Dominican Republic

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{{Infobox Country or territory|native_name = República Dominicana|conventional_long_name = Dominican Republic|common_name = the Dominican Republic|image_flag = Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg|image_coat = Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic.svg|image_map = LocationDominicanRepublic.svg|national_motto = "Dios, Patria, Libertad"(Spanish language)"God, Homeland, Liberty"|national_anthem = Quisqueyanos valientes|official_languages = Spanish language|demonym = Dominican|capital = Santo Domingo ]|leader_title1 = President of the Dominican Republic|leader_name1 = Leonel Fernández|leader_name2 = [Rafael Alburquerque|sovereignty_note = From [Haiti [1844-->|percent_water = 1.6|population_estimate = 9,183,984|population_estimate_rank = 87th|population_estimate_year = July 2007|population_census = 9,365,818|population_census_year = 2000|population_density_km2 = 182|population_density_sq_mi = 474 |currency_code = DOP|country_code =|time_zone = Atlantic|utc_offset = -4|time_zone_DST =|utc_offset_DST =|cctld = .do and +[Area code 829|footnote1 = Known as Ciudad Trujillo from 1936 to 1961 {{cite web | title = Santo Domingo, city, Dominican Republic | work = The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | publisher = Bartleby.com | date = 2005 | url = http://www.bartleby.com/65/sn/SntoDom-city.html | accessdate = 2007-06-03 --> -->

The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana, International Phonetic Alphabet ) is a Latin American country that occupies the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean Sea island called Hispaniola. It shares a border with the Republic of Haiti, making it one of two Caribbean islands that are List of divided islands; the other is Saint Martin. Hispaniola is the second-largest of the Greater Antilles islands, and lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica.{{cite web | title = CIA- The World Factbook -- Dominican Republic | publisher = [CIA | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html#People | accessdate = 2007-06-04 -->

More than 500 years of mixed lapses of prosperity and turmoil give this island-nation the longest historical record of any of the other country in the Western hemisphere: The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas,{{cite web]. The Dominican Republic has the first cathedral and university, as well as the first European-built road and fortress, in the Americas. Santo Domingo (originally New Isabela) was also the first colonial capital in the Americas.{{cite web | last = Ramos | first = Ruth | authorlink = | coauthors = Esther Ramos | title = Dominican Republic History | work = | publisher = Visiting the Dominican Republic.com | date = 2005 | url = http://www.visiting-the-dominican-republic.com/dominican_republic_history.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->

History For much of the 20th century, the government of the Dominican Republic was unsettled and mostly non-representative. Since the death of military dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1961, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy. {{cite web History Taínos Christopher Columbus explored Hispaniola during his first voyage to Americas in 1492. The inhabitants whom Columbus encountered on his arrival in Hispaniola were Arawak-speaking Taíno people who had previously settled there. The Taíno lived in villages, headed by chiefs, and engaged principally in farming and fishing. By the mid-1500s the Taíno people had died out as a result of smallpox and brutal treatment by the…… Spanish settlers who tried to enslave them. Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean mainland.

Creation of the Republic Spain ceded the colony of Santo Domingo (the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola) to France in 1795. In the 1790s slaves in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) staged a revolt led by Toussaint Louverture. In 1801, Toussaint Louverture captured the former Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo (which became the Dominincan Republic). He then unified French and Spanish Haiti into Haiti (which is the old Arawak Indian name for Hispaniola). By 1808 after various degrees of instability Santo Domingo reverted to Spanish rule. Two years later in 1810 the French finally leave Santo Domingo.{{cite web]|publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. -->

; Middle, Juan Pablo Duarte; Right, Matías Ramón Mella.Spanish lieutenant governor José Núñez de Cáceres declared the colony's independence as the state of Spanish Haiti (Haití Español) on November 30, 1821, requesting admission to the Republic of Gran Colombia, but Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, unified the entire island, ending 300 years of colonial domination and slavery just nine weeks later.{{cite web | last = Guitar | first = Lynne | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = History of the Dominican Republic | work = | publisher = Hispaniola.com | date = | url = http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/history.php | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 --> In 1838 [Juan Pablo Duarte, founded a secret society called La Trinitaria that sought pure and simple independence of the eastern part of the island without any foreign intervention{{cite book | last = Pons | first = Moya | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Dominican Republic, A National History | publisher = {{Fact|date=June 2007--> | date = | location = | pages = 147-149 | url = | doi = | id = -->. [Ramón Matías Mella and [Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (the latter one being a mestizo), in spite of not being among the founding members, went on to be decisive in the fight for independence and are now hailed (along with Duarte) as the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios declared independence from Haiti, backed by [Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle-rancher from El Seibo who became general of the army of the nascent Republic, and known as "El Liberador". The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844 which was modeled after the US constitution.

Re-establishment as a colony and Restoration War In 1861, mainly due to political and economical reasons, then president Pedro Santana signed a pact with the Spanish Crown and reverted back the Dominican state to a colonial status, {{cite web | last = Sagas | first = Ernesto | title = An Apparent Contradiction? - Popular Perceptions of Haiti and the Foreign Policy of the Dominican Republic | work = Sixth Annual Conference of the Haitian Studies Association, Boston, MA | publisher = [Webster University | date = October 14-15, 1994 | url = http://www.websterfl.edu/~corbetre/haiti//misctopic/dominican/conception.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-06 --> the only Latin American nation to do so. Haitian authorities, fearful of the reestablishment of Spain as colonial power, gave refuge and logistics to Dominican revolutionaries to re-establish the independence. The civil war was called the War of Restoration, and was led by two men: Generals Ulises Heureaux who was of Haitian origin {{cite web | last = Hutchinson | first = Sydney | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Dominican Republic - background | work = | publisher = Merengue típico | date = 2006 | url = http://www.merengue-ripiao.com/background.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 --> (and 3 time President of the Dominican Republic) and [Gregorio Luperón.

The War started on 1863 and, after two years of fighting, Spanish troops abandoned the island.. The Restoration was proclaimed on August 16, 1865.

