolatin/part2/index.html

| accessdate = 2007-06-15 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=miamiherald /><ref>[http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata55.htm Racial Classifications in Latin America] Zona Latina</ref>

===Religion===

More than 95% of the population adheres to

[[Christianity]], mostly [[Roman Catholicism]], followed by a growing contingent of [[Protestant]] groups such as [[Seventh-day Adventist]], and [[Jehovah's Witnesses]]. Recent but small scale immigration has brought other religions, which make up small percentages of the population: [[Spiritist]]: 2.18%, [[Mormons]]: 1.0%, [[Buddhist]]: 0.10%, [[Bahá'í Faith|Bahá'í]]: 0.07%, [[Muslim]]: 0.02%, and [[Jewish]]: 0.01%.<ref>{{cite web

| last =

| first =

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Country Profile: Dominican Republic

| work =

| publisher = Religious Intelligence.com

| date= 2006

| url = http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/country/?CountryID=74

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref>

[[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] was introduced by [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]] and [[Spain|Spanish]] missionaries. Religion wasn’t really the foundation of their entire society, as it was in other parts of the world at the time, and most of the population didn’t attend church on a regular basis. Nonetheless, most of the education in the country was based upon the [[Catholic]] religion, as the [[Bible]] was required in the curriculum in all public schools. Children would use religious based dialogue when greeting a relative or parent. For example: a child would say “Bless me, mother,” and the mother would reply “May God bless you.” Most Dominicans are Roman Catholic.

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]] [[Evangelism|evangelical]] movement began to gain support. Protestants emphasized biblical teachings like the [[Catholics]], but also practiced rejuvenation and economic independence. The Protestants added diversity to the Dominican Republic, and there was almost no religious conflict with the Catholics.

There has always been religious freedom throughout the entire country. It wasn’t until the 1950s that restrictions were placed upon churches by [[Hector Trujillo|Trujillo]]. Letters of protest were sent against the mass arrests of government adversaries. Trujillo began a campaign against the church and planned to arrest priests and bishops who preached against the government. This campaign ended before it was even put into place, with his assassination.

[[Judaism]] appeared in the Dominican Republic in the late 1930s. During [[World War Two]], a group of [[Jews]] escaping [[Nazi]] [[Germany]] fled to the Dominican Republic and founded the city of [[Sosua]]. It has remained the center of the Jewish population since.<ref>{{cite web

| last = Haggerty

| first = Richard

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Dominican Republic - Religion

| work = Dominican Republic: A Country Study

| publisher = U.S. Library of Congress

| date= 1989

| url = http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/33.htm

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2006-05-21 }}</ref>

===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.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-54444/Dominican-Republic Dominican Republic :: Education -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia]</ref>

=== Health statistics===

In 2007 the Dominican Republic had a [[birth rate]] of 22.91 per 1000, and a [[death rate]] of 5.32/1000.<ref name="CIADemo"/> [[Dengue]] and [[malaria]] are endemic to the country.<ref>[http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1103.html United States Department of State: Country Specific Information]</ref> There is currently a mission based in the United States to combat the [[AIDS]] rate in the Dominican Republic.<ref>[http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/46098.pdf The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; April 2005 Newsletter] OFFICE OF THE U.S. GLOBAL AIDS COORDINATOR.</ref>

===Immigration===

[[Image:DR-Haiti-border.jpg|thumb|right|A border [[watch tower]] to control illegal immigration from [[Haiti]] located in the [[Cordillera Central, Hispaniola|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.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} 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]]<ref>{{cite web

| last =

| first =

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Juan Bosch - Government Officials

| work =

| publisher =

| date =

| url = http://www.afiwi.com/people2.asp?id=162

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref> and Joaquín Balaguer<ref> [http://dr1.com/news/2002/dnews073002.shtml DR1 - Daily News 30 July 2002] DR1.com</ref><ref>[http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/dominican-republic/bosch-dies.htm Dominican Juan Bosch dies] NANCY SAN MARTIN AND DON BOHNING; The Miami Herald; November 2, 2001</ref> both had Puerto Rican parents. During the first decades of the 20th century many Arabs primarily from Lebanon settled in the country. There is also a sizable Indian and Chinese population. The town of [[Sosúa]] has many Jews who settled there during [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=CCNY Jewish Studies Class to Visit Dominican Village that Provided Refuge to European Jews During World War II | date= | publisher=City College of New York | url =http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/advancement/pr/Sosua-Jewish-Studies.cfm | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-05-22 | language = }}</ref>

