Facts of Dominican Republic // 74 Facts of the Dominican Republic
Before the formation of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the island was jointly named Hispaniola.
The Dominican Republic is the oldest country of the Americas, the first place reached by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
The Dominican Republic is the only country in the world to have an image of the Holy Bible on its national flag.
It is also the second-largest island in the Caribbean. Wondering which one is the largest? It is Cuba.
The country shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, making Hispaniola the one island shared by two countries.
Street signs and restaurant menus are written in Spanish, which is the country’s official language.
People of the country are very loyal to their families.
“Catedral de Santa Maria La Menor” in the Dominican Republic is believed to be the oldest cathedral in the world. It dates back to 1540. The oldest cathedral can be visited in the capital city of the country – Santo Domingo.
The island country saw difficult days of brutality, conspiracy, and downfall during colonial times. It was affected by a poor economy and political instability even after gaining independence. However, as of today, the country is improving with the help of agriculture and tourism.
February 27, 1844, is the official independence day of the D.R.
Sugar processing is one of the main industries in the country.
People of the island nation prefer living in joint families.
The Dominican Republic is a popular destination for weddings and honeymoons.
The country is also known the world over for its golf courses that are set along the breathtaking coast.
The people of the region are not punctual. Say, if you had a meeting with someone at 8 pm, you could expect them to arrive by 8:45 or 9 pm. Arriving late is a norm in D.R., so do not fret when you have to wait for someone to arrive.
D.R. is also known for producing excellent rum.
The northern west part of the island, the Bay of Samana, sees humpback whales that visit the island every year between December and March for mating.
Voting is not permitted to the members of the armed forces and the national police.
Do not be surprised if you are handed a few chiclets in return when you pay the bill and there is some change to be given to you. Businesses generally hand over something of equal value to your change when the situation demands.
Drinking during the day, at night and on Sundays is completely normal. So, you can very much enjoy your drink at any time during your visit to the country.
Honking your horn as loud as possible, in traffic jams, is considered very normal. Though honking won’t clear the traffic, it will still keep you busy during the trying times.
Coffee, sugar, and tobacco are the island’s main sources of income. Tourism is also playing an important part in supporting the economy now.
Moreover, the capital of the country–Santo Domingo–is the oldest city in the new world.
The country experiences warm and sunny conditions for most parts of the year. For this reason, the climate of D.R. is also known as an “endless summer.”
Coffee is their national drink, and baseball is their national sport.
“Dominican flag” is the name of their traditional dish. It is prepared using chicken, beans, and rice.
They have a beer named “President.”
“Merengue” is the name given to the Dominican Republic’s music. It (Merengue) is a Spanish word for whipped egg whites in sugar.
Merengue, the rhythmic and popular dance music, originated in the Dominican Republic in the 19th century.
The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas.
Christopher Columbus visited the island on December 5, 1492. Actually, he founded the island (accidentally), naming it Hispaniola.
It is the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region, and the tenth-largest economy in Latin America.
A large group of people from the Dominican Republic live in the U.S., sending billions of dollars in remittance to their families.
D.R. also served as headquarters for the pirates of the Caribbean during the mid 17th century. Pirates recruited people here for raiding Spanish treasure ships.
It is also the most visited destination in the Caribbean.
Before independence, the country was known as Santo Domingo.
The Colonial City of Santo Domingo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Merengue Music (Dominican Merengue) is a UNESCO World Heritage.
The Dominican flag is the only one to have a bible in it. Adopted on November 6, 1844, this is one of the oldest flags in the world. It has its roots in the Haitian flag of the 19th century.
The national sport of the Dominican Republic is baseball. Some of the world's best baseball players are Dominicans.
Santo Domingo is North and South America's first capital city, the site of the first catholic cathedral, first university and hospital. Some of the original buildings have been restored and can be visited in Santo Domingo's Colonial City.
The oldest Cathedral in the world is situated in Santo Domingo. The first stone for the Cathedral was laid in 1514 by Diego Columbus, Christopher Columbus' son.
Dominican Oscar de la Renta is one of the best-known fashion designers of the 21st century. Born in Santo Domingo, his clothes are worn by celebrities such as Laura Bush, former first lady of the US and Congresswoman Hillary Clinton.
Spanish is the official language of the Dominican Republic, although English, Italian, German, and French are also spoken all over the country.
