Dominican Republic CGG3O1 – Mr. Nero

History Before Christopher Columbus arrived, the indigenous Taínos (meaning ‘Friendly People’) lived on the island now known as Hispaniola. Taínos gave the world sweet potatoes, peanuts, guava, pineapple and tobacco – even the word ‘tobacco’ is Taíno in origin. Yet the Taínos themselves were wiped out by Spanish diseases and slavery.

History Two colonies grew on Hispaniola, one Spanish and the other French. Both brought thousands of African slaves to work the land. The French colony would gain independence in the 1800’s and would become Haiti. The Spanish descendents on the island refused to recognize Haitian rule and a coup, led by Duarte (commonly known as the father of the Dominican nation) fought to gain their independence.

Climate The Dominican Republic sees mostly moderate temperatures. The country averages temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius. The rainy season stretches from around May through November, with May being the wettest month. Although the country is susceptible to hurricanes, they have avoided any serious cyclonic movement since the late 1970’s.

Danger!!!!!!! While the resort areas of the Dominican Republic are amongst the safest and most sought after tourist destinations, the local towns are riddled with criminal activity. Since the mid 2000’s, the Dominican has become a trading ground for Columbian drug lords. The Dominican locals have also been made to feel unsafe due to the lack of severe punishments handed out to criminals (eg., taxi cab example).

Economy Although the Dominican boasts the second biggest economy in the Caribbean, it is still viewed as a developing country. This is due to the relatively low GDP per capita number of $9,208. Aside from its tourism industry, the economy of the Dominican Republic is heavily reliant on its natural resources.

Tourism Industry The Dominican is still ranked as the number one tourist destination in the Caribbean. They continue to grow their tourist industry and infrastructure. The introduction of travel tourist cards have also helped bring in extra money to the industry.

Demographics The Dominican republic has a current population of around 9.7 million. The majority of the population are middle aged with the elderly and child populations accounting for only 40%. The nation continues to grow, showing an increase of 1.7% during the last census year. Dominican ethnicity is dominated by mixed races (mainly whites and hispanics). They account for 73% of the population