Dominican Republic

Article on other languages:

Not to be confused with Dominica.
Dominican Republic
República Dominicana
Flag of Dominican Republic Coat of arms of Dominican Republic
Flag
Motto: "Dios, Patria, Libertad"  (Spanish)
"God, Homeland, Liberty"
Anthem: Himno Nacional
Location of Dominican Republic
Capital
(and largest city)		 Santo Domingo de Guzmán
18°30′N 69°59′W / 18.5, -69.983
Official languages Spanish
Ethnic groups  73% Multiracial, 16% White (Spaniards, French, Italians), 11% Black
Demonym Dominican
Government Presidential republic
 -  President Leonel Fernández
 -  Vice President Rafael Alburquerque
Independence From Haiti 
 -  Date February 27, 1844 
Area
 -  Total 48,730 km2 (130th)
18,815 sq mi 
 -  Water (%) 1.6
Population
 -  2008 estimate 9,904,000 (82nd)
 -  2000 census 9,365,818 
 -  Density 201/km2 (38th)
523/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
 -  Total $71.228 billion[1] 
 -  Per capita $8,116[1] 
GDP (nominal) 2007 estimate
 -  Total $40.988 billion[1] 
 -  Per capita $4,670[1] 
Gini (2003) 51.7 () 
HDI (2005) ▲ 0.779 () (79th)
Currency Peso (DOP)
Time zone Atlantic (UTC-4)
Drives on the right
Internet TLD .do
Calling code +1-809 and +1-829

The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana; Spanish pronunciation: [re̞ˈpuβ̞lika ð̞o̞miniˈkana]) is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island Hispaniola is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries, Saint Martin being the other.

The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas: Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the current capital of the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo.

For most of its independent history, the nation experienced political turmoil and unrest, suffering through many non-representative and tyrannical governments. Since the death of military dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina in 1961, the Dominican Republic has moved toward a liberal economic model, which has made it the largest economy in the region, and towards representative democracy.

Contents

History

Main articles: History of the Dominican Republic and Colony of Santo Domingo

The Taínos

Hispaniola was inhabited by the Taínos, an Arawakan-speaking people who may have arrived around A.D. 600, displacing earlier inhabitants.[2] The Taínos called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya, meaning "mother of the earth", as well as Haití or Aytí, and Bohio.[3] They engaged in farming and fishing,[4] and hunting and gathering.[2] There are widely varying estimates of the population of Hispaniola in 1492, including one hundred thousand,[5] three hundred thousand,[2] and 400,000 to 2 million.[6] By 1492 the island was divided into five chiefdoms.[7] Within a few years following the arrival of European explorers the population of Taínos had declined due to a change in their lifestyle, the introduction of diseases such as smallpox, and enslavement. By 1711 they numbered 21,000.[8] The last record of pure Taíno natives in the country was from an 1864 account by a Spanish soldier, who wrote of Taínos shooting at Spanish soldiers and fleeing, during the Restoration War. Taíno cave paintings can still be seen in a variety of caves around the country.[9]

Spanish rule

Christopher Columbus landed at Môle Saint-Nicolas, in northwest present-day Haiti, on December 5, 1492, during his first voyage. He claimed the island for Spain and named it La Española. Eighteen days later his flagship the Santa María ran aground near the present site of Cap-Haitien. Columbus was forced to leave 39 men, who built a fort named La Navidad (Christmas). He then sailed east, exploring the northern coast of what is now the Dominican Republic, after which he returned to Spain. He sailed back to America three more times.

After initially friendly relations, the Taínos resisted the conquest. One of the earliest leaders to fight against the Spanish was the female Chief Anacaona of Xaragua, in the southwest, who married Chief Caonabo of Maguana, of the center and south of the island. She was captured by the Spanish and executed in front of her people. Other notables who resisted include Chief Guacanagari, Chief Guamá, and Chief Hatuey, the latter of whom later fled to Cuba and helped fight the Spaniards there. Chief Enriquillo fought victoriously against the Spaniards in the Baoruco Mountain Range, in the southwest, to gain freedom for himself and his people in a part of the island for a time.

