Dominican Republic / Républica Dominicana
Is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries. Both by area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with 48,442 square kilometres (18,704 sq mi) and an estimated 10 million people.
Inhabited by Taínos since the seventh century, the territory of the Dominican Republic was reached by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, namely Santo Domingo, the country's capital and Spain's first capital in the New World. In Santo Domingo stand, among other firsts in the Americas, the first university, cathedral, and castle, the latter two in the Ciudad Colonial area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After three centuries of Spanish rule, with French and Haitian interludes, the country became independent in 1821 but was quickly taken over by Haiti. Victorious in the Dominican War of Independence in 1844, Dominicans experienced mostly political turmoil and a brief return to Spanish rule over the next 72 years. The United States occupation of 1916–1924, and a subsequent, calm and prosperous six-year period under Horacio Vásquez Lajara, were followed by the military dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina until 1961. The last civil war was ended by the 1965 United States occupation of the Dominican Republic, and was followed by the authoritarian rule of Joaquin Balaguer, 1966 – 1978. Since then, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy, and has been led by Leonel Fernández for most of the time after 1996.
The Dominican Republic has adopted economic liberalism, and has the second largest economy in the Caribbean. Though long known for sugar production, the economy is now dominated by services. The country's economic progress is exemplified by its advanced telecommunication system. Nevertheless, unemployment, government corruption, and inconsistent electric service remain major Dominican problems. The country also has "marked income inequality".
International migration greatly affects the country, as it receives and sends large flows of migrants. Haitian immigration and the integration of Dominicans of Haitian descent are major issues; the total population of Haitian origin is estimated to be 800,000. A large Dominican diaspora exists, most of it in the United States, where it comprises 1.3 million. They aid national development as they send billions of dollars to their families, accounting for one-tenth of the Dominican GDP.
The Dominican Republic has become the Caribbean's largest tourist destination; the country's year-round golf courses are among the top attractions. In this mountainous land is located the Caribbean's highest mountain, Pico Duarte, as is Lake Enriquillo, the Caribbean's largest lake and lowest elevation. Quisqueya, as Dominicans often call their country, has an average temperature of 26 °C (79°F) and great biological diversity.
Music and sport are of the highest importance in Dominican culture, with merengue as the national dance and song and baseball the favorite sport.
History
The Taínos
The Arawakan-speaking Taínos moved into Hispaniola, displacing earlier inhabitants, circa A.D. 650. The Taínos called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya ("mother of the earth"). They engaged in farming and fishing, and hunting and gathering. The fierce Caribs drove the Taínos to the northeastern Caribbean during much of the 15th century. The estimates of Hispaniola's population in 1492 vary widely, including one hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, and four hundred thousand to two million. By 1492 the island was divided into five Taíno chiefdoms.
The Spanish arrived in 1492. After initially friendly relations, the Taínos resisted the conquest, led by the female Chief Anacaona of Xaragua and her husband Chief Caonabo of Maguana, as well as Chiefs Guacanagarix, Guamá, Hatuey, and Enriquillo. The latter's successes gained his people an autonomous enclave for a time on the island. Nevertheless, within a few years after 1492 the population of Taínos had declined drastically, due to smallpox and other diseases that arrived with the Europeans, and from other causes discussed below. The decline continued, and by 1711 the Taíno numbered just 21,000. The last record of pure Taínos in the country was from 1864. Due to intermarriage over the centuries, many Dominicans have Taíno ancestry. Remnants of the Taino culture include their cave paintings, as well as pottery designs which are still used in the small artisan village of Higüerito, Moca.
Spanish rule
Christopher Columbus arrived on Hispaniola on December 5, 1492, during the first of his four voyages to America. He claimed the island for Spain and named it La Española. In 1496 Bartholomew Columbus, Christopher's brother, built the city of Santo Domingo, Europe's first permanent settlement in the "New World". The Spaniards created a plantation economy on the island. The colony was the springboard for the further Spanish conquest of America and for decades the headquarters of Spanish power in the hemisphere. Christopher was buried in Santo Domingo upon his death in 1506.
The Taínos nearly disappeared, above all, from European infectious diseases to which they had no immunity. Other causes were abuse, suicide, the breakup of family, starvation, enslavement, forced labor, torture, war with the Spaniards, changes in lifestyle, and even miscegenation. Laws passed for the Indians's protection (beginning with the Laws of Burgos, 1512–1513) were never truly enforced. Yet as stated above, the Taínos did survive. Some scholars believe that las Casas exaggerated the Indian population decline in an effort to persuade King Carlos to intervene, and that encomenderos also exaggerated it, in order to receive permission to import more African slaves. Moreover, censuses of the time omitted the Indians who fled into remote communities, where they often joined with runaway Africans (cimarrones), producing Zambos. Also, Mestizos who were culturally Spanish were counted as Spaniards, some Zambos as black, and some Indians as Mulattos.
After her conquest of the Aztecs and Incas, Spain neglected her Caribbean holdings. French buccaneers settled in western Hispaniola, and by the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain ceded the area to France. France created the wealthy colony Saint-Domingue there, with a population 90% slave, and overall four times as populous (500,000 to 125,000) as the Spanish area at the end of the 18th century.