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.<ref name=ferguson>[http://www.oas.org/atip/Regional%20Reports/MigrationintheCaribbean.pdf Migration in the Caribbean: Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Beyond] James Ferguson. Minority Rights Group International. Retrieved [[2008-01-14]]</ref> Current estimates put the Haitian-born population in the Dominican Republic as high as 1 million.<ref>{{cite web

| last =

| first =

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Illegal people

| work =

| publisher = Human Rights Watch

| date =

| url = http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/domrep/domrep0402-02.htm

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref> Working conditions on these [[sugar]] [[plantation]]s have caused controversy, including assertions that conditions are near-[[slavery]].<ref name="hiltz">{{cite web

| last = Hiltz

| first = Wayne

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Slavery in paradise

| work =

| publisher = Montreal Mirror

| date= 1998

| url = http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/1998/121098/news5.html

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref> Moreover, the children of illegal Haitian immigrants are denied citizenship<ref name=ferguson/><ref>{{cite web

| last = Grossman

| first = Andrew

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Birthright citizenship as nationality of convenience

| work = Proceedings of the Third Conference on Nationality

| publisher = Council of Europe

| date= 2004-10-11

| url = http://www.uniset.ca/naty/maternity/

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-06-03 }}</ref> and basic health care,<ref>{{cite web

| last =

| first =

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the United States: Protect rights, reduce statelessness

| work =

| publisher = Reuters

| date= 2007-01-19

| url = http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000052/005242.htm

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref> and there are frequent physical attacks and roundups on adult immigrants.<ref>{{cite web

| last = Garcia

| first = Michelle

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = No Papers, No Rights

| work =

| publisher = Amnesty International

| date= 2006

| url = http://www.amnestyusa.org/Fall_2006/No_Papers_No_Rights/page.do?id=1105216&n1=2&n2=19&n3=358

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref>

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".<ref>{{cite web

| last =

| first =

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Haiti’s ambassador also denies Dominican “slavery”

| work =

| publisher = Dominican Today

| date= 2007-05-25

| url = http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=24051

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-06-03 }}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web

| last =

| first =

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Dominican Republic: A Life in Transit

| work =

| publisher = Amnesty International

| date= 2007-03-21

| url = http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR270012007

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-06-03 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=hwp>[http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43/111.html Fernandez visit: Haitian masses not impressed] Hartford Web Publishing, reprinted from Haiti Progres</ref> 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,"<ref name=hwp/> Exploitation of Haitians immigrants in the Dominican Republic is the subject of the 2007 political [[Documentary film|documentary]] narrated by [[Paul Newman]], [[The Price of Sugar]].

===="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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html |title=CIA - The World Factbook -- Haiti |accessdate=2008-03-18}}</ref> 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 immigration|illegal immigrants]] in nearly all nations, they are relegated to working class status, largely in farming, often sugar cane plantations, and house construction<ref name="Vivirlatino">{{cite web

| last = Woodard Maderazo

| first = Jennifer

| title = Racism and abuse in the Dominican Republic

| publisher = Vivirlatino.com

| date= November 2005

| url = http://vivirlatino.com/2005/11/23/racism-and-abuse-in-the-dominican-republic.php

| accessdate = 2007-12-23 }}</ref> with poor housing and poor schools for their children. Although any person born on Dominican soil is a Dominican citizen, per the Dominican constitution, and any ''legally'' residing person in the Dominican Republic can theoretically become a citizen, many Dominican-born children of Haitian ethnicity are stateless, as their parents are denied Dominican citizenship because they are deemed to be transient or have an illegal or undocumented residency status, or are unable to obtain Haitian citizenship for lack of proper documents or witnesses:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/9770/ |title=Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the United States: Protect Rights, Reduce Statelessness |publisher=Refugees International}}</ref> 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''".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Haiti/haiti1987.html |title=Political Database of the Americas. Constitutions: Republic of Haiti}}</ref>