A few years later the Dominican Republic sought to sell itself to the United States and become a colony. The Dominican Republic offered the United States to take it over as a colony for 1.5 million dollars. http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Treaties.htm#5 President Grant supported this notion, but the United States Congress refused on June 30, 1870. President Grant thought that former American slaves could go to the Dominican Republic and live in peace and not be harassed by Southern whites. {{cite web | title = Ulysses S. Grant | work = American Experience | publisher = [Public Broadcasting Service | date = 2006 | url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/grant/peopleevents/p_sumner.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-06-06 -->

U.S. Dominican Treaty for Assistance in Governing In 1906, the Dominican Republic and the United States entered into a 50 year treaty. giving control of its administration and customs to the United States. In exchange the United States agreed to help reduce the immense foreign debt that the Dominican Republic had established. In 1914, the United States, due to extreme political internal instability in the Dominican Republic (inability to elect a president), expressed concern and stated that a leader must be elected, or the United States would impose one.{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Dominican Republic: Occupation by the United States, 1916-1924 | work = | publisher = U.S. Library of Congress | date = | url = http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/10.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 --> As a result, [Ramón Báez Machado, was elected provisional president on August 27, 1914. Presidential elections held on October 25 returned [Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra to the presidency. Despite his victory, however, Jiménez felt impelled to appoint leaders and prominent members of the various political factions to positions in his government in an effort to broaden its support. The internecine conflicts that resulted had quite the opposite effect, weakening the government and the President and emboldening Secretary of War Desiderio Arias to take control of both the armed forces and the Congress, which he compelled to impeach Jiménez for violation of the constitution and the laws. Although the United States ambassador offered military support to his government, Jiménez opted to step down on May 7, 1916.

Arias never assumed the presidency formally. The United States government, apparently tired of its recurring role as mediator, had decided to take a more direct action. By this time, U. S forces were occupying Haiti already. The initial military administrator of Haiti, Rear Admiral William Caperton, had actually forced Arias to retreat from Santo Domingo by threatening the city with naval bombardment on May 13, 1916.

The first Marines landed three days later, on May 19. Although they established effective control of the country within two months, the United States forces did not proclaim a military government until November. Most Dominican laws and institutions remained intact under military rule, although the shortage of Dominicans willing to serve in the cabinet forced the military governor, Rear Admiral Harry S. Knapp, to fill a number of portfolios with United States naval officers. The press and radio were censored for most of the occupation, and public speech was limited.

The surface effects of the occupation were largely positive. The Marines restored order throughout most of the republic (with the exception of the eastern region); the country's budget was balanced, its debt was diminished, and economic growth resumed. Infrastructure projects produced new roads that linked all the country's regions for the first time in its history. A professional military organization, the Dominican Constabulary Guard, replaced the partisan forces that had waged a seemingly endless struggle for power. Most Dominicans, however, greatly resented the loss of their sovereignty to foreigners, few of whom spoke Spanish or displayed much real concern for the welfare of the republic.

The most intense opposition to the occupation arose in the eastern provinces of El Seibo and San Pedro de Macorís. From 1917 to 1921, the United States forces battled a guerrilla movement in that area known as the "gavilleros". The guerrillas enjoyed considerable support among the population, and they benefited from a superior knowledge of the terrain. The movement survived the capture and the execution of its leader, Vicente Evangelista, and some initially fierce encounters with the Marines. However, the gavilleros eventually yielded to the occupying forces' superior firepower, air power (a squadron of six Curtis Jennies), and determined (often brutal) counterinsurgent methods.

After World War I, public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation. President Warren G. Harding, who succeeded Wilson in March 1921, had campaigned against the occupations of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In June 1921, United States representatives presented a withdrawal proposal, known as the Harding Plan, which called for Dominican ratification of all acts of the military government, approval of a loan of US$2.5 million for public works and other expenses, the acceptance of United States officers for the constabulary--now known as the National Guard (Guardia Nacional)--and the holding of elections under United States supervision. Popular reaction to the plan was overwhelmingly negative. Moderate Dominican leaders, however, used the plan as the basis for further negotiations that resulted in an agreement allowing for the selection of a provisional president to rule until elections could be organized. Under the supervision of High Commissioner Sumner Welles, Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos assumed the provisional presidency on October 21, 1922. In the presidential election of March 15, 1924, Horacio Vásquez Lajara handily defeated Francisco J. Peynado. Vásquez's Alliance Party (Partido Alianza) also won a comfortable majority in both houses of Congress. With his inauguration on July 13, control of the republic returned to Dominican hands.

1930 to 1980 The Dominican Republic was ruled by dictator Rafael Trujillo (who was himself a quarter Haitian {{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Rafael Trujillo: Killer File | work = | publisher = Moreorless.com | date = | url = http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/trujillo.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->) from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. Trujillo ruled with iron hand, persecuting anyone who opposed his regime. He also renamed many towns and provinces after himself and members of his family, including the capital city Santo Domingo. In 1937 Trujillo, in an event known as the Parsley Massacre, ordered the Army to kill all Haitians on the Dominican side of the border; an estimated 17,000 to 35,000 Haitians were killed for approximately five days, from the night of [October 2, [ through October 8, [, Haitians were cut down with machetes, {{cite web | last = Forrest | first = Dave | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Dominican Dictator: Rafael Trujillo | work = | publisher = James Logan High School | date = | url = http://www.jlhs.nhusd.k12.ca.us/classes/social_science/latin_america/dominican_Republic.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->. This massacre was alleged to have been an attempt to seize money and property from Haitians living on the borderhttp://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti-archive/msg00235.html As a result of this act of massacre the Dominican Republic agreed to pay Haiti $750,000.00, which was later reduced to US$525,000.http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/11.htm The Dominican government headed by Trujillo for a time was supported by the USA , the Catholic Church and the Dominican elite; even after the death of Dominicans opposition and over 17,000 Haitians. Trujillo was assassinated on May 30, [ in Santo Domingo.

In 1965, US Marines arrived in the Dominican Republic to restore order in the civil war in Operation Powerpack, later to be joined by forces from the Organization of American States . They remained in the country for over a year and left after supervising elections, in which they ensured the victory of Joaquín Balaguer.

Balaguer remained in power as president for 12 years. His tenure was a period of repression of civil liberties, presumably to prevent pro-Cuba or pro-communist parties from gaining power in the country. Balaguer's rule was accompanied by a growing disparity between rich and poor.

Modern times In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by Antonio Guzmán Fernández. From 1978 to 1986, the Dominican Republic experienced a period of relative freedom and basic human rights.Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, defeating José Francisco Peña Gómez (a former mayor of Santo Domingo). Both the national and international communities generally viewed these elections as a major fraud, leading to political pressure for Balaguer to step down. Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996, which was won by the Dominican Liberation Party for the first time, with Leonel Fernández as their candidate.

