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Dominican Republic facts
When you start
planning a vacation, you may want to know some Dominican Republic facts to
see what makes this place such a popular tourist destination. Columbus
first explored this island in 1492 so you will find that it is steeped in
history. The small island is located in the Caribbean and measures only
about 18,000 square miles. It shares a border with Haiti on the island of
Hispaniola and has a tropical climate that does not vary
very much with the seasons. Therefore you can visit here any time of the
year and experience the great temperatures and sunshine of the Caribbean.
The Dominican Republic has a resident population of almost 10 million, but
with the influx of tourists it seems as if there are many more. The
capital city is Santa Domingo and there are 31 provinces. The legal system
is based on that of France, but the country is starting to develop its own
penal code. Agriculture is very important to the economy of the Dominican
and it is a major exporter of sugar, coffee and tobacco. There are a lot
of mountains in the central and western parts of the country and there are
lowlands to the
east. These lowlands are exceptionally dry and very little plants grow
there.
The majority of the people here are Catholic, due to the influence of the
Spaniards and the main language spoken is Spanish. However, the people who
work at the resorts and those in the surrounding shops and restaurants do
speak English. When in the Dominican Republic, the time zone is the
Atlantic, which is 4 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.
Most of the people that live here are of mixed African and Spanish
ancestry. However, you will find people from all over the world living and
working in this tropical paradise. The influence of Western culture can be
seen in the design of the newer buildings, but the basic culture is alive
and well in the songs and dances native to the country.
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