The Dominican Republic is credited with creating and developing the merengue style of music, which is a fast-paced, rhythmic dance music.
The Amber Museum in Puerto Plata houses the famous amber stone with a prehistoric mosquito preserved inside, which can be seen in the box office hit, Jurassic Park. Amber is a fossil tree resin found in only a few places in the world.
The Dominican Republic is known as the bread basket of the Caribbean because it grows, farms and catches almost everything that's served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Director Francis Ford Coppola filmed scenes of the The Godfather Part II in the Dominican Republic's capital city, Santo Domingo.
Baseball is the most popular sport in the country. Sammy Sosa, among many famous baseball players, was born in the Dominican Republic.The Pan American games of 2003 were hosted in Santo Domingo.
Some of the best golf courses in the world can be found in the Dominican Republic, like the Punta Espada Golf Course.
Most golf courses in the Dominican Republic are set along the coast, with breathtaking ocean views.
Fishing in the Dominican Republic is also a big deal, with several annual tournaments and big-game fish like marlin, barracudas and swordfish available close to the island.
In 1977, the Miss Universe pageant was hosted in Santo Domingo to promote tourism to the island (and it worked!). For the first time, Miss Dominican Republic (Blanca Aurora Sardiñas) qualified for the semi-finals and Janelle Commissiong, from Trinidad & Tobago, became the first black woman to win the Miss Universe title.
Amelia Vega is a dominican that win MIss Universe for her country.
The famous amber that appears in the box office hit Jurassik Park (the one with the trapped mosquito that started it all) can be found at the Amber Museum in Puerto Plata.
Sugar, tobacco, cocoa and coffee are four of the Dominican Republic’s main agricultural exports.
The Dominican Republic is known for producing excellent rum.
Mamajuana is a special local spirit made with different spices, rum and even wine. People say it works as an aphrodisiac!
Altos de Chavon is the recreation of a medieval European town, complete with an open-air amphitheater, cobble-stone roads and a charming church.
Saona Island is part of a government-protected natural reserve, which is why it is one of the most beautiful spots of the country.There are hundreds of animal species that inhabit Saona Island. In there you can find several types of turtles, beautiful birds like the monk parakeet, odd reptiles like the rhinoceros iguana, manatees, dolphins and fishing bats.
Humpback whales come every year from December to March for mating on the Bay of Samana, in the northwestern part of the island.
The Hispaniola Island has a warm tropical climate and varied elevations. This offers amazing variations in flora and fauna, from beachside coconut trees to elevated coffee plantations in the mountains.
The Dominican Republic has an average temperature of 78 °F (26 °C), ranging from 73 °F (23 °C) in winter to 82 °F (28 °C) during the summer.
The main source of income in the Dominican Republic used to come from coffee, sugar and tobacco. Nowadays, it comes from the service sector (aka tourism!).
A major highway (Autopista del Coral) was recently built to go from Punta Cana to La Romana way faster!
Maria Montez was a Dominican actress that became the first Hollywood star. Followed by Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana among others.
Dominicans have a Palestinian Dominican Hero called Amín Abel Hasbun.
Before trujillo there existed a dictator of Haitianand martinican ancestry called Ulises Hilarión Heureaux Leibert ( or Lilis, short name).
They are among the most alcoholic countries of Latin America, remaining in third place.
His favorite drinks: are rum, beer, mamajuana, wine and Johnnie Walker Scotch Whiskey
The rum preferred by the Dominicans are: 1st Barcelo and Brugal, 2nd Bermudez.
Another brands of dominican rum are: Almirante Reserva de Familia, Macorix, Don Armando, Matusalem, Montecristo, Palo viejo and Ron Atlántico.
The favorite beer of Dominicans is “Presidente”
They consume malts many of them without alcohol, preferred dominican malts are: Malta India and Malta Morena.
See Johnny Pacheco Here
See Oscar de la Relanta Here
See Palestinian Dominican Hero - Amín Abel Hasbun Here
See Artist Guillo Perez Here
See Dominican Carnival Here
See Dominican-Russian singer Here
See Some Girls with Dominican Ancestry that represented another countries at Miss Universe Here
See Maria Montez (Dominican Hollywood actress) Here
See juan Luis Guerra (Artist - USA Grammy Winner) Here
See Chichi Peralta (Artist - Latin Grammy Winner - Ambassador of good will) Here