In 2000, Hipólito Mejía won the electorate when opposing candidates Danilo Medina and a very old Joaquín Balaguer decided that they would not force a runoff after the first got 49.8% of the votes. In 2004, Leonel Fernández was elected again with 57% of the votes, defeating then incumbent president Mejía, who was running for a second term.

Government and Politics The government of the Dominincan Republic is based mainly on that of the United States. , thus the Dominican Republic takes place in a framework of a Presidential system representative democratic republic, whereby the President of the Dominican Republic is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in two chambers of the Congress of the Dominican Republic. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, and is comprised of the Supreme Court of Justice, which functions as a Court of Cassation, several Courts of Appeals and many other tribunals in several matters: civil, penal, labor, administrative, lands, and family. The Law is derived from the French law.

Politics The Dominican Republic is a a highly politicized country, with elections held every two years in both the presidential and the congressional levels. This favors the wasting of millions of dollars in propaganda and campaign, and the expansion of clientelism, which has corrupted the system throughout the years. http://www.saxakali.com/caribbean/elangston.htm

There are many political parties and groups of interests, and new in this scenario, civil organizations. The three major parties are Reformist Social Christian Party (in power from 1966-78 and 1986-96); Dominican Revolutionary Party (in power in 1963, and from 1978-86, and again 2000-04); and the Dominican Liberation Party (in power from 1996 to 2000), currently official since 2004.

Provinces and municipalities The Dominican Republic is divided into 32 Provinces of the Dominican Republic. Additionally, the national capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional. Please note that the names of provincial capital cities are provided in parentheses where they differ from the name of their respective provinces.

The provinces are divided into Municipality (municipios singular municipio). They are the second level political and Administrative division of the country.

{||

Azua Province

Baoruco Province (Neyba)

Barahona Province

Dajabón Province

Duarte Province (San Francisco de Macorís)

Elías Piña Province (Comendador)

El Seibo Province (Santa Cruz del Seibo)

Espaillat Province (Moca, Dominican Republic)

Hato Mayor Province

Independencia Province (Jimaní)

La Altagracia Province (Salvaleón de Higüey)

La Romana Province

La Vega Province

María Trinidad Sánchez Province (Nagua)

Monseñor Nouel Province (Bonao)

Monte Cristi Province

Monte Plata Province

Pedernales Province

Peravia Province (Baní)

Puerto Plata Province

Salcedo Province

Samaná Province

Sánchez Ramírez Province (Cotuí)

San Cristóbal Province

San José de Ocoa Province

San Juan Province (Dominican Republic)

San Pedro de Macorís Province

Santiago Province (Dominican Republic)

Santiago Rodríguez Province (San Ignacio de Sabaneta)

Santo Domingo Province

Valverde Province (Mao, Dominican Republic)Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic*|}* The national capital, also known as Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic (D.N.), is the city of Santo Domingo.

Geography

The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern part of the second largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. The Dominican Republic shares the island roughly at a 2:1 ratio with Haiti. The whole country measures an area of 44,442 km² making it the second largest country in the Antilles after Cuba{{cite news ] valley. This major valley is home to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros and to most of the farming areas in the nation.The country's capital and greatest metropolitan area, Santo Domingo, is located at the southern shore.

The Dominican Republic has the highest peak in the Caribbean named Pico Duarte(3,087 meter / 10,128 Foot (unit of length) above sea level) and the Biggest lake in the Caribbean named Lake Enriquillo{{cite news ], Yaque del Sur, Yuna River, Yuma, and Bajabonico. The two largest islands near shore are Saona Island in the southeast and Beata Island in the southwest.To the north, at a distance between 100 and 200 km, are three extensive, largely submerged banks, which geographically are a southeast continuation of the Bahamas: Navidad Bank,Silver Bank and Mouchoir Bank. Navidad Bank and Silver Bank have been officially claimed by the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic uses its rivers and streams to create electricity, and many hydro-electric plants and dams have been created on rivers, including the Bao, Nizao, Ozama River, and Higuamo.

Climate .The country is a tropical, maritime nation. Wet season is from May to November, and periodic hurricanes between June and November. Most rain falls in the northern and eastern regions. The average rainfall is 1346 mm, with extremes of 2500 mm in the northeast and 500 mm in the west. The main annual temperature ranges from 21 °C in the mountainous regions to 25 °C on the plains and the coast. The average temperature in Santo Domingo in January is 25 °C and 30 °C in July.

Environmental issues Current envirommental issues are water shortages, soil eroding into the sea damaging coral reefs and deforestation.{{cite web | title = CIA- The World Factbook -- Dominican Republic | publisher = [CIA | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html#People | accessdate = 2007-06-04 -->

Bajos de Haina, west of Santo Domingo, was included on the Blacksmith Institute's list of the world's 10 most polluted places, released in October 2006, due to lead poisoning by a battery recycling smelter closed in 1999. As the site never was cleaned up children continue to be born with high lead levels causing learning disabilities, impaired physical growth and kidney damage. {{cite web | last = Pina | first = Diógenes | title = Hell in 'God's Paradise' | publisher = Inter Press Service News Agency | date = 2007-01-26 | url = http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36323 | accessdate = 2007-06-04 --> {{cite web | last = Robles | first = Francis | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Pollution sickens children in Dominican Republic | work = | publisher = Miami Herald | date = 2007-03-13 | url = http://www.miamiherald.com/949/story/39816.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->

Economy Recent years The Dominican Republic is a lower middle-income developing country primarily dependent on natural resources and government services. Although the service sector has recently overtaken agriculture as the leading employer of Dominicans (due principally to growth in tourism and Free Trade Zones), agriculture remains the most important sector in terms of domestic consumption and is in second place (behind mining) in terms of export earnings. Tourism accounts for more than $1.3 billion in annual earnings. Free Trade Zone earnings and tourism are the fastest-growing export sectors. Remittances from overseas ("remesas") from Dominicans living abroad are estimated to be about $1.3 billion per year.

Following economic turmoil in the late 1980s and 1990, during which the GDP fell by up to 5% and consumer price inflation reached an unprecedented 100%, the Dominican Republic entered a period of moderate growth and declining inflation until 2002 after which the economy entered a recession. This recession followed the collapse of the second commercial bank of the country (Baninter), linked to a major incident of fraud valued at 3.5 billion dollars during the administration of President Hipolito Mejia (2000-2004).