A large number of Haitian women cross the border to Dominican soil during their last weeks of pregnancy to obtain much-needed medical attention for [[childbirth]], often arriving with several health problems, since Dominican public hospitals don't refuse medical services based on nationality or legal status. Statistics from a hospital in Santo Domingo report that over 22% of childbirths are by Haitian mothers.<ref>{{cite news |title=La República - El 22% de los nacimientos son de madres haitianas |url=http://listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=45034 |first=Doris |last=Pantaleón |publisher=Editora Listin Diario |date=2008-01-21 |accessdate=2008-03-18 |language=Spanish}}</ref>

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

Unofficially there are 800,000 illegal Haitians (other estimates place this figure around 1.2 million) living in the Dominican Republic, which accounts for a little over 10% of the national population.<ref>[http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37018 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Deport Thy (Darker-Skinned) Neighbour] Diógenes Pina. Inter Press Service (IPS). Retrieved [[2008-01-14]]</ref> After a UN delegation issued a preliminary report stating that it found a profound problem of racism and discrimination against people of Haitian origins, Dominican [[Foreign Minister]] [[Carlos Morales Troncoso]] issued a formal statement denouncing it and asserting that "Our border with Haiti has its problems, this is our reality and it must be understood. It is important not to confuse national sovereignty with indifference, and not to confuse security with xenophobia..."<ref>[http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39867 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Gov’t Turns Deaf Ear to UN Experts on Racism] Diógenes Pina. Inter Press Service (IPS). Retrieved [[2008-01-14]]</ref>

=== Emigration ===

The Dominican Republic has experienced three distinct waves of emigration in the second half of the twentieth century. The first period began in 1961, when a coalition of high-ranking Dominicans, with assistance from the CIA, assassinated General Rafael Trujillo, the nation's military dictator.<ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB222/family_jewels_wilderotter.pdf Justice Department Memo, 1975;] [[National Security Archive]]</ref> 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.<ref>[http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0197-9183(198224)16%3A4%3C819%3AIMITDR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-D International Migration in the Dominican Republic]; Thomas K. Morrison, Richard Sinkin; International Migration Review, Vol. 16, No. 4, Special Issue: International Migration and Development (Winter, 1982), pp. 819-836; doi:10.2307/2546161</ref> 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.<ref>[http://www.learner.org/channel/libraries/socialstudies/9_12/weir/background.html Migration Trends in Six Latin American Countries]</ref>

=== Crime ===

The Dominican Republic has served as a transportation hub for Colombian drug cartels.<ref>[http://www.racematters.org/harlemcopsdontdiscussrace.htm Why Harlem Drug Cops Don't Discuss Race]; RaceMatters.org (2001)</ref><ref name="CIADemo"/> In 2004 it was estimated that 8% of all cocaine smuggled into the United States has come through the Dominican Republic.<ref>{{cite web

| last = Ribando

| first = Claire

| authorlink =

| coauthors =

| title = Dominican Republic: Political and Economic Conditions and Relations with the United States.

| work =

| publisher = CRS Report for Congress

| date= 2005-03-05

| url = http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/46402.pdf

| format =

| doi =

| accessdate = 2007-05-29 }}</ref> The Dominican Republic responded with increased efforts to seize drug shipments, arrest and extradite those involved, and combat money-laundering. A 1995 report stated that social pressures and increasing poverty — which was then increasing — have led to a rise in prostitution within the Dominican Republic. Though prostitution is illegal within the country{{Fact|date=March 2008}} and the [[age of consent]] is 18, child prostitution is a growing phenomenon in impoverished areas. In an environment where young girls are often denied employment opportunities offered to boys, prostitution frequently becomes a source of supplementary income{{Fact|date=March 2008}}. [[UNICEF]] estimated in 1994 that at least 25,000 children were involved in the Dominican sex trade, 63% of that figure being girls.<ref name="ecpat">{{cite web

| last = O'Connell Davidson

| first = Julia

| title = Child Prostitution and Sex Tourism - Dominican Republic

| publisher = ECPAT

| date= December 1995

| url = http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/Publication/Other/English/Pdf_page/ecpat_sex_tourism_dom_rebublic.pdf

| accessdate = 2007-06-07 }}</ref>

==Culture==

[[Image:Carnaval Vegano.jpg|thumb|300px|Carnaval of La Vega, one of the most famous carnivals in the country.]]