French rule
France came to own the whole island in 1795, when by the Peace of Basel Spain ceded Santo Domingo as a consequence of the French Revolutionary Wars. At the time, Saint–Domingue's slaves, led by Toussaint Louverture, were in revolt against France. In 1801 they captured Santo Domingo, thus controlling the entire island; but in 1802 an army sent by Napoleon captured Toussaint Louverture and sent him to France as prisoner. However, Toussaint Louverture's lieutenants, and yellow fever, succeeded in expelling the French again from Saint-Domingue, which in 1804 the rebels made independent as the Republic of Haiti. Eastwards, France continued to rule Spanish Santo Domingo.
In 1808, following Napoleon's invasion of Spain, the criollos of Santo Domingo revolted against French rule and, with the aid of Great Britain (Spain's ally) and Haiti, returned Santo Domingo to Spanish control.
Independence
In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria, which sought the complete independence of Santo Domingo without any foreign intervention.Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, despite not being among the founding members of La Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight for independence. Duarte and they are the three Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios (Trinitarians), declared the independence from Haiti. They were backed by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle rancher from El Seibo, who became general of the army of the nascent Republic. The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled after the United States Constitution.
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.:page number needed
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.
Geography
The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana) is a country in the West Indies that occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola. It has an area of 48,442 km², including offshore islands. The land border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which occupies the western one-third of the island, is 388 km long. The maximum length, east to west, is 390 km from Punta de Agua to Las Lajas, on the border with Haiti. The maximum width, north to south, is 265 km from Cape Isabela to Cape Beata. The capital, Santo Domingo, is located on the south coast.
The Dominican Republic's shores are washed by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The Mona Passage, a channel about 130 km wide, separates the country (and Hispaniola) from Puerto Rico.
Other info
Oficial Name:
Republica Dominicana
Independence:
27 February 1844
Area:
48.511km2
Inhabitants:
9.450.000
Languages:
Dominican Sign Language [doq] Dialects: Lexical similarity 85% to 90% with ASL, and uses most of the features of ASL, such as absent referent and reduplication. Classification: Deaf sign language
More information.
English [eng] 8,000 in Dominican Republic (1989 J. Holm). Samaná Peninsula, northeastern Dominican Republic. Dialects: Samaná English. Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English
More information.
Haitian Creole French [hat] 159,000 in Dominican Republic (1987). Alternate names: Kreyol, Aiysyen. Classification: Creole, French based
More information.
Spanish [spa] 6,886,000 in Dominican Republic (1995). Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian
Capital city:
Santo Domingo
Meaning country name :
Derived from Santo Domingo, the capital city, which bears the name of the Spanish Saint Domingo de Guzmán, the founder of the Dominican Order.
Description Flag:
The flag of the Dominican Republic, as described by Article 96 of the Dominican Constitution, features a centered white cross that extends to the edges and divides the flag into four rectangles —the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue. A small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by a bay laurel branch (left) and a palm frond (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Fatherland, Liberty). Below the shield, the words República Dominicana appear on a red ribbon (this red ribbon is depicted in more recent versions as having its tips pointing upward -see image below-). In the center of the shield, flanked by three spears (two of them holding Dominican banners) on each side, is a Bible with a small cross above it, which is opened (according to popular belief) to the Gospel of John, 8:32, which reads Y la verdad nos hará libre (And the truth shall set you free).
Coat of arms:
The coat of arms of the Dominican Republic features a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right); above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Fatherland, Liberty). Below the shield, the words Republica Dominicana appear on a red ribbon (this red ribbon is sometimes depicted having its tips pointing upward). In the center of the shield is a Bible opened to the Gospel of John, 8:32, which reads Y la verdad nos hará libres (And the truth shall set you free), with a small cross above it, and on each side flanked by three spears, two of them holding Dominican banners.
Motto:
"God, Homeland, Liberty"
National Anthem: Quisqueyanos valientes
I
Quisqueyanos valientes, alcemos
Nuestro canto con viva emoción,
Y del mundo a la faz ostentemos
Nuestro invicto glorioso pendón.
II
Salve el pueblo que intrépido y fuerte,
A la guerra a morir se lanzó
Cuando en bélico reto de muerte
Sus cadenas de esclavo rompió.
III
Ningún pueblo ser libre merece
Si es esclavo indolente y servil;
Si en su pecho la llama no crece
Que templó el heroismo viril.
IV
Más Quisqueya la indómita y brava
Siempre altiva la frente alzará:
Que si fuere mil veces esclava
Otras tantas ser libre sabrá.
V
Que si dolo y ardid la expusieron
de un intruso señor al desdén,
¡Las Carreras! ¡Beller!... campos fueron
que cubiertos de gloria se ven.
VI
Que en la cima de heroíco baluarte,
de los libres el verbo encarnó,
donde el genio de Sánchez y Duarte
a ser libre o morir enseñó.
VII
Y si pudo inconsulto caudillo
de esas glorias el brillo empañar,
de la guerra se vió en Capotillo
la bandera de fuego ondear.
VIII
Y el incendio que atónito deja
de Castilla al soberbio león,
de las playas gloriosas le aleja
donde flota el cruzado pendón.
IX
Compatriotas, mostremos erguida
nuestra frente, orgullosos de hoy más;
que Quisqueya será destruida
pero sierva de nuevo, jamás.
X
Que es santuario de amor cada pecho
do la patria se siente vivir;
Y es su escudo invencible, el derecho;
Y es su lema: ser libre o morir.
XI
Libertad que aún se yergue serena
La victoria en su carro triunfal.
Y el clarín de la guerra aún resuena
Pregonando su gloria inmortal.
XII
¡Libertad! Que los ecos se agiten
Mientras llenos de noble ansiedad
Nuestros campos de gloria repiten
¡Libertad! ¡Libertad! ¡Libertad!
