Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a Spanish language-speaking representative democracy located on the eastern portion of the Caribbean Sea island of Hispaniola, bordering Haiti. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of the 20th century — most notably the thirty-two year reign of the military leader Rafael Le�nidas Trujillo — lasted until 1961. The Dominican Republic ("do-MIN-i-kun")also called Quisqueya by its inhabitants, should not be confused with Dominica ("do-min-EE-ka"), another Caribbean country. {| border=1 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=300 style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |+Rep�blica Dominicana |- | style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 | {| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" | align="center" width="140px" | | align="center" width="140px" rowspan="2" height="120px" | |- | align="center" width="140px" | (Flag of the Dominican Republic) |} |- | align="center" colspan=2 | ''National motto: Dios, patria, libertad
(Spanish language: God, Country, Liberty)'' |- | align=center colspan=2 | |- | Official language | Spanish language |- | Capital | Santo Domingo |- | President of the Dominican Republic | Leonel Fern�ndez |- | Area
- Total
- % water | List of countries by area
1 E10 m2
1,6% |- | Population
- Total (July 2004 est)
- Population density | List of countries by population
8,833,634
181/km² |- | Independence
since | from Haiti
27 February 1844/Spain |- | Currency | Peso |- | Time zone | Coordinated Universal Time -4 |- | National anthem | ''Quisqueyanos valientes'' |- | Top-level domain | .do |- | List of country calling codes | +1 809 and +1 829 |} ==History== ''Main article: History of the Dominican Republic'' The country has had a history of changing ownership, with Spain, France, Haiti, Spain again, and the United States (twice) taking their turns at ruling Dominican territory amid attempts at independence and self-rule. In the beginning the island was primarily inhabited by the Taino nation. A branch of the Arawaks. Taino means "The good" in that native language. A system of cacicazgos (chiefdoms) Marien, Maguana, Higuey, Magua and Xaragua were there names. These chiefdoms were then subdivided into subchiefdoms. The cacicagzos were based on a system of tribute, consisting of the food grown by the taino. The arrival of the Guamikena (the covered ones) In October of 1492, the europeans arrived and the taino believing that these beings from over the horizon were in someway supernatural feted them with all the honors available to them. This was a totally different society from the one the Europeans came from. One of the things that piqued the curiosity was the amount of clothing worn by the Europeans. Therefore they came to call them guamikena. Guacanagarix the chief who hosted Columbus and his men treated them kindly and provided him with everything they desired. The twentieth century was marked by repeated American Empire in local affairs. Apart from tentative U.S. support for the Rafael_Le%F3nidas_Trujillo dictatorship (1930-1961) (though this faded during his final years,) the most infamous example of this is the 1965 invasion by American troops in the midst of a Dominican civil war, an uprising that was sparked by an attempt to restore the republic's first democratically-elected president of the 20th century, Juan Bosch, who had been overthrown by a right-wing politics coup in 1963. This invasion had the effect of establishing the rule of Joaqu�n Balaguer (1966-1978), and ensuring that Juan Bosch's constitutional government never returned to power. The Lyndon Johnson justified the 1965 intervention by stating that it suspected many of Bosch's supporters were pro-Cuban communism. ==Politics== ''Main article: Politics of the Dominican Republic'' The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy whose national powers are divided among independent Executive (government), Legislature, and judicial branches. The president appoints the cabinet, executes laws passed by the legislative branch, and is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The president and vice president run for office on the same ticket and are elected by direct vote for four-year terms. Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral National Congress — the Senate (32 members), and the Chamber of Deputies (150 members). Presidential elections are held in years evenly divisible by four. Congressional and municipal elections are held in even-numbered years not divisible by four. ==Provinces== ''Main article: Provinces of the Dominican Republic'' ==Geography== ''Main article: Geography of the Dominican Republic'' The capital is Santo Domingo. The second largest city is Santiago de los Caballeros, more commonly referred to as simply Santiago. The country has three major mountain ranges: The Central Mountains, which originate in Haiti and span the central part of the island, ending up in the south. This mountain range boasts the highest peak in the Antilles, Pico Duarte (3 175 m above sea level). The Septentrional Mountains, running parallel to the Central Mountains, separate the Cibao Valley and the Atlantic coastal plains. The highest point here is Pico Diego de Ocampo. The lowest and shortest of the three ranges is the Eastern Mountains, in the eastern part of the country. There are also the Sierra Bahoruco and the Sierra Neyba in the southwest. This is a country of many rivers, including the navigable Soco, Higuamo, Romana, Yaque del Norte, Yaque del Sur, Yuna, Yuma, and Bajabonico. ==Demographics== ''Main article: Demographics of the Dominican Republic'' The majority of Dominicans are of mixed European and African descent. About 11% of Dominicans are primarily of African descent, including many Haitian migrants and their descendants. About 16% of Dominicans are of Spain or other European origin. Some are Asian, mostly of overseas Chinese descent, and Middle Easterners, mostly Arab. Dominican culture is essentially Hispanic America, and also has many African, Antilliean, and United States influences. Since the early 1960s, economic problems have led to a vast migration of Dominicans to the US, mainly to large east coast cities. New York City's Washington Heights is so densely populated by Dominicans, it is sometimes referred to as Quisqueya Heights. Quisqueya is believed to be the name given to the eastern side of Hispaniola by its original inhabitants, the Arawak Indians, although this version is disputed by some historians. Dominicans are now one of the largest Latino groups in the US. In recent years, illegal immigration from Haiti has worsened as Haiti's population explodes and the Dominican economy improves. ==Economy== ''Main article: Economy of the Dominican Republic'' ==Culture== ''Main article: Culture of the Dominican Republic'' 89% of Dominicans are baptised in the Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is known for a form of music called merengue (music), which has been popular since the mid- to late-1800s. *Music of the Dominican Republic ==Miscellaneous topics== * Communications in the Dominican Republic * Transportation in the Dominican Republic * Military of the Dominican Republic * Foreign relations of the Dominican Republic *Charytin *List of Dominicans ==External links== *[http://www.dominicanrepublicindex.com DRINDEX: Information, Flights, Real-estate & More on the Dominican Republic] *[http://www.dr1.com DR1: a portal in English for the Dominican Republic] *[http://www.dominicanimpressions.com Dominican impressions: The Enchantment of the Dominican Republic. Photo galleries for locals and vacationers alike, featuring aerial views of the north coast of the Dominican Republic.] ==Online Dominican Newspapers (in Spanish)== *[http://www.listin.com.do] *[http://www.diariolibre.com] *[http://www.elcaribecdn.com] *[http://www.hoy.com.do] *[http://www.diarioadiario.com.do] Caribbean countries Dominican Republic bn:ডোমিনিকান প্রজাতন্ত্র ht:Repiblik Dominikan lv:Dominikana ms:Republik Dominican zh-min-nan:Dominic Kiōng-hô-kok nds:Dominikaansche Republiek

Dominican Republic

===Location map=== The map :image:LocationDominicanRepublic.png can be added to the new Dominican Republic page when it is created in the format set out by Wikipedia: WikiProject Countries . It is mentioned here so that whoever eventually makes the new page knows that the map already exists. - User:Vardion 09:21, 26 Oct 2003 (UTC) == Country Map == A controversy has erupted over the choice of map for this article. The two candidates are shown here, along with any others that other Wikipedians may choose to enter. Feel free to make any comments. The lower map may also appear in the corresponding Geography article for this country. User:Kelisi 03:07, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC) I prefer the lower Kelisi map, --User:SqueakBox 03:09, Apr 2, 2005 (UTC) Lower map is more accurate,--User:The guy who knows it all 08:00, 3 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Dominican Republic

Caribbean countries

Dominican Republic

{| |- ! Template Preview ! What to type ! Also consider |- | || || |- | style="font-size: 80%;" colspan="3" | ''See more country templates on:'' Wikipedia:Country referencing templates |} Dominican Republic

See other meanings of words starting from letter:

D