The culture of the Dominican Republic, like its [[Caribbean]] neighbors, is a blend of the European colonists, Taínos and Africans, and their cultural legacies. [[Spanish language|Spanish]], also known as ''Castellano'' (Castilian) is the official language. Other languages such as [[Haitian Creole]], [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], and [[Italian language|Italian]] are also spoken to varying degrees. Haitian Creole is spoken fluently by 159,000<ref>Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=DO Online version]</ref> or as many as 1.2 million<ref>No Frontier, Ltd. [http://www.nofrontiers.org/countries.php Countries and languages]</ref> 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.<ref name="CIADemo" />

===Cuisine===

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

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

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

The beverages Dominicans enjoy include ''[[Morir Soñando]]'', [[rum]], [[beer]], ''Mamajuana'', ''batida'' (smoothie), ''ponche'', ''mabí'', and coffee.<ref>[http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/society_cuisine.php Dominican Republic Cuisine by Hispaniola.com]</ref>

===Music===

Musically, the Dominican Republic is known for the creation of [[Merengue music]],<ref>{{cite book

| last = Harvey

| first = Sean

| authorlink = Sean Harvey

| coauthors =

| title = The Rough Guide to The Dominican Republic

| publisher = Rough Guides

| date= January 2006

| location =

| pages = 376-7

| url =

| doi =

| id =

| isbn = 1-84353-497-5}}</ref> a type of lively, fast-paced rhythm and dance music consisting of a tempo of about 120 to 160 beats per minute (it varies wildly) based on musical elements like drums, brass, and chorded instruments, as well as some elements unique to the music style of the DR, such as the marimba. Its [[Syncopation|syncopated beats]] use [[Latin percussion]], [[brass instruments]], [[Bass guitar|bass]], and [[piano]] or [[Musical keyboard|keyboard]]. Not known for social content in its commercial form (Merengue Típico or Perico Ripiao is very socially charged), it is primarily a dancehall music that was declared the national music during the Trujillo regime. Well-known merengue singers include [[Juan Luis Guerra]], [[Fernando Villalona]], [[Eddy Herrera]], [[Sergio Vargas]], [[Toño Rosario]], [[Johnny Ventura]], and [[Milly Quezada]]. Merengue became popular mostly on the east coast of the United States during the 1980s an 90s,<ref>{{cite book

| last = Harvey

| first = Sean

| authorlink = Sean Harvey

| coauthors =

| title = The Rough Guide to The Dominican Republic

| publisher = Rough Guides

| date= January 2006

| location =

| pages = 375

| url =

| doi =

| id =

| isbn = 1-84353-497-5}}</ref> when many Puerto Rican groups such as [[Elvis Crespo]] were produced by Dominican bandleaders and writers living in the US territory{{Fact|date=June 2007}}. The emergence of [[Bachata]]-[[Merengue music|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.<ref>{{cite book

| last = Harvey

| first = Sean

| authorlink = Sean Harvey

| coauthors =

| title = The Rough Guide to The Dominican Republic

| publisher = Rough Guides

| date= January 2006

| location =

| pages = 378

| url =

| doi =

| id =

| isbn = 1-84353-497-5}}</ref>.

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

Bachata grew out of — and is still closely related to — the pan-Latin American romantic style called [[bolero]]. Over time, it has been influenced by merengue and by a variety of Latin American guitar styles.

===Sports===

[[Image:juan-marichal.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Juan Marichal]], member of the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] since 1983]]

[[Baseball]] is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic today.<ref>{{cite book

| last = Harvey

| first = Sean

| authorlink = Sean Harvey

| coauthors =

| title = The Rough Guide to The Dominican Republic

| publisher = Rough Guides

| date= January 2006

| location =

| pages = 59

| url =

| doi =

| id =

| isbn = 1-84353-497-5}}</ref> After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number of baseball players in the U.S. [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB). These players, some of them regarded as some of the best in the game, include:

* [[Sammy Sosa]], 1998 National League MVP Award and member of the exclusive (only 4 other players have reached the mark) [[600 home run club]].

