Now for one country that is near and dear to my heart…
Dominican Republic
*The island of Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic forms the eastern two-thirds and Haiti forms the rest) was originally occupied by the 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 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. Economic difficulties, the threat of European intervention and ongoing internal disorders led to a U.S. occupation in 1916 and the establishment of a military government in the Dominican Republic. The occupation ended in 1924, with a democratically elected Dominican government.
*From 1930 to 1947 (and indirectly until 1961), Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, one of the country’s most corrupt rulers, used murder and torture to suppress any opposition to his autocratic style of ruling. Thousands of innocent Dominicans were murdered during his rule. He was assassinated in 1961.
*It is slightly larger than twice the size of New Hampshire.
*The official language is Spanish.
*The capital is Santo Domingo.
*95% of the population proclaims to be Roman Catholic. The other 5% is a mix of other religions.
*It has a population of 10,219,630.
*The median age is 27 years old.
*10% (180,423) of the children are said to be working in some form of child labor (as of 2000).
*They have a high unemployment rate.
*35% of the country lives below the poverty line.
*Their currency is the peso.
And just a few fun facts…
***It is one of the top ten producers of cocoa.
***Its flag is the only national flag in the world to feature the image of a Bible.
***The Dominican city of Santiago, the second most populated city in the Dominican Republic, has fewer Dominicans living there than New York City.
***The national sport is baseball.
***The world’s oldest Cathedral is in Santo Domingo.
And in my very personal opinion, they have beautiful people with beautiful hearts.