The Baninter fraud had a devastating effect on the Dominican economy, with GDP dropped by 1% in 2003 while inflation ballooned by over 27%. The growth of the Dominican economy remains significantly hampered by an ongoing energy shortage, which causes frequent blackouts and very high prices.

Despite a widening merchandise trade deficit, tourism earnings and remittances have helped build foreign exchange reserves. The Dominican Republic is current on foreign Consumer debt, and has agreed to pay arrears of about $130 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodity Credit Corporation.

According to the 2005 Annual Report of the United Nations Subcommittee on Human Development in the Dominican Republic, the country is ranked #71 in the world for resource availability, # 94 for human development, and #14 in the world for resource mismanagement. These statistics emphasize national government corruption, foreign economic interference in the country, and the rift between the rich and poor.

In the Trimestrial period of Jan-May 2007 the Dominican Economy experienced an exceptional growth of 9.1% in its GDP slightly lower than last years period by 1%. DR-CAFTA(trade agreement) and the Foreign Investment have been one that given great opportunity to the Dominican economy.

The Dominican Republic has become transshipment point for South American drugs to Europe as well as the United States and Canada.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html#People Money laundering is favored by Colombia via Dominican Republic for the ease of illicit financial transactions.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html#People

The Dominican Republic enjoys a growing economy with CIA World Fact book stating a 10.7% Real growth percentage in 2006 even though Inflation holds a 8.2% in the economy. Enjoying A GDP(PPP) per Capita of 8,400 a relative high in Latin America. Service and the Financial Sector has amounted for this growth in the economy while the Construction Sector makes a big part too of the GDP.

Santo Domingo, the capital of the Republic is the source of most of is GDP and has become one of the leading cities of the Caribbean along With San Juan,Puerto Rico.

Currency The Dominican peso is the national currency of the country, although US dollars (USD) are acceptable in most tourist sites. The peso was worth the same as the USD at one time, but has recently decreased in value. The exchange rate in 1993 was 14.00 pesos per USD and 16.00 pesos in 2000, but it jumped to 53.00 pesos per USD in 2003. In 2004, the exchange rate was back down to around 31.00 pesos per USD.

The U.S. dollar is implicated in almost all commercial transactions of the Dominican Republic, supporting the theory that the devaluation of the peso in relation to the dollar in 2005 is the result of the international currency market; On February 2005, 1.32 USD = one € = 29 DR pesos; in October 2005, 1.19 USD = one € = 32 DR pesos. The International Monetary Fund revealed a growth of 7.6% over the inflation index for 2006, which implies that the national currency of the Dominican Republic could finish the year with an average basis between 32.70 and touching the 40 pesos per dollar roof. Another factor that has an impact on the currency exchange market of the Dominican Republic is the fluctuation of the U.S. dollar on the international currency market. As of September 2007 the value of the peso is1 USD=0.7006 EUR=33.430 DOP

Demographics According to the CIA World Fact Book, the ethnic composition of the Dominican population is, 73% of Mixed race, 16% White and 11% Black. Other ethnic groups in the Dominican Republic include Haitians, Spaniards, Germans, Italians, French people, Jews, and United States. A smaller presence of East Asians (primarily overseas Chinese and Japanese) and Middle Easterners (primarily Lebanese people) can be found throughout the population.

Self-identification and race issues Many Dominicans self-identify as being of mixed-race rather than just "black", in contrast to African identity movements in other nations. Rather, a variety of terms are used to represent a range of skintones. These include "morena" (brown), "india" (Indian), "blanca oscura" (dark white), and "trigueño" (wheat colored).{{cite web | last = Salaam | first = Kiini Ibura | title = There's No Racism Here? - A Black Woman in the Dominican Republic | work = Eyeball Literary Magazine | publisher = ChickenBones: A Journal | date = 2000 | url = http://www.nathanielturner.com/kiiniiburasalaam2.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-07 --> This has become customary, to the point that the Electoral Registry issues identity cards using many of these terms.{{cite web | last = Fussell | first = Jim | title = Global Survey of Group Classification on National ID Cards | work = Group Classification on National ID Cards as a Factor in Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing | publisher = Genocide Watch | date = November 15, 2001 | url = http://www.preventgenocide.org/prevent/removing-facilitating-factors/IDcards/survey/index.htm#dominicanrepublic | accessdate = 2007-06-08 --> Some argue that this represents a reluctance to self-identify with African descent and the culture of the freed slaves. According to Dr. Miguel Anibal Perdomo, professor of Dominican Identity and Literature at Hunter College in New York City, "There was a sense of 'deculturación' among the African slaves of Hispaniola. [There was an attempt to erase any vestiges of African culture from the Dominican Republic. We were, in some way, brainwashed and we've become westernized."{{cite web | last = Zahka | first = Jeffrey | title = Anti-Haitian Bias Rooted in Dominican History | publisher = Worldpress.org | date = February 28, 2006 | url = http://www.worldpress.org/Americas/2276.cfm | accessdate = 2007-06-06 --> Another factor might be the phenomenon of [Antihaitianismo, or ethnic tension towards Haitians and descendants of Haitian immigrants. Many physical traits related to African descent are associated with Haiti in Dominican culture and thus there is a stigma attached to them which ties back to the long-standing conflict between the Dominican Republic and its neighboring nation. As a result Dominicans tend to classify themselves as having dark skin, but by no means black or African. In a study by the [City University of New York Dominican Studies Institute, about 90% of the contemporary Dominican population has [African ancestry or has African roots.{{cite web | last = Torres-Saillant | first = Silvio | title = The Tribulations of Blackness: Stages in Dominican Racial Identity | work = Latin American Perspectives, Issue 100 | publisher = CUNY Dominican Studies Institute | date = May 1998 | url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0094-582X(199805)25%3A3%3C126%3ATTOBSI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-W | accessdate = 2007-06-04 -->

Still, most Dominicans self-identify as being of mixed-race rather than "black" in contrast to African identity movements in other nations. But this view is not universal, as others say that Dominican culture is simply different and rejects the racial categorizations of other regions. Ramona Hernández, director of the Dominican Studies Institute at City College of New York asserts that the terms were originally an act of defiance in a time when being mulatto was stigmatized. "During the Trujillo regime, people who were dark skinned were rejected, so they created their own mechanism to fight it." She went on to explain "When you ask 'What are you?' they don't give you the answer you want... saying we don't want to deal with our blackness is simply what you want to hear."{{cite web | last = Robles | first = Frances | title = Black Denial | work = A Rising Voice: Afro-Latin Americans | publisher = The Miami Herald | date = June 13, 2007 | url = http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/news/afrolatin/part2/index.html | accessdate = 2007-06-15 --> The Dominican Republic is not unique in this respect either. In a 1976 census survey conducted in [Brazil, respondents described their skin color in 136 distinct terms.