* [[Albert Pujols]], 2001 [[National League Rookie of the Year]] 2005 National League MVP Award winner.

* [[Pedro Martínez]], three time [[Cy Young Award]] winner, 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/ designated hitter for the [[Boston Red Sox]]

* [[Jose Reyes]], 2007 MLB's Stolen Base Leader

* [[Manny Ramírez]], outfielder for the Boston Red Sox

* [[Miguel Tejada]]

* [[Alfonso Soriano]], infielder/outfielder for the [[Chicago Cubs]]

[[Image:Ortiz and Hall2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Dominican Citizen and [[Major League Baseball]] player [[David Ortiz]]]]

The Dominican Republic has participated in the [[Baseball World Cup]] winning one Gold (1948), three Silver (1942, 1950, 1952), and two Bronze (1943, 1969), second behind Cuba's record of twenty-five Gold, two Silver and two Bronze.

The country also participated in the [[2006 World Baseball Classic]], the inaugural tournament in which they finished semifinalists along with Korea.

Historically, the Dominican Republic has been linked to MLB since [[Ozzie Virgil, Sr.]] became the first Dominican to play there. Other very notable players were [[Juan Marichal]], [[Felipe Alou]], [[Rico Carty]], [[George Bell (baseball player)|George Bell]], [[Jose Rijo]] and [[Stan Javier]], among many others.

The Dominican Republic also has its own baseball league, which runs its season from October to January (called The Winter League by MLB), and includes six teams: [[Tigres del Licey]] (Licey Tigers), [[Aguilas Cibaeñas]] (Cibao Eagles), [[Gigantes del Cibao]] (Cibao Giants), [[Azucareros del Este]] (Eastern Sugar-makers), [[Estrellas Orientales]] (Eastern Stars), and [[Leones del Escogido]] (Escogido Lions). Many MLB players and [[minor league]]rs play in this six-team league during the off-season. As such, the Dominican winter league serves as an important "training ground" for MLB.

[[Olympic Games|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 (football player)|Luis Castillo]]. He was the cover athlete for the [[Spanish language]] version of [[Madden NFL 08]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Shanahan |first=Tom |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Sports at Lunch, [[Luis Castillo (football player)|]] and Felix Sanchez |work= |publisher=San Diego Hall of Champions |date=2007-03-24 |url=http://www.sdhoc.com/main/articles/sportsatlunch/Sportsatlunch2007/Sanchezcastillo |format= |doi= |accessdate=2007-05-29}}</ref>

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

* [[Francisco García]], guard-forward, [[Sacramento Kings]].

* [[Al Horford]], [[Power forward (basketball)|power forward]] and 3rd overall pick by the [[Atlanta Hawks]] in the [[2007 NBA Draft]].

* [[Felipe López (basketball)|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]], [[Héctor Acero Sánchez]], [[Julio César Green]], [[Joan Guzmán]], and [[Juan Carlos Payano]].

==Holidays==

{| class="wikitable"

! Date !! Name

| [[January 1]] || [[New Year's Day]]

|style="font-size:95%;"| Non-working day.

| [[January 6]] || [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] day of the [[Epiphany (Christian)|Epiphany]]

|style="font-size:95%;"| Movable.

| [[January 21]] || ''Virgen de la Altagracia''

|style="font-size:95%;"| Non-working day. [[Patron Saint|Patroness Day]] (Catholic).

| [[January 26]] || [[Juan Pablo Duarte|Duarte]]'s day

|style="font-size:95%;"| Movable. Founding Father.

| [[February 27]] || [[Independence Day]]

|style="font-size:95%;"| Non-working day. [[National Day]].

| (Variable date) || [[Holy Week]]

|style="font-size:95%;"| Working days, except [[Good Friday]]. A [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] holiday.

| [[May 1]] || [[Labour Day]]

|style="font-size:95%;"| Movable.

| (Variable date) || Catholic [[Corpus Christi (feast)|Corpus Christi]]

|style="font-size:95%;"| Non-working day. A Thursday in June (60 days after Easter Sunday).