By the late–1500s, the majority of Taíno people had died from European infectious diseases to which they had no immunity, from mistreatment, suicide, the breakup of family unity, starvation,[2] forced labor, torture, and war with the Spaniards. Most scholars now believe that, among the various contributing factors, infectious disease was the overwhelming cause of the Taíno population decline.[10] The Taíno survived mostly in racially mixed form, and today most Dominicans have Taíno ancestry.[11][12]

Some scholars believe that Bartolomé de las Casas exaggerated[13] the Indian population decline in an effort to persuade King Carlos to intervene, and that encomenderos also exaggerated it, in order to receive permission to import more African slaves. Moreover, censuses of the time did not account for the number of Indians who fled into remote communities,[11] where they often joined with runaway Africans, called cimarrones, producing zambos. There were also confusing issues with racial categorization, as Mestizos who were culturally Spanish were counted as Spaniards. In addition some Zambos were categorized as black and some Indians as Mulattos.[11]

In 1496 Bartolomeo Columbus, Christopher's brother, built the city of Nueva Isabela (New Isabella), now Santo Domingo, in the south of Hispaniola. It was one of the first Spanish settlements (the previous ones had also been on Hispaniola), and became Europe's first permanent settlement in the "New World".

The Spaniards created a plantation economy on Hispaniola, particularly from the second half of the 16th century.[5] The island became a springboard for European conquest of the Caribbean islands, called Las Antillas (The Antilles), and soon after, the American mainland.

For decades, Santo Domingo colony was the headquarters of Spanish colonial power in the New World. But after the Spanish conquest of the mainland empires of the Aztecs and Incas, the importance of Hispaniola declined and Spain paid less attention to it. French bucaneers settled in the western part of the island, and by the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain ceded the area to France. With colonial settlement and the development of a plantation economy dependent on slave labor, it grew into the wealthy colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), with four times (500,000 vs. 125,000) as much population as Spanish Santo Domingo by the end of the 18th century. By then, enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue outnumbered whites and freedmen by nine to one.[14]

French rule

France came to own the whole island in 1795, when by the Peace of Basel Spain ceded Santo Domingo as a consequence of the French Revolutionary Wars. At the time, slaves led by Toussaint Louverture in the western part (Haiti) were in revolt against France. In 1801 Toussaint Louverture captured Santo Domingo from the French, thus gaining control of the entire island.

In 1802 an army sent by Napoleon captured Toussaint Louverture and sent him to France as prisoner. However, Toussaint Louverture's successors, and yellow fever, succeeded in expelling the French again from Saint-Domingue. There the rebels declared the independence of Haiti in 1804, while to the east, France continued to rule Spanish Santo Domingo.

In 1808, following Napoleon's invasion of Spain, the criollos of Santo Domingo revolted against French rule and, with the aid of Great Britain (Spain's ally) and Haiti,[15] returned Santo Domingo to Spanish control.[16]

Ephemeral Independence and Haitian occupation

After a dozen years of Spanish rule and failed independence plots by various groups, former Spanish Lieutenant-Governor José Núñez de Cáceres declared the colony's independence as the state of Haití Español (Spanish Haiti) on November 30, 1821. He requested admission to Simón Bolívar's nation of Gran Colombia. But the new nation's independence was short-lived. Haitian forces, led by Jean-Pierre Boyer, invaded just nine weeks later in February 1822.[17]

As Toussaint Louverture had done the first time, the Haitians abolished slavery. But they also nationalized all public property; most private property, including all the property of landowners who had left in the wake of the invasion; much Church property; as well as all property belonging to the former rulers, the Spanish Crown. All levels of education suffered collapse; the university was shut down, as it was starved both of resources and students, since young Dominican men from 16 to 25-years-old were drafted into the Haitian army. Haiti imposed a "heavy tribute" on the Dominican people.[18] Many whites fled Santo Domingo for Puerto Rico and Cuba (both still under Spanish rule), Venezuela, and elsewhere.

