Dominican Republic 2006

Dominican Republic 2006

In 2006, the Dominican Republic was a Caribbean nation with a population of approximately 9 million people. According to constructmaterials, it was an independent republic headed by President Leonel Fernandez and Prime Minister Franklin Alcantara. Since its independence in 1844, the country had made considerable progress in building its economy and infrastructure. Primary sources of income were services, manufacturing and agriculture, but exports were also growing steadily due to increased foreign investment from around the world. Access to education had improved since 2000 with primary school attendance rate increasing from approximately 75% to over 85% by 2006. Additionally, economic growth had been steady since 2000 due to increased foreign investment from around the world. Tourism was also increasing as more people became aware of Dominican Republic’s unique culture and landscapes including Lake Enriquillo, Los Haitises National Park and Jaragua National Park. Despite this progress, many challenges remained such as lack of access to clean water for many in rural areas, high levels of poverty among citizens and inadequate health care facilities for many citizens.

Yearbook 2006

Dominican Republic. According to CountryAAH, major public holidays in Dominican Republic include Independence Day (February 27) and New Year (January 1). The PLD (Partido de la Liberación Dominicana) won a landslide victory in the May 16 congressional elections. For the first time, the PLD can use a comfortable majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The success was largely due to the fact that the opposition party PRD (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano) reduced its representation from 73 to 60 seats in the House of Representatives, which, given that the total number of seats there simultaneously increased from 150 to 178, meant a dramatic reduction for PRD from 49 to 34%. President Leonel Fernández’s strengthened position even got a PLD senator to propose a constitutional amendment in August to extend the presidential term from four to six years, something President Fernández himself rejected.

The murder of an 18-year-old female student in early June started an intense debate about the effectiveness of law enforcement in the country. In July, the government responded by deciding on military support for the police, an increase in the number of police officers and longer prison sentences; Human Rights Officer Porfírio Rojas also proposed the imposition of the death penalty for some serious crimes. Ironically, at the same time, statistics showed that crime is actually on the decline in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic Map with Surrounding Countries

Dominican Republic Overview

The Dominican Republic is a diverse gem of the Caribbean

You descend into the Caribbean heat either directly to a pastel-colored beach resort or to the stunning, colonial capital of Santo Domingo. A good network of roads within the country will take you from a paradise beach to the mountains or the tranquility of a natural park to the old town of Santo Domingo in a few hours. There is something for everyone in the accommodation options: The country has a comprehensive offer of both large all-inclusive hotels and smaller city or beach hotels. In the villages you smell a cigar, in the glasses rum and in the streets you play e.g. bachata and merengue. A happy smile invites you to dance too!

The Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean country in terms of area and population. The first residents, the Tainos, arrived on the island from the western Venezuelan region. Diseases, colonial politics, and warfare against the Spaniards collapsed the number of Taino Indians from about a million to less than a thousand in a few decades. Columbus arrived on the island in 1492 and founded Santo Domingo, the oldest Spanish city in the Americas in 1496. The island was ruled by Spain and France, who brought thousands of slaves from Africa to the island. After 70 years of struggle, the French colonial territory, the western side of the island, became independent and Haiti became the first African American republic in the New World. Haiti also took power from the Spaniards in the eastern half of the island. The Dominican Republic became independent from Haitian rule on February 27, 1844.

The Dominican Republic is a mountainous country. The highest mountain range is the Central Mountains, home to the highest mountain in the Caribbean, Pico Duarte (3175 m). The island also has the lowest point in the Caribbean, Lake Enriquillo (-46 m) near the Haitian border. With the exception of the mountainous areas in the central part of the country, the temperature remains around 28 ´C throughout the year. The island has a tropical climate.

There are more than 25 great golf courses in the country and it has often been voted the best golf destination in the Caribbean and Latin America. In addition to the top fields, visitors to the Dominican Republic will be pampered by numerous high-quality hotels, the country’s unspoilt nature, elegant cities and charming villages full of warmth and friendly people.

Area: 48,730 km²

Population: 10,499,707 (7/2020)

Capital: Santo Domingo

Language: Spanish

Main products: Agriculture, services, industry. The most significant natural resources are nickel, silver and gold. In addition to these, the largest exports are also sugar, coffee, cocoa and tobacco.

Form of government: Republic