Religion More than 95% of the population adheres to Christianity, mostly Roman Catholicism, followed by a growing contingent of Protestant groups such as Seventh-day Adventist, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Recent but small scale immigration has brought other religions such as Spiritist: 2.18%, Buddhist: 0.10%, Baha’i: 0.07%, Muslim: 0.02%, and Jewish: 0.01%. {{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Country Profile: Dominican Republic | work = | publisher = Religious Intelligence.com | date = 2006 | url = http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/country/?CountryID=74 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->

Catholicism was introduced by Columbus and Spain missionaries. Religion wasn’t really the foundation of their entire society, as it was in other parts of the world at the time, and most of the population didn’t attend church on a regular basis. Nonetheless, most of the education in the country was based upon the Catholic religion, as the Bible was required in the curriculum in all public schools. Children would use religious based dialogue when greeting a relative or parent. For example: a child would say “Bless me, mother,” and the mother would reply “May God bless you.”

Eventually the Catholic Church began to lose popularity in the late 1800s. This was due to a lack of funding, priests, and support programs. Because of this the Protestant evangelical movement began to gain support. Protestants emphasized biblical teachings like the Catholics, but also practiced rejuvenation and economic independence. The Protestants added diversity to the Dominican Republic, and there was almost no religious conflict with the Catholics.

There has always been religious freedom throughout the entire country. It wasn’t until the 1950s that restrictions were placed upon churches by Trujillo. Letters of protest were sent against the mass arrests of government adversaries. Trujillo began a campaign against the church and planned to arrest priests and bishops who preached against the government. This campaign ended before it was even put into place when he was shot.

Judaism appeared in the Dominican Republic in the late 1930s. During World War Two, a group of Jews escaping Nazi Germany fled to the Dominican Republic and founded the city of Sosua. It has remained to be the center of the Jewish population since.{{cite web | last = Haggerty | first = Richard | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Dominican Republic - Religion | work = Dominican Republic: A Country Study | publisher = U.S. Library of Congress | date = 1989 | url = http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/33.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2006-05-21 -->

Population The main population centers of the Dominican Republic are the cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago de los Caballeros, which is the second largest city in the country containing more than 750,000 inhabitants.

Immigration to control illegal immigration from Haiti located in the Cordillera Central, Hispaniola of the Dominican Republic.During the Haitian rule over the whole island of Hispaniola (1822-1844) former Black slaves and escapees from the United States were invited by the Haitian government to settle there. In the late 1800s and early 1900s large groups immigrated to the country from Venezuela and Puerto Rico, so much so that two of the country's former presidents and life long political rivals Juan Bosch{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Juan Bosch - Government Officials | work = | publisher = | date = | url = http://www.afiwi.com/people2.asp?id=162 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 --> and Joaquín Balaguer http://dr1.com/news/2002/dnews073002.shtmlhttp://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:oatRh_MbqGYJ:www.geog.umd.edu/homepage/courses/313/Lectures/geog323_lecture7_Exodus%2520to%2520and%2520from%2520the%2520Continent.ppt+Joaqu%C3%ADn+Balaguer+puerto+father&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=21&gl=us both had Puerto Rican parents. During the first decades of the 20th century many Arabs primarily from Lebanon settled in the country. There is also a sizable Indian and Chinese population. The town of Sosúa has many Jews who settled there during World War II.{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=CCNY Jewish Studies Class to Visit Dominican Village that Provided Refuge to European Jews During World War II | date= | publisher=City College of New York | url =http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/advancement/pr/Sosua-Jewish-Studies.cfm | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-05-22 | language = -->

In recent decades, re-immigration from Haiti has increased once again. Most Haitian immigrants arrive in the Dominican Republic illegally, and work at low-paying, unskilled labor jobs, including construction work, household cleaning, and on sugar plantations. Current estimates put the Haitian-born population in the Dominican Republic as high as 1 million{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Illegal people | work = | publisher = Human Rights Watch | date = | url = http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/domrep/domrep0402-02.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->. Working conditions on these [sugar [plantations have recently caused controversy{{cite web | last = Hiltz | first = Wayne | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Slavery in paradise | work = | publisher = Montreal Mirror | date = 1998 | url = http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/1998/121098/news5.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->, with assertions that conditions are near-[slavery and a form of ''de facto'' [apartheid{{cite web | last = Turnham | first = Steve | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Is sugar production modern slavery? | work = | publisher = CNN | date = 2006-12-18 | url = http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/12/is-sugar-production-modern-day-slavery.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->– with the children of illegal Haitian immigrants denied citizenshiphttp://www.oas.org/atip/Regional%20Reports/MigrationintheCaribbean.pdf, under the Dominican constitution{{cite web | last = Grossman | first = Andrew | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Birthright citizenship as nationality of convenience | work = Proceedings of the Third Conference on Nationality | publisher = Council of Europe | date = 2004-10-11 | url = http://www.uniset.ca/naty/maternity/ | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-06-03 -->, and basic health care{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the United States: Protect rights, reduce statelessness | work = | publisher = Reuters | date = 2007-01-19 | url = http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000052/005242.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->, and frequent physical attacks and roundups on adult immigrants{{cite web | last = Garcia | first = Michelle | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = No Papers, No Rights | work = | publisher = Amnesty International | date = 2006 | url = http://www.amnestyusa.org/Fall_2006/No_Papers_No_Rights/page.do?id=1105216&n1=2&n2=19&n3=358 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->. However, some Dominican and Haitian officials deny such accusations of slavery, with the Haitian ambassador Fritz Cineas stated "I still have not received any complaint of violation of human rights against the Haitian immigrants in the country"{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Haiti’s ambassador also denies Dominican “slavery” | work = | publisher = Dominican Today | date = 2007-05-25 | url = http://dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=24051 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-06-03 -->. However, the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández Reyna stated publicly during a seminar on immigration policy that collective expulsions of Haitians were carried out "in an abusive and inhuman way".{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Dominican Republic: A Life in Transit | work = | publisher = Amnesty International | date = 2007-03-21 | url = http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR270012007 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-06-03 --> Open wounds exist between Haiti and the Dominican Republic due to the selective enforcement of deportation rules it has been said that "Dominicans could help heal many of Haiti's open political wounds by extraditing back to Haiti many of the criminals of the 1991 coup d'etat and the Duvalier dictatorship who enjoy de facto political asylum in the Dominican Republic." http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43/111.html When asked for a response for the current situation, Fernandez stated "There must exist an extradition treaty between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, but there isn't one between our two countries," http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/43/111.html