Boyer changed the Dominican economic system to place more emphasis on cash crops to be grown on large plantations, reformed the tax system, and allowed foreign trade. But the new system was widely opposed by Dominican farmers, although it produced a boom in sugar and coffee production. Boyer's troops, which included many Dominicans, were unpaid, and had to "forage and sack" from Dominican civilians. In the end the economy faltered and taxation became more onerous. Rebellions occurred even by freed Dominican slaves, while Dominicans and Haitians worked together to oust Boyer from power. Anti–Haitian movements of several kinds — pro–independence, pro–Spanish, pro–French, pro–British, pro–United States — gathered force following the overthrow of Boyer in 1843.[18]

Independence

In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria that sought pure and simple independence of Santo Domingo without any foreign intervention.[19] Ramón Matías Mella and Francisco del Rosario Sánchez (the latter of partly African ancestry),[20] despite not being among the founding members of La Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight for independence. They are now hailed, together with Duarte, as the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic. On February 27, 1844, the Trinitarios, as the members of La Trinitaria were known, declared independence from Haiti. They were backed by Pedro Santana, a wealthy cattle-rancher from El Seibo, who became general of the army of the nascent Republic and is known as "El Liberador". The Dominican Republic's first Constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844, and was modeled after the United States Constitution.[4]

The decades that followed were filled with tyranny, factionalism, economic difficulties, rapid changes of government, and exile for political opponents. Threatening the nation's independence were renewed Haitian invasions occurring in 1844, 1845-49, 1849-55, and 1855-56.[18]

Meanwhile, archrivals Santana and Buenaventura Báez held power most of the time, both ruling arbitrarily. They promoted competing plans to annex the new nation to another power: Santana favored Spain, and Báez the United States.

The voluntary colony and the Restoration republic

General Gregorio Luperón, Restoration hero and later President of the Republic.

In 1861, after imprisoning, silencing, exiling, and executing many of his opponents and due to political and economic reasons, Santana signed a pact with the Spanish Crown and reverted the Dominican nation to colonial status, the only Latin American country to do so. His ostensible aim was to protect the nation from Haitian reconquest.[21] But opponents launched the War of the Restoration in 1863, led by a group of men including Santiago Rodríguez and Benito Monción, among others. General Gregorio Luperón distinguished himself at the end of the war. Haitian authorities, fearful of the re-establishment of Spain as colonial power on their border, gave refuge and supplies to Dominican revolutionaries.[21] The United States, then fighting its own Civil War, vigorously protested the Spanish action. After two years of fighting, Spain abandoned the island.[21] The Restoration was proclaimed on August 16, 1863.

Political strife again prevailed in the following years; warlords ruled, military revolts were extremely common, and the nation amassed debt. In 1869 it was the turn of Báez to act on his plan of annexing the country to the United States,[17] with a payment of 1.5 million dollars by the U.S. as part of the deal, in order to alleviate the Dominican Republic's debts.[4] U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant supported this plan, but the United States Senate refused on June 30, 1870,[17] albeit by just one vote.[22] One reason for President Grant's support was providing a home where U.S. freedmen could live free of harassment by Southern whites.[23]

Ulises 'Lilís' Heureaux, President of the Republic 1882-84, 1886-99

Báez was toppled in 1874, returned, and was toppled for good in 1878. A new generation was thence in charge, with the passing of Santana (he died in 1864) and Báez from the scene. Relative peace came to the country in the 1880s, which saw the coming to power of General Ulises Heureaux.[24]

"Lilís", as the new president was nicknamed, enjoyed a period of popularity. He was, however, "a consummate dissembler", who put the nation deep into debt while using much of the proceeds for his personal use and to maintain his police state. Heureaux's rule became more despotic with time and he all the more unpopular.[24][25] In 1899 he was assassinated. However, the unprecedentedly long calm over which he had presided allowed for some improvement in the Dominican economy. The sugar industry was modernized,[26] and the country attracted foreign workers and immigrants, both from the Old World and the New.

