Transcript Document

Dominican
Republic
Location: The Dominican Republic is
located in the Caribbean Sea, east of
Cuba and west of Puerto Rico, on the
eastern two-thirds of the island of
Hispaniola.
Capital: Santo Domingo
History:
Explored and claimed by Columbus on his first
voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for
Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In
1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of
the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island,
by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own
independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians
for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican
Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the
Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that
restored independence in 1865.
Prior political unrest left a legacy of unsettled, mostly
non-representative, rule for much of its subsequent history. In 1930
Rafael Trujillo, a Dominican Army sergeant, overthrew the elected
administration and made himself dictator. Trujillo's 31-year reign of
power was known as one of the most extreme dictatorships ever.
Trujillo and his family controlled every aspect of the nation,
suppressing even the slightest hint of opposition. However, during
his dictatorship, material progress was made. Improvements were
made in education, roads, agriculture, and sanitation; a pension plan
was developed; and new hospitals and housing projects were
completed. In 1948 the Dominican Republic joined the Organization
of American States (OAS), which gradually began to criticize the
Trujillo regime for interfering in the domestic affairs of surrounding
countries and oppressing democracy. Trujillo was assassinated on
May 30, 1961.
After some unrest, Joaquin Balaguer who had
served as a figurehead president under Trujillo became president in
1966. Under Balaguer, the country established a Constitution (1966)
and gained some degree of stability and economic well-being, in
spite of the fact that elements of Trujillo's authoritarian regime
continued. He maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next
30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him
to curtail his term in 1996.
Since then, regular competitive elections have been
held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. The
current president, Leonel Fernandez Reyna, was elected in 2004
and reelected in 2008 following a constitutional amendment allowing
presidents to serve more than one term.
The blue and red fields come from the bicolor
flag of Haiti, which once ruled the Dominican
Republic, while the white cross symbolizes
purity and faith. The flag was created by the
leader of the Trinitarian movement, a religious
group formed to liberate what was then known
as Santo Domingo from Haitian rule.
(Independence from Haiti was achieved in
1844.) The arms embody the values of the
Trinitarians: the banner depicts the rallying
cry of the movement, Dios, Patria, Libertad
(God, Country, Freedom), and the book
emblem in the center represents the Gospel
of St. John.
Government Type: The Dominican Republic is a
democratic republic with a president and vicepresident elected on the same ticket by popular
vote. A bicameral legislature: Senate and House
of Representatives are also elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms. The president is
assisted by his cabinet, which he nominates. The
Supreme Court is appointed by the National
Judicial Council compromised of the president, the
leaders of both chambers of congress, the
president of the Supreme Court, and an additional
non-governing party congressional representative.
The president and vice president must be over 30
years of age and Dominican citizens.
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal and
compulsory; married persons regardless of age.
Members of the armed forces and national police
cannot vote.
Economy: Although the country has long been
viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee,
and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has
overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest
employer, due to growth in tourism and free trade
zones. Inflation rates in 2008 grew to over 11% on
average for the first three quarters. High food
prices, driven by the effects of consecutive tropical
storms on agricultural products, and education
prices were significant contributors to the jump.
The effects of the global financial crisis and the US
recession are projected to negatively affect GDP
growth in 2009, with a rebound expected in 2010.
Although the economy is growing at a respectable
rate, high unemployment and underemployment
remains an important challenge. The country
suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest
half of the population receives less than one-fifth of
GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of
national income. The Central America-Dominican
Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)
came into force in March 2007, which should boost
investment and exports and reduce losses to the
Asian garment industry.
Climate: Although the Dominican Republic is located
in the tropics, cool trade winds keep temperatures near
80°F year round. The southern part of the country
receives two-thirds of the average annual 57 inches of
rainfall during the May-to-November rainy season. The
climate tends to be more humid in the north and
northeast.
Land Use:
arable land: 22.49%
permanent crops: 10.26%
other: 67.25% (2005)
Population: 9,507,133 (2008 estimate)
Ethnic Groups: Mixed 73%, white 16%,
black 11%
Religions: No official religion.
Roman Catholic - 95%; other - 5%.
Languages: Spanish is the official language.
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87%
male: 86.8%
female: 87.2% (2002 census)
Currency: 100 centavos = 1 Dominican Republic
peso
Sources:
CIA Sourcebook
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/
dr.html
Encyclopedia Britannica, World Data
http://world.eb.com
World Geography
www.worldgeography.abc-clio.com