Emigration The Dominican Republic has experienced three distinct waves of emigration in the second half of the twentieth century. The first period began in 1961, when a coalition of high-ranking Dominicans, with assistance from the CIA, assassinated General Rafael Trujillo, the nation's military dictator. Justice Department Memo, 1975; National Security Archive In the wake of his death, fear of retaliation by Trujillo's allies, and political uncertainty in general, spurred a great migration from the island. In 1965, the United States began a military occupation of the Dominican Republic and eased travel restrictions, making it easier for Dominicans to obtain American visas. International Migration in the Dominican Republic From 1966 to 1978, the exodus continued, fueled by high unemployment and political repression. Communities established by the first wave of immigrants to America created a network that assisted subsequent arrivals. Then, in the early 1980s, underemployment, inflation, and the rise in value of the dollar all contributed to a third wave of migration from the island nation. Today, emigration from the Dominican Republic remains high, facilitated by the social networks of now-established Dominican communities in the United States. Migration Trends in Six Latin American Countries.

Crime There have been reports of crimes against tourists in the Dominican Republic.{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Consular Information Sheet - Dominican Republic | work = | publisher = Consular Information Sheet | date = 2007-05-29 | url = http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1103.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->. The Dominican Republic has served as a transportation hub http://www.racematters.org/harlemcopsdontdiscussrace.htm for Colombian drug cartels.{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Dominican Crime Statistics | work = | publisher = Nationmaster | date = | url = http://www.nationmaster.com/country/dr-dominican-republic/cri-crime | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->. Over 8% of all cocaine smuggled into the United States has come through the Dominican Republic{{cite web | last = Ribando | first = Claire | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Dominican Republic: Political and Economic Conditions and Relations with the United States. | work = | publisher = CRS Report for Congress | date = 2005-03-05 | url = http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/46402.pdf | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 --> Social pressures and poverty have led to a rise in prostitution within the Dominican Republic. Though prostitution is illegal within the country and the age of consent is 18, even child prostitution is a growing phenomenon in impoverished areas. In an environment where young girls are often denied employment opportunities offered to boys, prostitution frequently becomes a source of supplementary income. [UNICEF reports estimate at least 25,000 children involved in the Dominican sex trade, 63% of that figure being girls.{{cite web | last = O'Connell Davidson | first = Julia | title = Child Prostitution and Sex Tourism - Dominican Republic | publisher = ECPAT | date = December 1995 | url = http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/Publication/Other/English/Pdf_page/ecpat_sex_tourism_dom_rebublic.pdf | accessdate = 2007-06-07 -->

Culture The culture of the Dominican Republic, like its Caribbean neighbors, is a blend of the European colonists, Taínos and African cultural elements. Castilian commonly known as Spanish, is the official language. Other languages such as Haitian Creole English language, French language, German language, andItalian language are also spoken to varying degrees. Haitian Creole is spoken fluently(Haitian nationals or of Haitian descent living in the DR and their children) by about 1.2 million people and is the third most spoken language after Spanish and English.

{{Infobox Country or territory|native_name = República Dominicana|conventional_long_name = Dominican Republic|common_name = the Dominican Republic|image_flag = Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg|image_coat = Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic.svg|image_map = LocationDominicanRepublic.svg|national_motto = "Dios, Patria, Libertad"(Spanish language)"God, Homeland, Liberty"|national_anthem = Quisqueyanos valientes|official_languages = Spanish language|demonym = Dominican|capital = Santo Domingo ]|leader_title1 = President of the Dominican Republic|leader_name1 = Leonel Fernández|leader_name2 = [Rafael Alburquerque|sovereignty_note = From [Haiti [1844-->|percent_water = 1.6|population_estimate = 9,183,984|population_estimate_rank = 87th|population_estimate_year = July 2007|population_census = 9,365,818|population_census_year = 2000|population_density_km2 = 182|population_density_sq_mi = 474 |currency_code = DOP|country_code =|time_zone = Atlantic|utc_offset = -4|time_zone_DST =|utc_offset_DST =|cctld = .do and +[Area code 829|footnote1 = Known as Ciudad Trujillo from 1936 to 1961 {{cite web | title = Santo Domingo, city, Dominican Republic | work = The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | publisher = Bartleby.com | date = 2005 | url = http://www.bartleby.com/65/sn/SntoDom-city.html | accessdate = 2007-06-03 --> -->

The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana, International Phonetic Alphabet ) is a Latin American country that occupies the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean Sea island called Hispaniola. It shares a border with the Republic of Haiti, making it one of two Caribbean islands that are List of divided islands; the other is Saint Martin. Hispaniola is the second-largest of the Greater Antilles islands, and lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica.{{cite web | title = CIA- The World Factbook -- Dominican Republic | publisher = [CIA | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html#People | accessdate = 2007-06-04 -->

More than 500 years of mixed lapses of prosperity and turmoil give this island-nation the longest historical record of any of the other country in the Western hemisphere: The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas,{{cite web]. The Dominican Republic has the first cathedral and university, as well as the first European-built road and fortress, in the Americas. Santo Domingo (originally New Isabela) was also the first colonial capital in the Americas.{{cite web | last = Ramos | first = Ruth | authorlink = | coauthors = Esther Ramos | title = Dominican Republic History | work = | publisher = Visiting the Dominican Republic.com | date = 2005 | url = http://www.visiting-the-dominican-republic.com/dominican_republic_history.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->

History For much of the 20th century, the government of the Dominican Republic was unsettled and mostly non-representative. Since the death of military dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1961, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy. {{cite web History Taínos Christopher Columbus explored Hispaniola during his first voyage to Americas in 1492. The inhabitants whom Columbus encountered on his arrival in Hispaniola were Arawak-speaking Taíno people who had previously settled there. The Taíno lived in villages, headed by chiefs, and engaged principally in farming and fishing. By the mid-1500s the Taíno people had died out as a result of smallpox and brutal treatment by the…… Spanish settlers who tried to enslave them. Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean mainland.