From 1902 on, short–lived governments were again the norm and the provincial leaders were often autonomous. Furthermore, the national government was bankrupt and, unable to pay Heureaux's debts, faced the threat of military intervention by France and other European creditor powers.[27]

U.S. interventions and occupation

U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt sought to prevent European intervention, largely to protect the vicinity of the future Panama Canal, as the canal was already under construction. He made a small military intervention to ward off the European powers, proclaimed his famous Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, and in 1905 obtained Dominican agreement for U.S. administration of Dominican customs, then the chief source of income for the Dominican government. A 1906 agreement provided for the arrangement to last 50 years. The United States agreed to use part of the customs proceeds to reduce the immense foreign debt of the Dominican Republic, and assumed responsibility for said debt.[27][4]

After six years in power, President Ramón Cáceres (who had himself assassinated Heureaux)[24] was assassinated in 1911. The result was several years of great political instability and civil war. U.S. mediation attempts by the William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson administrations achieved only a short respite each time. An ultimatum by Wilson in 1914 telling Dominicans to elect a president or see the U.S. impose one resulted in Ramón Báez Machado's election. Relatively free elections put former president (1899–1902) Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra back in power in 1914. In order to achieve a more broadly supported government, he named opposition individuals to his Cabinet. But this brought no peace and, with his Secretary of War Desiderio Arias maneuvering to depose him, Jimenes resigned on May 7, 1916, eschewing the U.S. offer of military aid against Arias.[28]

The 1916 occupation by U.S. Marines

Wilson thus ordered the U.S. occupation of the Dominican Republic. U.S. Marines landed on May 16, 1916, and had control of the country two months later. The military government established by the U.S., led by Rear Admiral Harry Shepard Knapp, was widely repudiated by Dominicans. Some Cabinet posts had to be filled by U.S. naval officers, as Dominicans refused to serve in the administration. Press and radio censorship was imposed, as were limits on public speech. Guerrilla war against the U.S. forces was met with a vigorous, "often brutal" response.[28]

But the occupation regime, which kept most Dominican laws and institutions, had its positive effects. It largely pacified the country, revived the economy, reduced the Dominican debt, built a road network that at last connected all regions of the country, and created a professional National Guard to replace the warring partisan units.[28]

Opposition to the occupation continued, however, and after World War I it increased in the U.S. as well. There, President Warren G. Harding (1921–23), Wilson's successor, worked to end the occupation, as he had promised to do during his campaign. U.S. government ended in October 1922, and elections were held in March 1924.[28]

The victor was former president (1902–03) Horacio Vásquez Lajara. He was inaugurated on July 13, and the last U.S. forces left in September. Vásquez gave the country six years of good government, in which political and civil rights were respected and the economy grew strongly, in a peaceful atmosphere.[28][29]

The Era of Trujillo

When Vásquez attempted to win another term, opponents rebelled in February, 1930, in secret alliance with the commander of the National Army (the former National Guard), General Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, by which the latter remained 'neutral' in face of the rebellion. Vásquez resigned. Trujillo then stood for election himself, and in May was elected president virtually unopposed, after a campaign of violence in which he eliminated his strongest opponents.[29]

Rafael Leonidas Trujillo.

There was considerable economic growth during Trujillo's long and iron-fisted regime, although a great deal of the wealth was taken by the dictator and other regime elements. There was progress in healthcare, education, and transportation, with the building of hospitals and clinics, schools, and roads and harbors. Trujillo also carried out an important housing construction program and instituted a pension plan. He finally negotiated an undisputed border with Haiti in 1935, and achieved the early end, in 1941, of the 1906 agreement with the U.S. He made the country debt-free in 1947,[4] a proud achievement for Dominicans for decades to come.

But all this was accompanied by absolute repression and the copious use of murder, torture, and terroristic methods against the opposition. Moreover, Trujillo's megalomania was on display in his renaming after himself the capital city Santo Domingo to Ciudad Trujillo (Trujillo City),[4] the nation's — and the Caribbean's — highest mountain Pico Duarte (Duarte Peak) to Pico Trujillo, and many towns and a province. Some other places he renamed after members of his family.

