The Dominican Republic (The DR) is located in the Caribbean between Cuba and Puerto Rico and occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispañiola, with Haiti occupying the western portion. With 48,730 square kilometers, Hispañola is the second largest island in the Caribbean surpassed only by Cuba. Situated in the heart of the region between North and South America, the country is bathed by the Caribbean Sea on the south coast and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. The island was originally created when a volcano erupted in the ocean millions of years ago. There are, however, no volcanoes on the island.
The earth holds many splendid treasures; one of them is the national stone Larimar – the Dominican turquoise, which is found in the mountains of the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic is a land of contrasts with towering mountains and rocky cliffs, rain forests, fertile valleys, cacti-studded deserts, 1,288 kilometers (800 miles) of coastline and about 300 kilometers (185 miles) of prime beaches. The country is crossed by four rugged mountain ranges bisecting northwest to southeast. The largest is the Cordillera Central with Pico Duarte, the tallest point in the Caribbean, rising over 3,175 meters (10,417 feet).
Three large fertile valleys rest between the ranges. Lake Enriquillo in the southwest is the lowest point in the Caribbean falling 46 meters (150 feet) below sea level and the only salt water lake in the world inhabited by crocodiles.
The Dominican Republic is surrounded by a rich animal wildlife. The Atlantic and Caribbean oceans surrounding the island of Hispañola are filled with fish, sea turtles and coral reefs and more which make snorkelling or diving activities an absolute must.
From January till March around 3,000 humpback whales find their way to the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The coast of Samaná towards the north east is considered the best place in the world to see these majestic creatures.
The total population of the Dominican Republic is approximately 9,365,818 (July 2007 est.) with the largest number living in the capitol of Santo Domingo.
In the past few years, the Dominican Republic has unquestionably become one of the most popular and fastest growing tourist destinations in the Caribbean with more than 20 daily direct flights from major US and European cities.
There are now approximately 75,000 hotel rooms across the island making the Dominican Republic the largest destination in the Caribbean.
The east coast of the Dominican Republic (from Punta Cana in the south to Macao and Uvero Alto in the north), which includes approx. 35 kilometres (22 miles) of coast line and more than 45 resorts, has become a very
Culture
The Dominican culture is a melting pot of old Taino Indian, Spanish, French and African cultures which has created a wonderful mix that we see today in the language, music and art work of the island.
Baseball
Baseball has been at the centre of Dominican culture for more than 100 years. Although the exact origins of the sport in the Dominican Republic are not clear, it is believed that baseball emerged in the 1880s brought over by Cubans fleeing Cuba. The first baseball teams in the Dominican Republic were formed in 1894 – 1895 and shortly after the popularity of the sport spread across the island like a wildfire.
In the 1920s Dominican teams began playing against other Caribbean and American teams and in the 1930s baseball became the official national Dominican pastime. Dictator Rafael Trujillo built the first major baseball stadium in Santo Domingo and founded the official, Dominican baseball league in the 1930s. Baseball games were only playing during the daytime (as long as it was daylight) until 1955 when Estadio Quisqueya (Quisqueya Stadium) was built with lights. With the building of this stadium, baseball entered its golden era in the Dominican Republic.
In 1956 Dominican baseball was brought to the United States when Ozzie Virgil became the first Dominican baseball player to play in the Majors. His success ultimately paved the way for other Dominican players. The United States began sending money, players and talent scouts to the Dominican Republic and in the 1960s baseball schools began emerging across the island.
There are 6 teams in the Dominican baseball league. Each team plays 60 games throughout the baseball season which runs from October until February. The two finalists will compete for the championship title and the winning team will go on to represent the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean Baseball Series against Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
From 1956 until today more than 420 Dominican baseball players have played in the Majors in the United States. Today there are more baseball players in the Majors than from any other Latin American country. Perhaps the most famous Dominican baseball player is Sammy Sosa (Samuel Peralta Sosa).
He was born in 1968 in the city of San Pedro de Macoris and discovered in the early 1980s and signed his first contract with the Texas Rangers Minor League team. In 1989 Sammy has his first year in the Major League and in 1997 he signed a 4 year / US$ 42,5 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. Throughout his career he has set many baseball
Currency
The local currency is the Dominican peso (RD$). However, US-dollars are used everywhere and in most cases favoured. One US-dollar is worth approximately 33-35 pesos. Credit cards are accepted in almost all places. Please note that in most cases payment with credit card in US-dollar is converted to pesos – the rate will usually be slightly higher compared to payment in cash.
Economy
The main source of income is tourism. The amount of tourists visiting the Dominican Republic continues to increase yearly. In 2005 4.8 million tourists found their way to the Dominican Republic. There are now 59,000 hotel rooms across the island and in 2009 this number will increase by 18.000 additional rooms making the Dominican Republic the largest destination in the Caribbean. With the most sea and air connections than any other Caribbean destination, the Dominican Republic is easily accessible from almost any other part of the world.
Another major income is agriculture; especially tobacco (it is estimated that the Dominican Republic exports around 20 million cigars a day), sugar (used to produce rum – 95% of all Dominican produced rum is consumed within the country), coffee (Dominican coffee is among the best in the world), bananas and cocoa (more than 50% of the chocolate made worldwide are made from Dominican cocoa). Most of these crops are exported mainly to the United States and Europe.
In the recent years, real estate and construction has also become a major income for the Dominican Republic.
Government
The Dominican Republic is a democratic republic based on French civil codes. The President and the Vice President are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for 4 year terms (eligible for a second consecutive term). Election last held 16 May 2004 and the next election is to be held in May 2008.
Language
The official language in the Dominican Republic is Spanish. However, because a large number of Haitians have immigrated across the border (legally and illegally), Creole and French are widely spoken throughout the country.
Religion
95% of the population is Roman Catholic.
Weather
The Dominican Republic welcomes everyone with its tropical climate where the moist heat is swept away by a cool breeze that blows all year round. The soft ocean breeze makes the heat bearable and comfortable for those who are not used to the hot weather. The temperature remains almost the same throughout the year with an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius/80 degrees Fahrenheit. During the summer (July and August) the temperature gets up to 35 degrees Celsius/95 degrees Fahrenheit.
There are two main rainy seasons on the island – however, the rain usually falls during the evening or night. On the north coast, it rains during the months of winter, and on the south coast the rain falls mainly from May till October. Although the Dominican Republic is located in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to tropical storms and/or hurricanes from June until October, these severe storms are not commonly experienced and if so mainly hits the south coast close to Santo Domingo and/or the west coast close to Haiti.