Creation of the Republic Spain ceded the colony of Santo Domingo (the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola) to France in 1795. In the 1790s slaves in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) staged a revolt led by Toussaint Louverture. In 1801, Toussaint Louverture captured the former Spanish Colony of Santo Domingo (which became the Dominincan Republic). He then unified French and Spanish Haiti into Haiti (which is the old Arawak Indian name for Hispaniola). By 1808 after various degrees of instability Santo Domingo reverted to Spanish rule. Two years later in 1810 the French finally leave Santo Domingo.{{cite web]|publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. -->

; Middle, Juan Pablo Duarte; Right, Matías Ramón Mella.Spanish lieutenant governor José Núñez de Cáceres declared the colony's independence as the state of Spanish Haiti (Haití Español) on November 30, 1821, requesting admission to the Republic of Gran Colombia, but Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, unified the entire island, ending 300 years of colonial domination and slavery just nine weeks later.{{cite web | last = Guitar | first = Lynne | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = History of the Dominican Republic | work = | publisher = Hispaniola.com | date = | url = http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/history.php | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 --> In 1838 [Juan Pablo Duarte, founded a secret society called La Trinitaria that sought pure and simple independence of the eastern part of the island without any foreign intervention{{cite book | last = Pons | first = Moya | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Dominican Republic, A National History | publisher = {{Fact|date=June 2007--> | date = | location = | pages = 147-149 | url = | doi = | id = -->. [Ramón Matías Mella and [Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (the latter one being a mestizo), in spite of not being among the founding members, went on to be decisive in the fight for independence and are now hailed (along with Duarte) as the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios declared independence from Haiti, backed by [Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle-rancher from El Seibo who became general of the army of the nascent Republic, and known as "El Liberador". The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844 which was modeled after the US constitution.

Re-establishment as a colony and Restoration War In 1861, mainly due to political and economical reasons, then president Pedro Santana signed a pact with the Spanish Crown and reverted back the Dominican state to a colonial status, {{cite web | last = Sagas | first = Ernesto | title = An Apparent Contradiction? - Popular Perceptions of Haiti and the Foreign Policy of the Dominican Republic | work = Sixth Annual Conference of the Haitian Studies Association, Boston, MA | publisher = [Webster University | date = October 14-15, 1994 | url = http://www.websterfl.edu/~corbetre/haiti//misctopic/dominican/conception.htm | accessdate = 2007-06-06 --> the only Latin American nation to do so. Haitian authorities, fearful of the reestablishment of Spain as colonial power, gave refuge and logistics to Dominican revolutionaries to re-establish the independence. The civil war was called the War of Restoration, and was led by two men: Generals Ulises Heureaux who was of Haitian origin {{cite web | last = Hutchinson | first = Sydney | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Dominican Republic - background | work = | publisher = Merengue típico | date = 2006 | url = http://www.merengue-ripiao.com/background.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 --> (and 3 time President of the Dominican Republic) and [Gregorio Luperón.

The War started on 1863 and, after two years of fighting, Spanish troops abandoned the island.. The Restoration was proclaimed on August 16, 1865.

A few years later the Dominican Republic sought to sell itself to the United States and become a colony. The Dominican Republic offered the United States to take it over as a colony for 1.5 million dollars. http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Treaties.htm#5 President Grant supported this notion, but the United States Congress refused on June 30, 1870. President Grant thought that former American slaves could go to the Dominican Republic and live in peace and not be harassed by Southern whites. {{cite web | title = Ulysses S. Grant | work = American Experience | publisher = [Public Broadcasting Service | date = 2006 | url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/grant/peopleevents/p_sumner.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-06-06 -->

U.S. Dominican Treaty for Assistance in Governing In 1906, the Dominican Republic and the United States entered into a 50 year treaty. giving control of its administration and customs to the United States. In exchange the United States agreed to help reduce the immense foreign debt that the Dominican Republic had established. In 1914, the United States, due to extreme political internal instability in the Dominican Republic (inability to elect a president), expressed concern and stated that a leader must be elected, or the United States would impose one.{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Dominican Republic: Occupation by the United States, 1916-1924 | work = | publisher = U.S. Library of Congress | date = | url = http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/10.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 --> As a result, [Ramón Báez Machado, was elected provisional president on August 27, 1914. Presidential elections held on October 25 returned [Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra to the presidency. Despite his victory, however, Jiménez felt impelled to appoint leaders and prominent members of the various political factions to positions in his government in an effort to broaden its support. The internecine conflicts that resulted had quite the opposite effect, weakening the government and the President and emboldening Secretary of War Desiderio Arias to take control of both the armed forces and the Congress, which he compelled to impeach Jiménez for violation of the constitution and the laws. Although the United States ambassador offered military support to his government, Jiménez opted to step down on May 7, 1916.

Arias never assumed the presidency formally. The United States government, apparently tired of its recurring role as mediator, had decided to take a more direct action. By this time, U. S forces were occupying Haiti already. The initial military administrator of Haiti, Rear Admiral William Caperton, had actually forced Arias to retreat from Santo Domingo by threatening the city with naval bombardment on May 13, 1916.

The first Marines landed three days later, on May 19. Although they established effective control of the country within two months, the United States forces did not proclaim a military government until November. Most Dominican laws and institutions remained intact under military rule, although the shortage of Dominicans willing to serve in the cabinet forced the military governor, Rear Admiral Harry S. Knapp, to fill a number of portfolios with United States naval officers. The press and radio were censored for most of the occupation, and public speech was limited.

The surface effects of the occupation were largely positive. The Marines restored order throughout most of the republic (with the exception of the eastern region); the country's budget was balanced, its debt was diminished, and economic growth resumed. Infrastructure projects produced new roads that linked all the country's regions for the first time in its history. A professional military organization, the Dominican Constabulary Guard, replaced the partisan forces that had waged a seemingly endless struggle for power. Most Dominicans, however, greatly resented the loss of their sovereignty to foreigners, few of whom spoke Spanish or displayed much real concern for the welfare of the republic.

The most intense opposition to the occupation arose in the eastern provinces of El Seibo and San Pedro de Macorís. From 1917 to 1921, the United States forces battled a guerrilla movement in that area known as the "gavilleros". The guerrillas enjoyed considerable support among the population, and they benefited from a superior knowledge of the terrain. The movement survived the capture and the execution of its leader, Vicente Evangelista, and some initially fierce encounters with the Marines. However, the gavilleros eventually yielded to the occupying forces' superior firepower, air power (a squadron of six Curtis Jennies), and determined (often brutal) counterinsurgent methods.