In 1937 Trujillo (who was himself one-quarter Haitian),[30] in an event known as the Parsley Massacre or, in the Dominican Republic, as El Corte (The Cutting),[31] ordered the Army to kill Haitians living on the Dominican side of the border. The Army killed an estimated 17,000 to 35,000 Haitians over five days, from the night of October 2, 1937 through October 8, 1937. To avoid leaving evidence of the Army's involvement, the soldiers used machetes rather than bullets.[30][17][32] The soldiers of Trujillo were said to have interrogated anyone with dark skin, using the pronunciation of perejil (parsley) to tell Haitians from Dominicans.[31] As a result of the massacre, the Dominican Republic agreed to pay Haiti US $750,000, later reduced to $525,000.[29][21]

On November 25, 1960 Trujillo killed three of the four Mirabal Sisters, sometimes nicknamed Las Mariposas (The Butterflies). The victims were Patricia Mercedes Mirabal (born on February 27, 1924), Argentina Minerva Mirabal (born on March 12, 1926), and Antonia María Teresa Mirabal (born on October 15, 1935). Minerva was an aspiring lawyer who was extremely opposed to Trujillo's dictatorship since Trujillo had begun to make rude and sexual advances towards her. The sisters have received many honors posthumously, and have many memorials in various cities in the Dominican Republic. Salcedo, their home province, changed its name to Hermanas Mirabal Province (Mirabal Sisters Province). The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed on the anniversary of their deaths.

For a long time, the US supported the Trujillo government, as did the Roman Catholic Church, and the Dominican elite. This support persisted despite the assassinations of political opposition, the massacre of border Haitians, and Trujillo's plots against other countries. The US believed Trujillo was the lesser of two or more evils.[31] The U.S. finally broke with Trujillo in 1960, after Trujillo's agents attempted to assassinate the Venezuelan president, Rómulo Betancourt. Trujillo was assassinated on May 30, 1961 in Santo Domingo.[33][29]

Post-Trujillo

A democratically elected government under leftist Juan Bosch took office in February, 1963, but was overthrown in September. After nineteen months of military rule, a pro-Bosch revolt broke out in April, 1965. U.S. president Lyndon Johnson, concerned over the possible takeover of the revolt by pro-Castro or other communists who might create a "second Cuba", sent the Marines days later, in Operation Powerpack. They were soon joined by a comparatively small force from the Organization of American States. They remained in the country for over a year and left after supervising elections in 1966 won by Joaquín Balaguer, who had been Trujillo's last puppet–president.[4][34]

Balaguer remained in power as president for 12 years. His tenure was a period of repression of human rights and civil liberties, ostensibly to prevent pro–Castro or pro–communist parties from gaining power in the country. His rule was further criticized for a growing disparity between rich and poor. It was, however, praised for an ambitious infrastructure program, which included construction of housing, theaters, museums, aqueducts, roads, highways, and the massive Columbus Lighthouse, completed in a subsequent tenure in 1992.

1978 to present

In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded in the presidency by opposition candidate Antonio Guzmán Fernández, of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). Another PRD win in 1982 followed, under Salvador Jorge Blanco. Under the PRD presidents, 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, this last time just defeating PRD candidate José Francisco Peña Gómez, a former mayor of Santo Domingo. Both the national and international communities generally viewed these elections as major frauds, leading to political pressure for Balaguer to step down.[citation needed] Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996, which was won by Bosch's Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) for the first time, with Leonel Fernández as its candidate.

In 2000 the PRD's Hipólito Mejía won the election when his main opponents Danilo Medina (PLD) and a very old Joaquín Balaguer decided not to force a runoff after Mejía got 49.8% in the first round. In 2004 Fernández was elected again, defeating President Mejía, and reelected in 2008 against the PRD's Miguel Vargas Maldonado, a former minister in Mejía's government. Fernández and the PLD are credited with a number of initiatives that have moved the country forward technologically, such as the completion in 2008 of the Metro Railway ("El Metro") — although this is not yet available for public use. In the 2006 elections, Fernández' PLD won 60% of seats in the House of Representatives and 22 of 32 Senate seats, as well as a plurality of mayoral seats. On May 16, 2008, President Fernández was reelected President with 53.8% of the vote. His new term runs until 2012. [35]

Government

National Palace in Santo Domingo.
Main article: Government of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy, with national powers divided among independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The President of the Dominican Republic appoints the Cabinet, executes laws passed by the Congress, and is commander in chief of the armed forces. The president and vice president run for office on the same ticket and are elected by direct vote for 4–year terms. Legislative power is exercised by a bicameral Congress composed of the Senate (with 32 members) and the Chamber of Deputies (with 178 members).