English translation
I
Valiant sons of Quisqueya, let's loudly sing
Our song with a fiery passion
And let's show to the face of the world
Our undefeated, glorious flag.
II
Hail, the people who strong and intrepid,
Into war launched itself unto death!
When in warfare challenge of death,
Her slavery chains she broke.
III
None people deserves to be free
If he is slave, indolent and servile;
If in his heart the flame is not burning,
Which was sparked by heroic manliness.
IV
But Quisqueya, the indomitable and brave,
Her head will always lift up high,
For if she were enslaved a thousand times,
Many more times shall she know how to be free.
V
If it will be exposed to ruse and deceit
Unto contempt of a real imposer,
On to Las Carreras! Beler! ...it were places
Where the traces of glory are found.
VI
Where on the top of the heroic bastion,
The word of the libarated became flesh,
Where the genius of Sánchez and Duarte
Taught to be free or to die.
VII
And if an unattended leader the splendor
Of these glorious events could ignore,
One has seen in Capotillo in the war
The flag of fire wave.
VIII
And the fire that lets the proud lion
Of Castilla become stupefied,
Removes him from the glorious beaches
Where the crossed banner waves.
IX
Compatriots, let us proudly
Show our face, from today prouder than ever;
Quisqueya may be destroyed
But a slave again, never!
X
It is a sanctuary of love that every character
Of the fatherland feels alive!
And it is his coat of arms, the right;
And it is his device: be free or die.
XI
Freedom that still rises cool-bloodedly
The victory in her triumphal car.
And the clarion of war re-echoes
Proclaiming his immortal glory.
XII
Freedom! That the echo's touch
While they're full of noble tension
Our fields of glory repeat
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!
Internet Page: www.dominicanrepublic.com
Dominican Rep. in diferent languages
eng: Dominican Republic
ast | cat | glg | por | spa: República Dominicana
arg | lld | oci | roh: Republica Dominicana
hrv | hsb | slv: Dominikanska republika
est | vor: Dominikaani Vabariik
kin | run: Republika ya Dominika
pol | szl: Dominikana
afr: Dominikaanse Republiek
aze: Dominikan Respublikası / Доминикан Республикасы
bam: Dɔminikɛni
bos: Dominikanska Republika / Доминиканска Република
bre: Republik Dominikan
ces: Dominikánská republika
cor: Repoblek Dhominikanek
crh: Dominikan Cumhuriyeti / Доминикан Джумхуриети
cym: Gweriniaeth Dominica
dan: Den Dominikanske Republik
deu: Dominikanische Republik / Dominikaniſche Republik
dsb: Dominikańska republika
epo: Domingo
eus: Dominikar Errepublika
fao: Domingo lýðveldið
fin: Dominikaaninen tasavalta
fra: République dominicaine
frp: Rèpublica domeniquêna
fry: Dominikaanske Republyk
fur: Republiche Dominicane
gla: Poblachd Dhoiminicia
gle: An Poblacht Dhoiminiceach / An Poblaċt Ḋoiminiceaċ
glv: Yn Phobblaght Ghominicagh
hat: Repiblik dominikàn
hun: Dominikai Köztársaság
ina: Republica Dominican
ind: Republik Dominika / ريڤوبليك دومينيكا
isl: Dóminíska lýðveldið
ita: Repubblica Dominicana
jav: Republik Dominika
jnf: Républyique Dominnicaine
kaa: Dominikana Respublikası / Доминикана Республикасы
kmr: Cimḧurîyeta Domînîkanê / Щьмһ’ӧрийәта Доминикане / جمحوریەتا دۆمینیکانێ
kur: Komara Domînîkanê / کۆمارا دۆمینیکانێ
lat: Res Publica Dominicana; Res Publica Dominiciana; Respublica Dominicana
lav: Dominikas Republika; Dominikāna
lin: Republiki Dominikani
lit: Dominikos Respublika
ltz: Dominikanesch Republik / Dominikaneſch Republik
mlg: Repoblikan’i Dominikana
mlt: Repubblika Dominikana
mol: Republica Dominicană / Република Доминиканэ
msa: Republik Dominican / ريڤوبليك دومينيكان
nds: Dominikaansche Republiek / Dominikaanſche Republiek
nld: Dominicaanse Republiek
nno: Den dominikanske republikken
nob: Den dominikanske republikk
nrm: Saint-Domingue
pap: Repúblika Dominikanu
que: Duminikana
rmy: Dominikani Republika / दोमिनिकानी रेपुब्लिका
ron: Republica Dominicană
rup: Republica Dominicanã