| [[August 16]] || [[Dominican Restoration War|Restoration Day]]

|style="font-size:95%;"| Movable.

| [[September 24]] || ''Virgen de las Mercedes''

|style="font-size:95%;"| Non-working day. A [[Patron Saint|Patroness Day]] (Catholic)

| [[November 6]] || [[Constitution Day]]

|style="font-size:95%;"| Movable.

| [[December 25]] || [[Christmas|Christmas Day]]

|style="font-size:95%;"| Non-working day. Birth of Jesus Christ

''Notes'':

* ''In those years when there is a new president, [[August 16]] is a non-working holiday and is not moved to another day''.

* ''The 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 it falls on Thursday or Friday, the holiday is moved to the next Monday.''

==Military ==

[[Congress of the Dominican Republic|Congress]] authorizes a combined military force of 44,000 active duty personnel. Actual active duty strength is approximately 32,000. However, approximately 50% of those are used for non-military activities such as security providers for government-owned non-military facilities, highway toll stations, prisons, forestry work, state enterprises, and private businesses. The Commander in Chief of the military is the President. The principal missions are to defend the nation and protect the territorial integrity of the country. The army, larger than the other services combined with approximately 20,000 active duty personnel, consists of six infantry [[brigade]]s, a combat support brigade, and a combat service support brigade. The air force operates two main [[military base|bases]], one in the southern region near Santo Domingo and one in the northern region near Puerto Plata. The navy operates two major naval bases, one in Santo Domingo and one in Las Calderas on the southwestern coast, and maintains 12 operational vessels. In the Caribbean, only Cuba has a larger military force.

The 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.<ref name=ussdnote>U.S. State Department (November, 2007) [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35639.htm Background Note: Dominican Republic] Retrieved [[2008-01-18]]</ref>

==Services and transportation==

There are two transportation services in the Dominican Republic, one controlled by the government through the Oficina Técnica de Transito Terrestre (O.T.T.T.) and the Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses (OMSA), and the other controlled by private business, among them, Federación Nacional de Transporte La Nueva Opción (FENATRANO) and the Confederacion Nacional de Transporte (CONATRA).

The government transportation system covers large routes in metropolitan areas, such as [[Santo Domingo]] and [[Santiago de los Caballeros|Santiago]], for very inexpensive prices. In December 2006, the price was DOP$5.00(US$0.15), and air-conditioned bus rides were priced at DOP$10 (US$0.30). It should be noted that most OMSA buses are currently in very poor condition, and OMSA has been criticized for its incapability to fully meet the people's needs.<ref>{{cite news |first=Niza |last=Campos |title=Millonarias inversiones para un precario servicio |url=http://www.diariolibre.com/app/article.aspx?id=124138 |work=Diario Libre |publisher= |date=2007-10-16 |accessdate=2008-02-02|language=Spanish}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visiting-the-dominican-republic.com/publicos.html |title=Guaguas, publicos and motoconchos - getting around the Dominican Republic |accessdate=2008-02-02}}</ref>

===Communications===

The Dominican Republic has a well developed telecommunications infrastructure. With extensive [[mobile phone]] services and [[landline]] services. The [[telecommunications]] regulator in the country is INDOTEL, Instituto Dominicano De Telecomunicaciones. The Dominican Republic offers [[cable internet]] and [[DSL]] in most parts of the country, and many [[ISP]]s provide [[3G]] wireless internet service. Projects to extend [[Wi-Fi]] hot spots have been made in Santo Domingo. As of October 2007 a new service was introduced in the country via [[WiMax]], by [[OneMax]], Tricom, and the former Codetel, now Claro, that provides telephony over [[Internet Protocol|IP]] as well as nation-wide [[broadband]] services to both residential and commercial users. In fact the DR is the only country in all Latin America to have this kind of service up to this date at a national level.

Numerous television channels are available, including digital cable Telecable Nacional and [[Aster (cable)|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 [[Cable internet|downstream/upstream speed]].)

The Dominican Republic's commercial radio stations are in the process of transferring to the digital spectrum via [[HD Radio]].

As of October 2007, there are five major communication companies: [[CODETEL]], [[Orange SA|Orange]], [[TRICOM]], [[Trilogy Dominicana]] and [[Onemax]].

