Dominican RepublicIt would surprise a lot of people to realize that the Dominican Republic is actually part of the second largest island in the entire Caribbean, second only to Cuba. The Dominican Republic is located southeast of Cuba and west of Puerto Rico on the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the country of Haiti. Hispaniola was the first island in the Caribbean to be settled by the Spaniards, under whose flag Christopher Columbus discovered the country, and became the main base of operations for the Spanish in the New World.
The name Hispaniola is derived from the Spanish name La Española (literally translated as “The Spanish” Island), the name Christopher Columbus originally gave to this island. The island was originally populated by the Taínos which were the indigenous population here as well as in the Bahamas and Lesser and Greater Antilles. Taíno actually is a word meaning “good” or “noble” in the indigenous language but Columbus took it as their name so it seems to have stuck. The border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic was established through a series of treaties, the most recent of which was completed in 1936. Haiti, originally a French colony, had ruled the island from 1795 through 1844 when the country adopted its first constitution, coincidentally modeled after the United States. However, the country was in one form of turmoil or another, including an invasion by the United States in 1916, until 1930 when Rafael Trujillo took power as dictator. Trujillo ran the country with an iron fist and tended to persecute anyone who disagreed with his policies. He was responsible for much economic growth in the country during his regime which was largely supported by the United States, Catholic Church and others. However, he was immensely unpopular and was assassinated in 1961 in Santo Domingo. Another few years of turmoil followed by yet another arrival of U.S. forces charged with stabilizing the country to allow for free elections. Eventually Joaquín Balaguer, an ex-protégé of Trujillo, was elected president in 1966, a position he held for 12 years through 1978. Balaguer was re-elected president for another 10 years from 1986-1996. Today the Dominican Republic is a representative democracy with a separation of powers similar to the United States. The country enjoys a multi-party system with national elections every 2 years (presidential is 4 years). By and large the Dominican Republic is friendly with all nations in the Western Hemisphere, particularly close to the United States, and has strong relations with many of the principal nations of Europe. The country borders the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Mona Passage between itself and Puerto Rico as well as the country of Haiti which occupies the western 1/3 of the island. The total area of the country is approximately 48,000 square kilometers and it has the highest elevations in the Greater Antilles but still has a seawater lake below sea level. Given the height of the mountains within the Dominican Republic, in excess of 3,000 meters high, the north coast of the island is well protected from severe weather such as hurricanes. |