scn: Ripùbbrica Duminicana
slk: Dominikánska republika
slo: Dominikanju Republik / Доминиканйу Републик
sme: Dominikána republihkka
smg: Duomėnė̄kas Respoblėka
sqi: Republika Domenikane
srd: Repùbrica Dominicana
swa: Jamhuri ya Dominikan
swe: Dominikanska republiken
tet: Repúblika Dominikana
tgl: Republika ng Dominikano
ton: Lepāpulika Tominikení
tuk: Dominikan Jumhuriýäti / Доминикан Җумхурийәти
tur: Dominik Cumhuriyeti; Dominikan Cumhuriyeti
uzb: Dominikana Respublikasi / Доминикана Республикаси
vie: Cộng hoà Dominicana
vol: Repüblikän Dominiganik
wln: Republike Dominikinne
wol: Republik Dominikee
zza: Cumhuriyetê Dominiki
kir | krc | kum: Доминикана Республикасы (Dominikana Respublikasy)
bul | mkd: Доминиканска Република (Dominikanska Republika)
alt | chm: Доминиканский Республика (Dominikanskij Respublika)
abq: Доминиканска Ареспублика (Dominikanska Arespubłika)
bak: Доминикана Республикаһы / Dominikana Respublikahı
bel: Дамініканская Рэспубліка / Daminikanskaja Respublika
che: Доминикански Республика (Dominikanski Respublika)
chv: Доминикана Республики (Dominikana Respubliki)
kaz: Доминикан Республикасы / Domïnïkan Respwblïkası / دومينيكان رەسپۋبليكاسى
kbd: Доминиканскэ Республикэ (Dominikanskă Respublikă)
kjh: Доминиканскай Республика (Dominikanskaj Respublika)
kom: Доминиканскӧй Республика (Dominikansköj Respublika)
mon: Бүгд Найрамдах Доминикан Улс (Bügd Najramdaĥ Dominikan Uls)
oss: Доминиканаг Республикӕ (Dominikanag Respublikä)
rus: Доминиканская Республика (Dominikanskaja Respublika)
srp: Доминиканска Република / Dominikanska Republika
tat: Доминикан республикасы / Dominikan respublikası
tgk: Ҷумҳурии Доминикана / جمهوری دامینیکنه / Çumhuriji Dominikana
tyv: Доминикан Республика (Dominikan Respublika)
ukr: Домініканська Республіка (Dominikans'ka Respublika)
ara: جمهوريةالدومينيكان (Ǧumhūrīyâtu d-Dūmīnīkān); جمهورية الدومنيكان(Ǧumhūrīyâtu d-Dūminīkān); الجمهوريةالدومينيكية (al-Ǧumhūrīyâtu d-Dūmīnīkīyâ)
fas: دومینیکن (Domīnīkan); دمینیکن (Domīnīkan); جمهوری دومینیکن (Jomhūrī-ye Domīnīkan)
prs: جمهوری دومینیکان (Jomhūrī-ye Dōmīnīkān)
pus: د ډومينيکان جمهوريت (də Ḋomīnīkān Jumhūriyat); د دومينيکان جمهوريت (də Domīnīkān Jumhūriyat)
uig: دومىنىكان جۇمھۇرىيىتى / Dominikan jumhuriyiti / Доминикан җумһурийити
urd: ڈومینیکن ریپبلک (Ḋômīnīkan Rīpablik); جمہوریۂ ڈومینیکا (Jumhūrīyâ-e Ḋômīnīkā)
div: ޑޮމިނިކަން ރިޕަބްލިކް (Ḋominikan Ripablik)
heb: הרפובליקה הדומיניקנית (ha-Repûblîqah ha-Dômînîqanît); הרפובליקה הדומיניקאנית (ha-Repûblîqah ha-Dômînîqânît)
lad: ריפובליקה דומיניקאנה / Republika Dominikana
yid: דאָמיניקאַנישע רעפּובליק (Dominikaniše Republik)
amh: ዶሚኒካን ሪፐብሊክ (Dominikan Ripäblik)
ell-dhi: Δομινικανή Δημοκρατία (Dominikanī́ Dīmokratía); Δομινικανική Δημοκρατία (Dominikanikī́ Dīmokratía)
ell-kat: Δομινικανὴ Δημοκρατία (Dominikanī̀ Dīmokratía); Δομινικανικὴ Δημοκρατία (Dominikanikī̀ Dīmokratía)
hye: Դոմինիկյան Հանրապետություն (Dominikyan Hanrapetouṭyoun)
kat: დომინიკელთა რესპუბლიკა (Dominikelṭa respublika)
hin: डोमिनिकन गणराज्य (Ḍominikan Gaṇrājyā); डोमीनिकन रिपब्लिक (Ḍomīnikan Ripablik); डोमिनिकन रिपब्लिक (Ḍominikan Ripablik)
mar: डॉमिनिकन प्रजासत्ताक (Ḍŏminikan Pradzāsattāk)
ben: ডোমিনিকান প্রজাতন্ত্র (Ḍominikān Prôjātôntrô)
pan: ਡੋਮੀਨੀਕਾਨ ਗਣਰਾਜ (Ḍomīnīkān Gaṇrāj)
kan: ಡೊಮಿನಿಕನ್ ಗಣರಾಜ್ಯ (Ḍominikan Gaṇarājya)
mal: ഡൊമിനിക്കന് റിപ്പബ്ലിക് (Ḍominikkan Ṟippablik)
tam: டொமினிகன் குடியரசு (Ṭomiṉikaṉ Kuṭiyaraču)
tel: డొమినికన్ రిపబ్లిక్ (Ḍominikan Ripablik)
zho: 多米尼加共和国 (Duōmǐníjiā Gōnghéguó)
jpn: ドミニカ共和国 (Dominika Kyōwakoku)
kor: 도미니카공화국 (Dominika Gonghwaguk)
mya: ဒုိမီနီကန္္သမ္မတနုိင္ငံ (Dominikã Ṯãmatánaĩṅã)
tha: สาธารณรัฐโดมินิกัน (Sātʰāronrât Dōminikân)
khm: សាធារណរដ្ឋដូមីនីកែន (Sātʰāroṇrod[tʰ] Dūmīnīkæn); សាធារណរដ្ឋដូមីនិកាំង (Sātʰāroṇrod[tʰ] Dūmīnikāṁṅ)
Dominican Republic / Républica Dominicana
Is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries. Both by area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with 48,442 square kilometres (18,704 sq mi) and an estimated 10 million people.