The Dominican Republic has a multi–party political system with national elections every 2 years (alternating between presidential elections and congressional/municipal elections). Presidential elections are held in years evenly divisible by four. Congressional and municipal elections are held in even numbered years not divisible by four. International observers have found that presidential and congressional elections since 1996 have been generally free and fair. Elections are supervised by a Central Elections Board (JCE) of 9 members chosen for a four–year term by each newly elected Senate. JCE decisions on electoral matters are final.

Under the constitutional reforms negotiated after the 1994 elections, the 16–member Supreme Court of Justice is appointed by a National Judicial Council, which comprises the President, the leaders of both houses of Congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non–governing–party member. One other Supreme Court Justice acts as secretary of the Council, a non–voting position. The Supreme Court has sole authority over management of the court system and alone hears actions against the president, designated members of his Cabinet, and members of Congress when the legislature is in session. The Supreme Court hears appeals from lower courts and chooses members of lower courts.

Each of the 31 provinces is headed by a presidentially appointed governor. Mayors and municipal councils administer the 124 municipal districts and the National District (Santo Domingo). They are elected at the same time as congressional representatives.[36]

Politics

The country becomes highly politicized during election campaigns, as millions of dollars are spent in propaganda. The political system is characterized by clientelism, which has corrupted it throughout the years.[37]

There are many political parties and interest groups and, new on the scene, civil organizations. The three major parties are the conservative Social Christian Reformist Party (Spanish: Partido Reformista Social Cristiano [PRSC]), in power 1966–78 and 1986–96; the social democratic Dominican Revolutionary Party (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Dominicano [PRD]), in power in 1963, 1978–86, and 2000–04); and the increasingly conservative Dominican Liberation Party (Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana [PLD]), in power 1996–2000 and since 2004.

The presidential elections of 2008 were held on May 16, 2008, with incumbent Leonel Fernandez winning with 53% of the vote.[38] He defeated Miguel Vargas Maldonado, of the PRD, who achieved a 40.48% share of the vote. Amable Aristy, of the PRSC, achieved 4.59% of the vote. Other minority candidates, which includes former Attorney General Guillermo Moreno from the Movement for Independence, Unity and Change (Movimiento Independencia, Unidad y Cambio [MIUCA]) and PRSC former presidential candidate and defector Eduardo Estrella, obtained less than 1% of the vote.

Name

For most of its history (up to independence) the colony was known by the name of its present capital, Santo Domingo. At present, it is one of the few countries in the world with a demonym-based name (as the Czech Republic, et al). For example, the French Republic is usually known as France, but the Dominican Republic has no such equivalent — although the name "Quisqueya" is used sometimes.

Provinces and municipalities

Main articles: Provinces of the Dominican Republic and Municipalities of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is divided into 33 provinces. Additionally, the national capital, Distrito Nacional (National District), is contained within Santo Domingo.

The provinces are divided into municipalities (municipios; singular municipio). They are the second–level political and administrative subdivisions of the country.

  1. Azua
  2. Bahoruco
  3. Barahona
  4. Dajabón
  5. Distrito Nacional
  6. Duarte
  7. Elías Piña
  8. El Seibo
  9. Espaillat
  10. Hato Mayor
  11. Hermanas Mirabal
  1. Independencia
  2. La Altagracia
  3. La Romana
  4. La Vega
  5. María Trinidad Sánchez
  6. Monseñor Nouel
  7. Monte Cristi
  8. Monte Plata
  9. Pedernales
  10. Peravia
  1. Puerto Plata
  2. Samaná
  3. Sánchez Ramírez
  4. San Cristóbal
  5. San José de Ocoa
  6. San Juan
  7. San Pedro de Macorís
  8. Santiago
  9. Santiago Rodríguez
  10. Santo Domingo
  11. Valverde

* The national capital, also known as Distrito Nacional (D.N.), is the city of Santo Domingo.