On [[February 1]], [[2007]], [[Verizon]] changed the names of its wireless services to Claro and [[CODETEL]]. The company has been owned since 2006 by [[Carlos Slim Helú]]'s [[América Móvil]]. [[Claro (mobile phone network)|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.

===Highways===

The Dominican Republic has five major highways, which take travelers to every important town in the country. The three major highways are [[Autopista Duarte]], [[DR-3|Autopista del Este]], and [[Autopista del Sur]], which go to the north, east, and western side of the country. Dominican Republic lacks a good system of routes interconnecting small towns, and most of these routes are unpaved and are getting improved.

===Ports===

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

===Electricity===

Electrical services in the country have been a headache for the population, as well as the business and other areas for more than 40 years. Due to the extreme corruption within the government, no administration has been able to cope with this problem. In 1998, three regional electricity distribution systems were privatized via sale of 50% of shares to foreign operators; in an unexpected decision, the Mejía administration repurchased all foreign-owned shares in two of these systems in late 2003. The third, serving the eastern provinces, is operated by U.S. concerns and is 50% U.S.-owned. Industry experts estimated distribution losses for 2006 surpassed 40%, primarily due to low collection rates, theft, and corruption. At the close of 2006, the government had exceeded its budget for electricity subsidies, spending close to U.S. $650 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.traveldocs.com/do/economy.htm |title=Dominican Republic Economy |accessdate=2008-02-02 |work=Travel Document Systems}} </ref>

Household and general electrical service is delivered at 110 [[volt]]s alternating at 60 [[Hertz|Hz]]; electrically-powered items from the United States work with no modifications. The majority of the country has access to electricity. Still, in 2007 some areas have outages lasting as long as 20 hours a day. Tourist areas tend to have more reliable power, as do business, travel, healthcare, and vital infrastructure. The situation improved in 2006, with 200 circuits (40% of the total) providing permanent electricity, as 85% of electric demand overall was met and blackouts were reduced from 6.3 hours per day to 3.7.<ref>{{cite news |title=Informe dice mejoró en 2006 la oferta energética |date=2007-01-19 |publisher= Grupo Omnimedia |url=http://diariolibre.com/app/article.aspx?id=93445 |work=Diario Libre |accessdate=2008-02-02 |language=Spanish}}</ref> Concentrated efforts were announced to increase efficiency of delivery to places where the collection rate reached 70%.<ref>{{cite news |title=Los apagones toman fuerza en circuitos de barrios PRA |date=2007-04-11 |publisher=Editora Listin Diario|url=http://listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=9006 |work=listindiario.com |accessdate=2007-05-24 |language=Spanish}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35639.htm |title=Background Note: Dominican Republic |accessdate=2008-02-02 |publisher=U.S. Department of State}}</ref>

==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 tropical cyclones by country#Dominican Republic|List of wettest known tropical cyclones in the Dominican Republic]]

*[[Military of the Dominican Republic]]

==References==

==Further reading==

==External links==

* [http://www.presidencia.gov.do Presidency of the Dominican Republic] {{es}}

* [http://www.godominicanrepublic.com Ministry of Tourism of the Dominican Republic]

* {{wikiatlas|the Dominican Republic}}

* {{wikitravel}}

* {{wikia|world:Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic}}

* {{dmoz|Regional/Caribbean/Dominican_Republic/}}

* {{CIA World Factbook link|dr|Dominican Republic}}

* [http://www.eleccionesdominicanas.com Dominican Republic Politics and Elections] {{es}}

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[[Category:Dominican Republic| ]]

[[Category:Former Spanish colonies]]

[[Category:Island countries]]

[[Category:Spanish-speaking countries]]

[[ar:جمهورية الدومنيكان]]

[[an:Republica Dominicana]]

[[frp:Rèpublica domeniquêna]]

[[ast:República Dominicana]]

[[az:Dominikan Respublikası]]

[[bn:ডোমিনিকান প্রজাতন্ত্র]]

[[zh-min-nan:Dominic Kiōng-hô-kok]]

[[be-x-old:Дамініканская Рэспубліка]]