Inhabited by Taínos since the seventh century, the territory of the Dominican Republic was reached by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, namely Santo Domingo, the country's capital and Spain's first capital in the New World. In Santo Domingo stand, among other firsts in the Americas, the first university, cathedral, and castle, the latter two in the Ciudad Colonial area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After three centuries of Spanish rule, with French and Haitian interludes, the country became independent in 1821 but was quickly taken over by Haiti. Victorious in the Dominican War of Independence in 1844, Dominicans experienced mostly political turmoil and a brief return to Spanish rule over the next 72 years. The United States occupation of 1916–1924, and a subsequent, calm and prosperous six-year period under Horacio Vásquez Lajara, were followed by the military dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina until 1961. The last civil war was ended by the 1965 United States occupation of the Dominican Republic, and was followed by the authoritarian rule of Joaquin Balaguer, 1966 – 1978. Since then, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy, and has been led by Leonel Fernández for most of the time after 1996.
The Dominican Republic has adopted economic liberalism, and has the second largest economy in the Caribbean. Though long known for sugar production, the economy is now dominated by services. The country's economic progress is exemplified by its advanced telecommunication system. Nevertheless, unemployment, government corruption, and inconsistent electric service remain major Dominican problems. The country also has "marked income inequality".
International migration greatly affects the country, as it receives and sends large flows of migrants. Haitian immigration and the integration of Dominicans of Haitian descent are major issues; the total population of Haitian origin is estimated to be 800,000. A large Dominican diaspora exists, most of it in the United States, where it comprises 1.3 million. They aid national development as they send billions of dollars to their families, accounting for one-tenth of the Dominican GDP.
The Dominican Republic has become the Caribbean's largest tourist destination; the country's year-round golf courses are among the top attractions. In this mountainous land is located the Caribbean's highest mountain, Pico Duarte, as is Lake Enriquillo, the Caribbean's largest lake and lowest elevation. Quisqueya, as Dominicans often call their country, has an average temperature of 26 °C (79°F) and great biological diversity.
Music and sport are of the highest importance in Dominican culture, with merengue as the national dance and song and baseball the favorite sport.
History
The Taínos
The Arawakan-speaking Taínos moved into Hispaniola, displacing earlier inhabitants, circa A.D. 650. The Taínos called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya ("mother of the earth"). They engaged in farming and fishing, and hunting and gathering. The fierce Caribs drove the Taínos to the northeastern Caribbean during much of the 15th century. The estimates of Hispaniola's population in 1492 vary widely, including one hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, and four hundred thousand to two million. By 1492 the island was divided into five Taíno chiefdoms.
The Spanish arrived in 1492. After initially friendly relations, the Taínos resisted the conquest, led by the female Chief Anacaona of Xaragua and her husband Chief Caonabo of Maguana, as well as Chiefs Guacanagarix, Guamá, Hatuey, and Enriquillo. The latter's successes gained his people an autonomous enclave for a time on the island. Nevertheless, within a few years after 1492 the population of Taínos had declined drastically, due to smallpox and other diseases that arrived with the Europeans, and from other causes discussed below. The decline continued, and by 1711 the Taíno numbered just 21,000. The last record of pure Taínos in the country was from 1864. Due to intermarriage over the centuries, many Dominicans have Taíno ancestry. Remnants of the Taino culture include their cave paintings, as well as pottery designs which are still used in the small artisan village of Higüerito, Moca.
Spanish rule
Christopher Columbus arrived on Hispaniola on December 5, 1492, during the first of his four voyages to America. He claimed the island for Spain and named it La Española. In 1496 Bartholomew Columbus, Christopher's brother, built the city of Santo Domingo, Europe's first permanent settlement in the "New World". The Spaniards created a plantation economy on the island. The colony was the springboard for the further Spanish conquest of America and for decades the headquarters of Spanish power in the hemisphere. Christopher was buried in Santo Domingo upon his death in 1506.
The Taínos nearly disappeared, above all, from European infectious diseases to which they had no immunity. Other causes were abuse, suicide, the breakup of family, starvation, enslavement, forced labor, torture, war with the Spaniards, changes in lifestyle, and even miscegenation. Laws passed for the Indians's protection (beginning with the Laws of Burgos, 1512–1513) were never truly enforced. Yet as stated above, the Taínos did survive. Some scholars believe that las Casas exaggerated the Indian population decline in an effort to persuade King Carlos to intervene, and that encomenderos also exaggerated it, in order to receive permission to import more African slaves. Moreover, censuses of the time omitted the Indians who fled into remote communities, where they often joined with runaway Africans (cimarrones), producing Zambos. Also, Mestizos who were culturally Spanish were counted as Spaniards, some Zambos as black, and some Indians as Mulattos.
After her conquest of the Aztecs and Incas, Spain neglected her Caribbean holdings. French buccaneers settled in western Hispaniola, and by the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain ceded the area to France. France created the wealthy colony Saint-Domingue there, with a population 90% slave, and overall four times as populous (500,000 to 125,000) as the Spanish area at the end of the 18th century.
French rule
France came to own the whole island in 1795, when by the Peace of Basel Spain ceded Santo Domingo as a consequence of the French Revolutionary Wars. At the time, Saint–Domingue's slaves, led by Toussaint Louverture, were in revolt against France. In 1801 they captured Santo Domingo, thus controlling the entire island; but in 1802 an army sent by Napoleon captured Toussaint Louverture and sent him to France as prisoner. However, Toussaint Louverture's lieutenants, and yellow fever, succeeded in expelling the French again from Saint-Domingue, which in 1804 the rebels made independent as the Republic of Haiti. Eastwards, France continued to rule Spanish Santo Domingo.
