Dominican Republic
God, Fatherland, Freedom
Background Information
The Dominican Republic was controlled by the Haitians when they took over Santo Domingo ( the capital). The Dominicans fought against and won their independence 1844. They joined back under Spanish rule but later fought for their independence against the Spanish 1865.
History
Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1492 , when he colonized the island; his soldiers and him brought diseases and slavery which eradicated the natives within decades. With that happening that brought in the shipment of West Africans for slaves. Santo Domingo was the first European Settlement in the New World. Sir Francis Drake( a British pirate) took Santo Domingo until the Spanish gave him a ransom. In 1801 rebellious slaves from Haiti took control after Haiti was announced the first independent country which the Dominicans ruled by the Haitians. Haiti controlled the Dominican Republic for 22 years, after being contolled by a lot of countries the D.R. finally established a constitutional government.
Major Cities
Santo Domingo
The capital of the Dominican Republic
Punta Cana
Puerto Plata
Geography
The Dominican Republic is located in the Carribean, it shares an island with Haiti and is surrounded by the Carribean Sea on the south side. There are mountains, rivers, and lakes all over the D.R. they even have underground caves.
Government
Once establishing a constitutional government Rafael Leonidas Trujillo won the presidency in 1930. He became a military dictator who caused the Haitian massacre in the late 1930's. Citizens were leaving the country because they didn't want to live under Trujillo's rule. After an abundance of attempts Trujillo died in 1961. The Dominican Republic has never had a dictator after that; they are now a democratic republic. Their president is Danillo MEDINA Sanchez.
Economic and Trade Information
Their currency is a Dominican Peso, they are capatilist. They import petroleum, cotton, fabrics, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The import goods from Venezuela, Mexico, Japan, and Panama. They export ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, and meats. They export goods to US, Netherlands, Canada, Russia, and UK.
Tourist Attractions
Places to visit in the Dominican Republic are the Columbus Lighthouse, Basilica Cathedral, and Los Haitises