After World War I, public opinion in the United States began to run against the occupation. President Warren G. Harding, who succeeded Wilson in March 1921, had campaigned against the occupations of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In June 1921, United States representatives presented a withdrawal proposal, known as the Harding Plan, which called for Dominican ratification of all acts of the military government, approval of a loan of US$2.5 million for public works and other expenses, the acceptance of United States officers for the constabulary--now known as the National Guard (Guardia Nacional)--and the holding of elections under United States supervision. Popular reaction to the plan was overwhelmingly negative. Moderate Dominican leaders, however, used the plan as the basis for further negotiations that resulted in an agreement allowing for the selection of a provisional president to rule until elections could be organized. Under the supervision of High Commissioner Sumner Welles, Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos assumed the provisional presidency on October 21, 1922. In the presidential election of March 15, 1924, Horacio Vásquez Lajara handily defeated Francisco J. Peynado. Vásquez's Alliance Party (Partido Alianza) also won a comfortable majority in both houses of Congress. With his inauguration on July 13, control of the republic returned to Dominican hands.

1930 to 1980 The Dominican Republic was ruled by dictator Rafael Trujillo (who was himself a quarter Haitian {{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Rafael Trujillo: Killer File | work = | publisher = Moreorless.com | date = | url = http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/trujillo.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->) from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. Trujillo ruled with iron hand, persecuting anyone who opposed his regime. He also renamed many towns and provinces after himself and members of his family, including the capital city Santo Domingo. In 1937 Trujillo, in an event known as the Parsley Massacre, ordered the Army to kill all Haitians on the Dominican side of the border; an estimated 17,000 to 35,000 Haitians were killed for approximately five days, from the night of [October 2, [ through October 8, [, Haitians were cut down with machetes, {{cite web | last = Forrest | first = Dave | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Dominican Dictator: Rafael Trujillo | work = | publisher = James Logan High School | date = | url = http://www.jlhs.nhusd.k12.ca.us/classes/social_science/latin_america/dominican_Republic.html | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-05-29 -->. This massacre was alleged to have been an attempt to seize money and property from Haitians living on the borderhttp://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti-archive/msg00235.html As a result of this act of massacre the Dominican Republic agreed to pay Haiti $750,000.00, which was later reduced to US$525,000.http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/11.htm The Dominican government headed by Trujillo for a time was supported by the USA , the Catholic Church and the Dominican elite; even after the death of Dominicans opposition and over 17,000 Haitians. Trujillo was assassinated on May 30, [ in Santo Domingo.

In 1965, US Marines arrived in the Dominican Republic to restore order in the civil war in Operation Powerpack, later to be joined by forces from the Organization of American States . They remained in the country for over a year and left after supervising elections, in which they ensured the victory of Joaquín Balaguer.

Balaguer remained in power as president for 12 years. His tenure was a period of repression of civil liberties, presumably to prevent pro-Cuba or pro-communist parties from gaining power in the country. Balaguer's rule was accompanied by a growing disparity between rich and poor.

Modern times In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by Antonio Guzmán Fernández. From 1978 to 1986, the Dominican Republic experienced a period of relative freedom and basic human rights.Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986, and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, defeating José Francisco Peña Gómez (a former mayor of Santo Domingo). Both the national and international communities generally viewed these elections as a major fraud, leading to political pressure for Balaguer to step down. Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996, which was won by the Dominican Liberation Party for the first time, with Leonel Fernández as their candidate.

In 2000, Hipólito Mejía won the electorate when opposing candidates Danilo Medina and a very old Joaquín Balaguer decided that they would not force a runoff after the first got 49.8% of the votes. In 2004, Leonel Fernández was elected again with 57% of the votes, defeating then incumbent president Mejía, who was running for a second term.

Government and Politics The government of the Dominincan Republic is based mainly on that of the United States. , thus the Dominican Republic takes place in a framework of a Presidential system representative democratic republic, whereby the President of the Dominican Republic is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in two chambers of the Congress of the Dominican Republic. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, and is comprised of the Supreme Court of Justice, which functions as a Court of Cassation, several Courts of Appeals and many other tribunals in several matters: civil, penal, labor, administrative, lands, and family. The Law is derived from the French law.

Politics The Dominican Republic is a a highly politicized country, with elections held every two years in both the presidential and the congressional levels. This favors the wasting of millions of dollars in propaganda and campaign, and the expansion of clientelism, which has corrupted the system throughout the years. http://www.saxakali.com/caribbean/elangston.htm

There are many political parties and groups of interests, and new in this scenario, civil organizations. The three major parties are Reformist Social Christian Party (in power from 1966-78 and 1986-96); Dominican Revolutionary Party (in power in 1963, and from 1978-86, and again 2000-04); and the Dominican Liberation Party (in power from 1996 to 2000), currently official since 2004.

Provinces and municipalities The Dominican Republic is divided into 32 Provinces of the Dominican Republic. Additionally, the national capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional. Please note that the names of provincial capital cities are provided in parentheses where they differ from the name of their respective provinces.

The provinces are divided into Municipality (municipios singular municipio). They are the second level political and Administrative division of the country.

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Azua Province

Baoruco Province (Neyba)

Barahona Province

Dajabón Province

Duarte Province (San Francisco de Macorís)

Elías Piña Province (Comendador)

El Seibo Province (Santa Cruz del Seibo)

Espaillat Province (Moca, Dominican Republic)

Hato Mayor Province

Independencia Province (Jimaní)

La Altagracia Province (Salvaleón de Higüey)

La Romana Province

La Vega Province

María Trinidad Sánchez Province (Nagua)

Monseñor Nouel Province (Bonao)

Monte Cristi Province

Monte Plata Province

Pedernales Province

Peravia Province (Baní)

Puerto Plata Province

Salcedo Province

Samaná Province

Sánchez Ramírez Province (Cotuí)

San Cristóbal Province

San José de Ocoa Province

San Juan Province (Dominican Republic)

San Pedro de Macorís Province

Santiago Province (Dominican Republic)

Santiago Rodríguez Province (San Ignacio de Sabaneta)

Santo Domingo Province

Dominican Republic Embassy United Kingdom
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Key facts, figures and dates ... Once ruled by Spain, the Dominican Republic (DR) shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, a former French colony.

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Key facts, figures and dates ... Once ruled by Spain, the Dominican Republic (DR) shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, a former French colony.

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