Slide1: From White Sand Beaches… To Exciting Carnivals and Festivals… This Republic has a lot to offer!


Slide2: Country of the West Indies Occupies the eastern 2/3 of Hispaniola Haiti occupies the western 1/3 of the island Hispaniola is the 2nd largest island of the Greater Antilles chain in the Caribbean Sea Caribbean borders to the south Atlantic Ocean borders to the north Mona Passage – 80 mile wide passage – separates from Puerto Rico to the east 18,704 sq miles(48,443 sq km) Santo Domingo national capitol


Slide3: Cordillera Septentrional is the northernmost range Cordillera Central is the island’s most rugged feature Cordillera Central contains Duarte Peak – 10,417 ft(3,175meters) is the highest mountain in the Caribbean Lake Enriquillo is the country’s largest natural lake – 23mi long and 11mi wide The lake’s surface is also the lowest point in the West Indies – 144 ft(44meters) below sea level The Sierra de Baoruco is the country’s southernmost range


Slide4: Varying vegetation More ground cover in Dominican Republic than in neighboring Haiti Mountains largely forested with Pines and tropical Hardwoods Lower and more accessible slope trees have been severely cut for use as charcoal and commercial lumber


Population Statistics: Population Statistics Population : 9,219,800 Largest Cities’ Populations - Santo Domingo 2,252,400 - Santiago 501,800 - La Romana 198,000 Ethnic Divisions - European/African descent (Mulatto) 73% - European descent 16% - African 11% Religions - Roman Catholic 95% - Other 5%


Slide6: Moderate, relatively mild tropical climate Northeast trade winds blow steadily all year long Little seasonal variation Seasonal rainfall variation Annual Rainfall 1383.7mm/54.5” Heaviest rain in northeast – 2540mm/100” annual rainfall Driest in far western and southwestern valleys – 760mm/30” annul rainfall Average Daily Temperature - January 24.2 deg C/ 75.6 deg F - July 26.9 deg C/ 80.4 deg F Temperatures rarely rise above 32 deg C/ 90 deg F


History: History The Island of Hispaniola Native Arawak Indian population pre-Columbian estimated 100,000 – 4,000,000 1492 Columbus lands on Hispaniola Santo Domingo established as first settlement The Revolt of 1495 1507 Arawak population est. 60,000 1531 Arawak population 600 1503 Spanish begin importing African slaves Mid 1600s French Buccaneers begin settling at the west end of the island 1697 Spain cedes lands to France French colonies of Saint-Dominique becomes the most productive agricultural economy in west hemisphere 1737 Santo Domingo population 6,000


Slide8: 1790 Santo Domingo population 125,000 - 40,000 white land owners - 25,000 black/mulatto freedmen - 60,000 slaves 1780 Saint-Dominique - 30,000 whites - 27,000 freedmen - 500,000 slaves 1804 Saint-Dominique becomes Republic of Haiti 1822 Haiti conquers colony of Santo Domingo 1844 Juan Pablo Duarte and the creation of the Dominican Republic 1861 Voluntary return to Spanish rule 1882-1889 Dictatorship under Ulises Heureaux 1916-1924 US Occupation 1930-1961 “The Era of Trujillo” 1965 US Intervention 1978 1st Peaceful transfer of power from one freely elected leader to another


World Health Organization Statistics: World Health Organization Statistics - Children 64.5% of infant deaths are from arising conditions in the perinatal period 13% communicable disease 9.4% acute diarrhea - Adults 36.2% external causes of death 20.7% communicable disease (due to the increase in mortality from AIDS) *Natural Disasters also a major cause of death. Hurricane George caused 239 deaths alone. *Dengue and Malaria have had epidemic outbreaks in recent years. In 200 there were 1233 cases of Malaria.


Slide10: Rice Oranges Cocoa powder Chick peas Bananas Plantains Potatoes Spanish lemon Mangos Goat Gen Squash Codfish Dominican cooking is easy and spontaneous Recipes passed down from generation to generation Breakfast is a light meal Lunch is the most important meal of the day Dinner menu resembles breakfast Dominican cooking is actually very healthy eating


Slide11: Strong Roman-Catholic background, traditional Catholic celebration Carnivals, fiestas and festivals are held frequently all year round, both in larger cities as well as among the rural communities. As in many Latin American countries, Carnival is a traditional event. Merengue is the national music and the Merengue Festival draws large numbers of nationals as well as international musicians and spectators Carnival is at the end of February Central character is the piglet, which represents the devil New Year is celebrated in the capital on Avenida Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó The Festival Presidente de Música Latina is held in the Olympic Stadium


Slide12: The Dominican Republic is known primarily for merengue, though bachata and other forms are also popular. Dominican music has always been closely intertwined with that of its neighbor, Haiti. Bachata - The bachata evolved from bolero - Guitar-oriented music Salve - Salve is a call and response type of singing - Uses panderos, atabales and other African instruments Gaga - Gagá is a form of music that developed in parallel with Haitian rara Merengue The origins of merengue are disputed


Caribbean Musical Instruments : Caribbean Musical Instruments Conga drums: Cuban barrel-shaped, one-headed hand drums, played in sets of two to four Bongo drums: a set of two small one-headed drums held between the knees and played by hand Timbales: a set of two one-headed metal shelled drums played with a stick Steel drums: also known as "pans," are made from oil drums heated and hammered into an instrument with multiple pitches played with rubber-headed mallets. Steel drums are often played in bands of many instruments. Claves: concussion sticks made of Cuban hardwood, which often play a time line, or tempo-setting rhythm Maracas: gourd rattles played in pairs throughout Latin America Guiro: a notched hollow gourd played with a stick Tamboo bamboo: hollow bamboo tubes hit or stamped on the ground Tiple: In Puerto Rico, a small instrument of the same general type as the cuatro, with four or five single strings Other instruments used in the Caribbean Islands today include the violin, electric bass, acoustic bass, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and the six-string Spanish guitar.


Slide14: Sugarcane, Coffee, Tobacco.... Agriculture Effects of natural diaster “Hurricane George” Import Partners - U.S. 51.5% - Venezuela 9.6% - Mexico 5.1% - Spain 4%


Slide15: Researchers Geography, History, Population Statistics Jason Cutone World Health Organization Statistics, Economy Mary Ferguson Page Layout, Cuisine, Festivals Folklore Brooklynn Solomon Music and Dance Angela Cavazos