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Dominican Republic: capital Santo Domingo
- Term for Citizens: Dominicans
- Population : 8,715,602 people
- Area : Approximately 48,442 sq km
- Independence Day: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
- Government Type: representative democracy
- Languages: Spanish
- Religion: Roman Catholic 95%
- Currency: Dominican peso (DOP)
- Literacy Rate: 84.7% (84.6% male and 84.8% female)
- Ethnic Groups: Majority of mid-1980s population (approximately 73 percent) mulatto, a legacy of black slavery during colonial period. Approximately 16 percent of Dominicans white; 11 percent black.
 
The island of Hispaniola, of which the Dominican Republic forms the eastern two-thirds and Haiti the remainder, was originally occupied by Tainos, an Arawak-speaking people. The Tainos welcomed Columbus in his first voyage in 1492, but subsequent colonizers were brutal, reducing the Taino population from about 1 million to about 500 in 50 years. To ensure adequate labor for plantations, the Spanish brought African slaves to the island beginning in 1503.
In the next century, French settlers occupied the western end of the island, which Spain ceded to France in 1697, and which, in 1804, became the Republic of Haiti. The Haitians conquered the whole island in 1822 and held it until 1844, when forces led by Juan Pablo Duarte, the hero of Dominican independence, drove them out and established the Dominican Republic as an independent state. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire; in 1865, independence was restored.
 
Dominican Republic is a country located in the Caribbean, well-known by the white sand and turquoise waters of its beaches. Due to its tropical climate, Dominican Republic is used as a holiday destination by Americans and Europeans. Receiving more than 2 million tourists per year, Dominican Republic is ideal for having a vacational or a retirement villa. Ayeraes La Cumbre Country Club is an excellent choice because of its strategic location: it is forty five minutes away from the capital city, Santo Domingo, and equally far from all the islandīs coasts.
 
Primarily tropical, with temperatures varying according to altitude. Seasons defined more by rainfall than by temperature. For most of country, rainy season runs roughly from May through November; dry season, from November through April. Rainfall not uniform throughout country because of mountain ranges. Tropical cyclones strike country on average of once every two years and usually have greatest impact along southern coast.
  Each Year in February, there is Carnival in the Dominican Republic and 500 years of tradition come to life. With new colors and each time with new, even more fascinating costumes, to honor the tradition.
The roots of the Dominican carnival are in Europe, Spain. As Columbus discovered the island 500 years ago, the Spanish settlers brought this tradition. Since this moment the European tradition has been adapted from the new, multicultural Dominican Civilization and developed by their culture.
What you see in today's carnival is spectacular, colorful and crazy with costumes and masks developed in 500 years of history. Each part of the Dominican Republic has special kinds of costumes and masks, which reflect their surrounding and life.
  The Dominican population is the result of nearly four centuries of mixing of European and African elements. The original Indian inhabitants were either absorbed or eliminated within the first 100 years of the Spanish conquest. Haitians are the largest minority group. The Mulattoes who are of mixed European and African descent account for 75% of the population followed by the Whites who account for 15% while Black Africans account for 10%. The White population includes pure Spanish, Lebanese and German Jews while other ethnic aliens include Chinese and Japanese.
Meet Beautiful Ladies from Dominican Republic!!
  Dominican cuisine is anything but sophisticated. Dominicans eat chiefly to fill their stomachs. The cornerstone of the national diet is the "Bandera Dominicana" which is a huge plate of rice and red beans, fried plantain, a leg of chicken and some salad and vegetables.
Interestingly, here the Dominican food restaurants are outnumbered by Argentinean, British, Chinese, Cuban, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mexican, Spanish, Swiss, Taiwanese and Arabian restaurants. This reflects the cosmopolitan outlook of the residents in this country, especially the capital city.
Dominican food primarily takes its influence from Spanish cooking with added touches of Caribbean herbs and spices. Many restaurants, including those in hotels, will feature several typical Dominican dishes.
try the national dishes from Dominican Republic: Sancocho
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