Travel in Dominican Republic
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Informations on Dominican Republic: history, politics, economy, culture, Did you mean: Dominican Republic
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Santo Domingo |
| Government | representative democracy |
| Currency | Dominican peso (DOP) |
| Area | total: 48,730 sq km land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km |
| Population | 8,721,594 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | Spanish |
| Religion | Roman Catholic 95% |
The Dominican Republic is a Central American country that occupies the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The western one-third of Hispaniola is occupied by the country of Haiti. To the north lies the North Atlantic Ocean, while the Caribbean Sea lies to the south.
- Note
- Should not be confused with the Caribbean island country of Dominica.
| Table of contents |
Regions
- Administrative divisions
- 29 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde
Cities
- Santo_Domingo - Capital. Sleep: Pension Ginette, El Conde 505 (near Puerta del Conde) (809) 623 9740, 400 $Do for 2 people.
- Santiago de los Caballeros
- Barahona
- La_Romana
- Manzanillo
- Puerto Plata
- San Pedro de Macoris
Other destinations
Understand
Climate
Tropical maritime with little seasonal temperature variation There is a seasonal variation in rainfall. The island lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and is subject to severe storms from June to October. It experiences occasional flooding and periodic droughts.
Terrain
Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed.
- Elevation extremes
- lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m
History
Explored and claimed by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland.
In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844.
A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of its subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin Balaguer became president. He maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. The Dominican economy has had one of the fastest growth rates in the hemisphere.
Get in
By plane
Beware of the departure tax, it depends on the duration of your stay, read the doll coupon given to you at the arriving. Taxi from Airport to Santo Domingo (Ciudad Colonial): it is about 25/30$ (maximum), but if you have time to discuss the prices, you can get it for 12-13$ (maybe less). At the airport, you can change your $ and ? in Dominican Pesos. But beware! You can not exchange back local money to $ and ?, so do it before.
By train
By car
By bus
By boat
Get around
Talk
- Languages
- Spanish
Buy
One of the best spots in the Colonial District of Santo Domingo to shop is the several blocks long outdoor mall. It offers everything from street vendors (it is definitely NOT recommended to eat off these) to knock-off name brand clothing for extremely inexpensive prices. There are some very pleasant outdoor restaurants that serve as perfect spots to people watch and drink Presidente (their most popular beer). During the day, there are also several touristy shops where you can buy cheap presents for the family back home including authentic paintings and beautiful jewelry. There is also a very nice cigar shop at the end of the mall across from the cathedral.
3at
Drink
President Beer Barcelo Anejo Rum Brugal Rum
Sleep
- Quality Hotel Real Aeropuerto Santo Domingo, 1 (http://www.quality-santodomingo.gruporeal.com/).
- Viva Wyndham Dominicus Palace Resort (http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/PUJDP/main.wnt?aff=wyn11) Bayahibe. Tel: (809) 686-5658. Fax: (809) 687-8583. Located on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic facing the gorgeous islands of Saona and Catalina, the 83,000-square-foot hotel boasts the island's most beautiful white sand beaches.
- Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach Resort (http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/PUJDB/main.wnt?aff=wyn11) Bayahibe. Tel: (809) 686-5658. Fax: (809) 687-8583. Located on the southeast coast of this enchanting Caribbean island, faces the beautiful islands of Saona and Catalina with perfect white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, palm trees and great tropical atmosphere.
- Viva Wyndham Tangerine Resort (http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/POPVT/main.wnt?aff=wyn11) Cabarete, Puerta Plata. Tel: (809) 571-04-02. Fax: (809) 571-95-50. Located on the Northeast coast of the Dominican Republic, the hotel is 20 minutes from Puerto Plata International Airport and three minutes from downtown Cabarete.
- Viva Wyndham Playa Dorada (http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/POPPD/main.wnt?aff=wyn11) Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata. Tel: (809) 291-0001. Located 15 minutes from Puerto Plata Airport. 204 room resort located in the Playa Dorada complex with a shopping mall, three casinos, numerous restaurants, discos, beach and golf.
- Viva Wyndham Samana (http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/POPVS/main.wnt?aff=wyn11) Located on the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic in Las Terrenas - Samana and is approximately 10 minutes from the town and 3 hours away from Puerto Plata International Airport.
Learn
Work
Stay safe
Stay healthy
Respect
Contact