In 1808, following Napoleon's invasion of Spain, the criollos of Santo Domingo revolted against French rule and, with the aid of Great Britain (Spain's ally) and Haiti, returned Santo Domingo to Spanish control.
Independence
In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria, which sought the complete independence of Santo Domingo without any foreign intervention.Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, despite not being among the founding members of La Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight for independence. Duarte and they are the three Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios (Trinitarians), declared the independence from Haiti. They were backed by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle rancher from El Seibo, who became general of the army of the nascent Republic. The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled after the United States Constitution.
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.:page number needed
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.
Geography
The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana) is a country in the West Indies that occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola. It has an area of 48,442 km², including offshore islands. The land border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which occupies the western one-third of the island, is 388 km long. The maximum length, east to west, is 390 km from Punta de Agua to Las Lajas, on the border with Haiti. The maximum width, north to south, is 265 km from Cape Isabela to Cape Beata. The capital, Santo Domingo, is located on the south coast.
The Dominican Republic's shores are washed by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The Mona Passage, a channel about 130 km wide, separates the country (and Hispaniola) from Puerto Rico.
Other info
Oficial Name:
Republica Dominicana
Independence:
27 February 1844
Area:
48.511km2
Inhabitants:
9.450.000
Languages:
Dominican Sign Language [doq] Dialects: Lexical similarity 85% to 90% with ASL, and uses most of the features of ASL, such as absent referent and reduplication. Classification: Deaf sign language
More information.
English [eng] 8,000 in Dominican Republic (1989 J. Holm). Samaná Peninsula, northeastern Dominican Republic. Dialects: Samaná English. Classification: Indo-European, Germanic, West, English
More information.
Haitian Creole French [hat] 159,000 in Dominican Republic (1987). Alternate names: Kreyol, Aiysyen. Classification: Creole, French based
More information.
Spanish [spa] 6,886,000 in Dominican Republic (1995). Classification: Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian
Capital city:
Santo Domingo
Meaning country name :
Derived from Santo Domingo, the capital city, which bears the name of the Spanish Saint Domingo de Guzmán, the founder of the Dominican Order.
Description Flag:
The flag of the Dominican Republic, as described by Article 96 of the Dominican Constitution, features a centered white cross that extends to the edges and divides the flag into four rectangles —the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue. A small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by a bay laurel branch (left) and a palm frond (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Fatherland, Liberty). Below the shield, the words República Dominicana appear on a red ribbon (this red ribbon is depicted in more recent versions as having its tips pointing upward -see image below-). In the center of the shield, flanked by three spears (two of them holding Dominican banners) on each side, is a Bible with a small cross above it, which is opened (according to popular belief) to the Gospel of John, 8:32, which reads Y la verdad nos hará libre (And the truth shall set you free).
Coat of arms:
The coat of arms of the Dominican Republic features a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right); above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Fatherland, Liberty). Below the shield, the words Republica Dominicana appear on a red ribbon (this red ribbon is sometimes depicted having its tips pointing upward). In the center of the shield is a Bible opened to the Gospel of John, 8:32, which reads Y la verdad nos hará libres (And the truth shall set you free), with a small cross above it, and on each side flanked by three spears, two of them holding Dominican banners.
Motto:
"God, Homeland, Liberty"
National Anthem: Quisqueyanos valientes
I
Quisqueyanos valientes, alcemos
Nuestro canto con viva emoción,
Y del mundo a la faz ostentemos
Nuestro invicto glorioso pendón.
II
Salve el pueblo que intrépido y fuerte,
A la guerra a morir se lanzó
Cuando en bélico reto de muerte
Sus cadenas de esclavo rompió.
III
Ningún pueblo ser libre merece
Si es esclavo indolente y servil;
Si en su pecho la llama no crece
Que templó el heroismo viril.
IV
Más Quisqueya la indómita y brava
Siempre altiva la frente alzará:
Que si fuere mil veces esclava
Otras tantas ser libre sabrá.
V
Que si dolo y ardid la expusieron
de un intruso señor al desdén,
¡Las Carreras! ¡Beller!... campos fueron
que cubiertos de gloria se ven.
VI
Que en la cima de heroíco baluarte,
de los libres el verbo encarnó,
donde el genio de Sánchez y Duarte
a ser libre o morir enseñó.
VII
Y si pudo inconsulto caudillo
de esas glorias el brillo empañar,
de la guerra se vió en Capotillo
la bandera de fuego ondear.
VIII
Y el incendio que atónito deja
de Castilla al soberbio león,
de las playas gloriosas le aleja
donde flota el cruzado pendón.
IX
Compatriotas, mostremos erguida
nuestra frente, orgullosos de hoy más;
que Quisqueya será destruida
pero sierva de nuevo, jamás.
X
Que es santuario de amor cada pecho
do la patria se siente vivir;
Y es su escudo invencible, el derecho;
Y es su lema: ser libre o morir.
XI
Libertad que aún se yergue serena
La victoria en su carro triunfal.
Y el clarín de la guerra aún resuena
Pregonando su gloria inmortal.
XII
¡Libertad! Que los ecos se agiten
Mientras llenos de noble ansiedad
Nuestros campos de gloria repiten
¡Libertad! ¡Libertad! ¡Libertad!