New province

The Senate converted on 27 July 2006 in laws three projects by means of which the province is created Matías Ramón Mella and its respective communities, whose congressional authorities and policemen will be chosen in the elections of May 16, the year 2010. The new demarcation was created inside the territory of the province Santo Domingo, according to the dispositions of the three original laws of the senator of this province, Tonty Rutinel Domínguez. The government bill, of the responsibility of the senator Tonty Rutinel, was approved by 79 present representatives in the session, since prior to the subjugation of the initiative in second reading, the group of the PLD withdrew. After extensive debates, the legislators approved, shortly after the 11:00 at night, the creation of the municipalities of San José of Mendoza, Los Frailes and San Luis, that will belong to the province Santo Domingo, and the municipalities of San José de Mendoza, Los Frailes y San Luis that belong to the municipality Santo Domingo Norte, that from the new law they will integrate the new province the same as Villa Mella. Also the new municipality of Hato Nuevo was created, that currently belongs to Santo Domingo Oeste. The government bill that creates the new province order that their capital will be a Herrera and that the municipal authorities will be chosen in the parliamentary general elections and policemen of the 2010. [39]

Geography

Main article: Geography of the Dominican Republic
See also: Hydroelectricity and dams in the Dominican Republic
Map of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern part of the second-largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. It shares the island roughly at a 2:1 ratio with Haiti. The whole country measures an area of 48,730 km² (or 48,921 km²), [40] making it the second largest country in the Antilles, after Cuba. Its area is roughly equivalent to that of the US states of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. The country's capital and greatest metropolitan area, Santo Domingo, is located on the southern coast.

There are many small offshore islands and cays that are part of the Dominican territory. The two largest islands near shore are Saona in the southeast and Beata 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 country's mainland has four important mountain ranges. The most northerly is the Cordillera Septentrional ("Northern Mountain Range"), which extends from the northwestern coastal town of Monte Cristi, near the Haitian border, to the Samaná Peninsula in the east, running parallel to the Atlantic coast. The highest range in the Dominican Republic — indeed, in the whole of the West Indies — is the Cordillera Central ("Central Mountain Range"). It gradually bends southwards and finishes near the town of Azua de Compostela on the Caribbean coast. The Cordillera Central is home to the four highest peaks in the West Indies: Pico Duarte (3,098 m or 10,164 ft above sea level), La Pelona (3,094m), La Rucilla (3,049m) and Pico Yaque (2,760m).

Bust of Duarte on top of Pico Duarte, with La Pelona in the background.

In the southwest corner of the country, south of the Cordillera Central, there are two other ranges. The more northerly of the two is the Sierra de Neiba, while in the south the Sierra de Bahoruco is a continuation of the Massif de la Selle in Haiti. There are other, minor mountain ranges, such as the Cordillera Oriental ("Eastern Mountain Range"), Sierra Martín García, Sierra de Yamasá and Sierra de Samaná.

With mountain ranges running parallel to each other, the Dominican Republic boasts a number of valleys and plains. In between the Central and Septentrional mountain ranges lies the rich and fertile Cibao valley. This major valley is home to the city of Santiago de los Caballeros and most of the farming areas in the nation. Rather less productive is the semi-arid San Juan Valley, south of the Cordillera Central. Still more arid is the Neiba Valley, tucked between the Sierra de Neiba and the Sierra de Bahoruco. Much of the land in the Enriquillo Basin is below sea level, with a hot, arid, desert-like environment. There are other smaller valleys in the mountains such as the Constanza, Jarabacoa, Villa Altagracia and Bonao valleys.

Cayo Levantado in Samana Bay is one of the many cays in the D.R.

The Llano Costero del Caribe ("Caribbean Coastal Plain") is the largest of the plains in the Dominican Republic. Stretching north and east of Santo Domingo, it contains many sugar plantations in the savannahs that are common here. West of Santo Domingo its width is reduced to 10 km as it hugs the coast, finishing at the mouth of the Ocoa River. Another large plain is the Plena de Azua ("Azua Plain"), a very dry region in Azua Province.

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