The beautiful and captivating island of Dominican Republic always cast a spell to those who visit the place. No doubt, this popular Caribbean destination is visited by thousands of tourists from around the world every year to enjoy a relaxing summer getaway. The bewitching beauty of the sandy shores and dazzling beaches of Dominican Republic is considered as the island’s focal features.
Dominican Republic in A Nutshell
Dominican peso is the currency used here. Exchanging Dominican peso is not available outside the country so you have to exhange your money when you arrive at the airport. Upon departure, you can reconvert up to 30% of the exchanged money to US dollars in any avaialable bank so long as you are able to keep the official receipt.
Santo Domingo is the capital of Dominican Republic and this is the only place where emergency medical services are available. Medical care facilities are very limited outside Santo Domingo so travellers are advised to get health insurance that include emergency repartriation since emergency care is likley to be extremely limited or non-existent in most parts of Dominican Republic.
Looking Back
Dominican Republic rests in the island of Hispaniola, wherein one-third is occupied by Haiti. The Tainos – an Arawak-speaking people — were the orinigal settlers in the island. In 1492, Christopher Columbus was welcomed by the Tainos during his very first voyage. Fifty years ago, the Taino population was greatly reduced from a million to about 500 when subsequent brutal colonizers entered the island. To fill in the shortage in labor and work force, the Spaniards brought African slaves to work in plantations present in the island in 1503.
During the next century, the western end of the island was conquered and occupied by French settlers. This area became the Republic of Haiti in 1804. By 1822, Haitians invaded the entire island and held it under their ruling until 1844. Juan Pablo Duarte was the one responsible for grabbing back the independence of Dominican Republic. Along with his comrades, Juan Pablo Duarte successfully drove the Haitians out of the island and establish Dominican Republic as an indpendent state once again.
In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned under the ruling of the Spanish Empire, and by 1865 the island’s independence was fully restored. U.S settlers occupied the island in 1916 while it is undergoing lots of difficulties due to the prevailing economic problems, the ongoing internal disputes, and the threat of European invasion. US ruling in the island ended in 1924 with a democratic president elected in the Dominican government.
From 1930 to 1947, Dominicans suffered through the autocratic style of ruling of one of the most corrupt rulers in the history of the country, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. He used torture and murder to supress any opposition against him.
In conclusion, majority of the culture and tradition of Dominicans were greatly influenced by the Spanish heritage. That said, majority of Domnicans (about 95%) are Roman Catholics and the official language that they use up to this day is Spanish. Trust is highly valued by Dominicans and they are known to be very warm and welcoming people. They greet each other with hand shakes and direct eye contact is essential since this is considered as a way of showing interest.
Recent Comments