English translation
I
Valiant sons of Quisqueya, let's loudly sing
Our song with a fiery passion
And let's show to the face of the world
Our undefeated, glorious flag.
II
Hail, the people who strong and intrepid,
Into war launched itself unto death!
When in warfare challenge of death,
Her slavery chains she broke.
III
None people deserves to be free
If he is slave, indolent and servile;
If in his heart the flame is not burning,
Which was sparked by heroic manliness.
IV
But Quisqueya, the indomitable and brave,
Her head will always lift up high,
For if she were enslaved a thousand times,
Many more times shall she know how to be free.
V
If it will be exposed to ruse and deceit
Unto contempt of a real imposer,
On to Las Carreras! Beler! ...it were places
Where the traces of glory are found.
VI
Where on the top of the heroic bastion,
The word of the libarated became flesh,
Where the genius of Sánchez and Duarte
Taught to be free or to die.
VII
And if an unattended leader the splendor
Of these glorious events could ignore,
One has seen in Capotillo in the war
The flag of fire wave.
VIII
And the fire that lets the proud lion
Of Castilla become stupefied,
Removes him from the glorious beaches
Where the crossed banner waves.
IX
Compatriots, let us proudly
Show our face, from today prouder than ever;
Quisqueya may be destroyed
But a slave again, never!
X
It is a sanctuary of love that every character
Of the fatherland feels alive!
And it is his coat of arms, the right;
And it is his device: be free or die.
XI
Freedom that still rises cool-bloodedly
The victory in her triumphal car.
And the clarion of war re-echoes
Proclaiming his immortal glory.
XII
Freedom! That the echo's touch
While they're full of noble tension
Our fields of glory repeat
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!
Internet Page: www.dominicanrepublic.com
Dominican Rep. in diferent languages
eng: Dominican Republic
ast | cat | glg | por | spa: República Dominicana
arg | lld | oci | roh: Republica Dominicana
hrv | hsb | slv: Dominikanska republika
est | vor: Dominikaani Vabariik
kin | run: Republika ya Dominika
pol | szl: Dominikana
afr: Dominikaanse Republiek
aze: Dominikan Respublikası / Доминикан Республикасы
bam: Dɔminikɛni
bos: Dominikanska Republika / Доминиканска Република
bre: Republik Dominikan
ces: Dominikánská republika
cor: Repoblek Dhominikanek
crh: Dominikan Cumhuriyeti / Доминикан Джумхуриети
cym: Gweriniaeth Dominica
dan: Den Dominikanske Republik
deu: Dominikanische Republik / Dominikaniſche Republik
dsb: Dominikańska republika
epo: Domingo
eus: Dominikar Errepublika
fao: Domingo lýðveldið
fin: Dominikaaninen tasavalta
fra: République dominicaine
frp: Rèpublica domeniquêna
fry: Dominikaanske Republyk
fur: Republiche Dominicane
gla: Poblachd Dhoiminicia
gle: An Poblacht Dhoiminiceach / An Poblaċt Ḋoiminiceaċ
glv: Yn Phobblaght Ghominicagh
hat: Repiblik dominikàn
hun: Dominikai Köztársaság
ina: Republica Dominican
ind: Republik Dominika / ريڤوبليك دومينيكا
isl: Dóminíska lýðveldið
ita: Repubblica Dominicana
jav: Republik Dominika
jnf: Républyique Dominnicaine
kaa: Dominikana Respublikası / Доминикана Республикасы
kmr: Cimḧurîyeta Domînîkanê / Щьмһ’ӧрийәта Доминикане / جمحوریەتا دۆمینیکانێ
kur: Komara Domînîkanê / کۆمارا دۆمینیکانێ
lat: Res Publica Dominicana; Res Publica Dominiciana; Respublica Dominicana
lav: Dominikas Republika; Dominikāna
lin: Republiki Dominikani
lit: Dominikos Respublika
ltz: Dominikanesch Republik / Dominikaneſch Republik
mlg: Repoblikan’i Dominikana
mlt: Repubblika Dominikana
mol: Republica Dominicană / Република Доминиканэ
msa: Republik Dominican / ريڤوبليك دومينيكان
nds: Dominikaansche Republiek / Dominikaanſche Republiek
nld: Dominicaanse Republiek
nno: Den dominikanske republikken
nob: Den dominikanske republikk
nrm: Saint-Domingue
pap: Repúblika Dominikanu
