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General Background
The territory of the Dominican Republic is the Eastern portion of the Island that was renamed HISPAGNOLA by Christopher Columbus in December 1492. It is a country full of historical reminder of its colonial past, offering a wide variety of activities to its visitors.
The Dominican Republic is however more than a great tourist destination, it is a country that has a great geographic importance because of its location between Cuba and Puerto Rico. The Island of Hispagnola, of which it occupies about two thirds, is the second largest of the greater Antilles.
The Arawaks and Karibs (Caribs) Indians, which inhabited the island prior to the arrival of Columbus and the Spanish, named it Bohio, Kyskeya or Haiti. The western portion of the Island is occupied by Haiti.
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Geography
The territory of the Dominican Republic is about two thirds of the island of Hispagnola. It is approximately 48,442 square kilometers.
The Capital is Santo Domingo.
Map of the Dominican Republic
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The mountain ranges divide the country into three regions: northern, central, and southwestern. The Dominican Republic has seven major drainage basins. The most important is that which flows into the Yaque del Norte River. The largest body of water is the Lago Enriquillo (Lake
Enriquillo), in the southwest. The highest mountain peak, Pico Duarte, rises in Cordillera Central (Central Range) to a height of 3,087 meters. The Dominican Republic is a beautiful country that offers the spectacle of wonderful landscape covered by a wide variety of tropical plants.
The Climate is primarily tropical, with temperatures varying according to altitudes. The seasons are defined more by rainfall than by temperature.
For most of country, rainy season runs roughly from May through November; dry season, from November through April. Because of mountain ranges the rainfall is not uniform throughout the country. Tropical cyclones strike on an average of once every two years and usually have their greatest impact along southern coast.
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Population
The
Dominican republic has a population of more than 7000.000 people that is comprised of blacks, white and mestitos.
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Government
The country has an elected representatives governmental system. The government has an executive, a legislative and a judiciary branch. The Executive which is the dominant branch of the government, is headed by
the President elected for a four-year terms. The president can be reelected. The Legislature, known formally as Congress of the Republic, consist of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies. Judicial power is exercised by Supreme Court of Justice and by other courts created by 1966 Constitution. All judges are chosen by the Senate, not by president. The Provincial governors are appointed by the president the Republic. The municipalities are governed by elected mayors and municipal councils
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