[[bs:Dominikanska Republika]]

[[br:Republik Dominikan]]

[[bg:Доминиканска република]]

[[ca:República Dominicana]]

[[ceb:Republikang Dominicano]]

[[cs:Dominikánská republika]]

[[cy:Gweriniaeth Dominica]]

[[da:Dominikanske Republik]]

[[de:Dominikanische Republik]]

[[dv:ޑޮމިނިކަން ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ]]

[[et:Dominikaani Vabariik]]

[[el:Δομινικανή Δημοκρατία]]

[[es:República Dominicana]]

[[eo:Domingo]]

[[eu:Dominikar Errepublika]]

[[fa:جمهوری دومینیکن]]

[[fr:République dominicaine]]

[[ga:An Phoblacht Dhoiminiceach]]

[[gv:Yn Phobblaght Ghominicagh]]

[[gl:República Dominicana]]

[[ko:도미니카 공화국]]

[[hi:डोमिनिकन गणराज्य]]

[[hr:Dominikanska Republika]]

[[io:Dominikana Republiko]]

[[bpy:ডোমিনিকান প্রজাতন্ত্র]]

[[id:Republik Dominika]]

[[ia:Republica Dominican]]

[[os:Доминиканаг Республикæ]]

[[is:Dóminíska lýðveldið]]

[[it:Repubblica Dominicana]]

[[he:הרפובליקה הדומיניקנית]]

[[pam:Dominican Republic]]

[[ka:დომინიკელთა რესპუბლიკა]]

[[ks:डोमोनिकन रिपब्लिक]]

[[kk:Доминикан Республикасы]]

[[kw:Repoblek Dhominikanek]]

[[sw:Jamhuri ya Dominika]]

[[ht:Repiblik dominikàn]]

[[ku:Komara Domînîk]]

[[la:Respublica Dominicana]]

[[lv:Dominikāna]]

[[lb:Dominikanesch Republik]]

[[lt:Dominikos Respublika]]

[[lij:Repubbrica Dominicann-a]]

[[hu:Dominikai Köztársaság]]

[[mk:Доминиканска Република]]

[[mr:डॉमिनिकन प्रजासत्ताक]]

[[ms:Republik Dominika]]

[[nah:Tlācatlahtohcāyōtl Dominicatēcatl]]

[[na:Republik Dominica]]

[[nl:Dominicaanse Republiek]]

[[ja:ドミニカ共和国]]

[[no:Den dominikanske republikk]]

[[nn:Den dominikanske republikken]]

[[nov:Dominikal Republike]]

[[oc:Republica Dominicana]]

[[uz:Dominika Respublikasi]]

[[ps:ډومنيکان جمهوريت]]

[[pms:Repùblica Dominican-a]]

[[nds:Dominikaansche Republiek]]

[[pl:Dominikana]]

[[pt:República Dominicana]]

[[crh:Dominikan Cumhuriyeti]]

[[ro:Republica Dominicană]]

[[qu:Duminikana]]

[[ru:Доминиканская Республика]]

[[sa:डोमोनिकन रिपब्लिक]]

[[sq:Republika Domenikane]]

[[scn:Ripùbbrica Duminicana]]

[[simple:Dominican Republic]]

[[sk:Dominikánska republika]]

[[sl:Dominikanska republika]]

[[sr:Доминиканска Република]]

[[sh:Dominikanska Republika]]

[[fi:Dominikaaninen tasavalta]]

[[sv:Dominikanska republiken]]

[[tl:Dominican Republic]]

[[ta:டொமினிக்கன் குடியரசு]]

[[th:สาธารณรัฐโดมินิกัน]]

[[vi:Cộng hoà Dominicana]]

[[tg:Ҷумҳурии Доминикана]]

[[tr:Dominik Cumhuriyeti]]

[[uk:Домініканська Республіка]]

[[vec:Repùblica Dominicana]]

[[vo:Repüblikän Dominiganik]]

[[wo:Republik Dominikee]]

[[yi:דאמיניקאנישע רעפובליק]]

[[diq:Cumhuriyetê Dominiki]]

[[bat-smg:Duomėnė̅kas Respoblėka]]

[[zh:多明尼加共和國]]