que: Duminikana
rmy: Dominikani Republika / दोमिनिकानी रेपुब्लिका
ron: Republica Dominicană
rup: Republica Dominicanã
scn: Ripùbbrica Duminicana
slk: Dominikánska republika
slo: Dominikanju Republik / Доминиканйу Републик
sme: Dominikána republihkka
smg: Duomėnė̄kas Respoblėka
sqi: Republika Domenikane
srd: Repùbrica Dominicana
swa: Jamhuri ya Dominikan
swe: Dominikanska republiken
tet: Repúblika Dominikana
tgl: Republika ng Dominikano
ton: Lepāpulika Tominikení
tuk: Dominikan Jumhuriýäti / Доминикан Җумхурийәти
tur: Dominik Cumhuriyeti; Dominikan Cumhuriyeti
uzb: Dominikana Respublikasi / Доминикана Республикаси
vie: Cộng hoà Dominicana
vol: Repüblikän Dominiganik
wln: Republike Dominikinne
wol: Republik Dominikee
zza: Cumhuriyetê Dominiki
kir | krc | kum: Доминикана Республикасы (Dominikana Respublikasy)
bul | mkd: Доминиканска Република (Dominikanska Republika)
alt | chm: Доминиканский Республика (Dominikanskij Respublika)
abq: Доминиканска Ареспублика (Dominikanska Arespubłika)
bak: Доминикана Республикаһы / Dominikana Respublikahı
bel: Дамініканская Рэспубліка / Daminikanskaja Respublika
che: Доминикански Республика (Dominikanski Respublika)
chv: Доминикана Республики (Dominikana Respubliki)
kaz: Доминикан Республикасы / Domïnïkan Respwblïkası / دومينيكان رەسپۋبليكاسى
kbd: Доминиканскэ Республикэ (Dominikanskă Respublikă)
kjh: Доминиканскай Республика (Dominikanskaj Respublika)
kom: Доминиканскӧй Республика (Dominikansköj Respublika)
mon: Бүгд Найрамдах Доминикан Улс (Bügd Najramdaĥ Dominikan Uls)
oss: Доминиканаг Республикӕ (Dominikanag Respublikä)
rus: Доминиканская Республика (Dominikanskaja Respublika)
srp: Доминиканска Република / Dominikanska Republika
tat: Доминикан республикасы / Dominikan respublikası
tgk: Ҷумҳурии Доминикана / جمهوری دامینیکنه / Çumhuriji Dominikana
tyv: Доминикан Республика (Dominikan Respublika)
ukr: Домініканська Республіка (Dominikans'ka Respublika)
ara: جمهوريةالدومينيكان (Ǧumhūrīyâtu d-Dūmīnīkān); جمهورية الدومنيكان(Ǧumhūrīyâtu d-Dūminīkān); الجمهوريةالدومينيكية (al-Ǧumhūrīyâtu d-Dūmīnīkīyâ)
fas: دومینیکن (Domīnīkan); دمینیکن (Domīnīkan); جمهوری دومینیکن (Jomhūrī-ye Domīnīkan)
prs: جمهوری دومینیکان (Jomhūrī-ye Dōmīnīkān)
pus: د ډومينيکان جمهوريت (də Ḋomīnīkān Jumhūriyat); د دومينيکان جمهوريت (də Domīnīkān Jumhūriyat)
uig: دومىنىكان جۇمھۇرىيىتى / Dominikan jumhuriyiti / Доминикан җумһурийити
urd: ڈومینیکن ریپبلک (Ḋômīnīkan Rīpablik); جمہوریۂ ڈومینیکا (Jumhūrīyâ-e Ḋômīnīkā)
div: ޑޮމިނިކަން ރިޕަބްލިކް (Ḋominikan Ripablik)
heb: הרפובליקה הדומיניקנית (ha-Repûblîqah ha-Dômînîqanît); הרפובליקה הדומיניקאנית (ha-Repûblîqah ha-Dômînîqânît)
lad: ריפובליקה דומיניקאנה / Republika Dominikana
yid: דאָמיניקאַנישע רעפּובליק (Dominikaniše Republik)
amh: ዶሚኒካን ሪፐብሊክ (Dominikan Ripäblik)
ell-dhi: Δομινικανή Δημοκρατία (Dominikanī́ Dīmokratía); Δομινικανική Δημοκρατία (Dominikanikī́ Dīmokratía)
ell-kat: Δομινικανὴ Δημοκρατία (Dominikanī̀ Dīmokratía); Δομινικανικὴ Δημοκρατία (Dominikanikī̀ Dīmokratía)
hye: Դոմինիկյան Հանրապետություն (Dominikyan Hanrapetouṭyoun)
kat: დომინიკელთა რესპუბლიკა (Dominikelṭa respublika)
hin: डोमिनिकन गणराज्य (Ḍominikan Gaṇrājyā); डोमीनिकन रिपब्लिक (Ḍomīnikan Ripablik); डोमिनिकन रिपब्लिक (Ḍominikan Ripablik)
mar: डॉमिनिकन प्रजासत्ताक (Ḍŏminikan Pradzāsattāk)
ben: ডোমিনিকান প্রজাতন্ত্র (Ḍominikān Prôjātôntrô)
pan: ਡੋਮੀਨੀਕਾਨ ਗਣਰਾਜ (Ḍomīnīkān Gaṇrāj)
kan: ಡೊಮಿನಿಕನ್ ಗಣರಾಜ್ಯ (Ḍominikan Gaṇarājya)
mal: ഡൊമിനിക്കന് റിപ്പബ്ലിക് (Ḍominikkan Ṟippablik)
tam: டொமினிகன் குடியரசு (Ṭomiṉikaṉ Kuṭiyaraču)
tel: డొమినికన్ రిపబ్లిక్ (Ḍominikan Ripablik)
zho: 多米尼加共和国 (Duōmǐníjiā Gōnghéguó)
jpn: ドミニカ共和国 (Dominika Kyōwakoku)
kor: 도미니카공화국 (Dominika Gonghwaguk)
mya: ဒုိမီနီကန္္သမ္မတနုိင္ငံ (Dominikã Ṯãmatánaĩṅã)
tha: สาธารณรัฐโดมินิกัน (Sātʰāronrât Dōminikân)
khm: សាធារណរដ្ឋដូមីនីកែន (Sātʰāroṇrod[tʰ] Dūmīnīkæn); សាធារណរដ្ឋដូមីនិកាំង (Sātʰāroṇrod[tʰ] Dūmīnikāṁṅ)