The Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is an excellent romantic getaway location, with crystal clear seas and white sandy beaches.
History of the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic was occupied by the Tainos people around 650 AD. They called the island of Hispanolia Kiskeya or Quisqueya which means Mother of the Earth.
Christopher Columbus arrived on Hispaniola on December 5, 1492, during the first of his four voyages to America. He claimed the island for Spain and named it La Española.
In 1496 Bartholomew Columbus, Christopher's brother, built the city of Santo Domingo, Europe's first permanent settlement in the "New World". The Spaniards created a plantation economy on the island. The colony was the springboard for the further Spanish conquest of America and for decades the headquarters of Spanish power in the hemisphere. Christopher was buried in Santo Domingo upon his death in 1506.
The arrival of Europeans meant the beginning of the end of the Taínos who nearly disappeared due to European infectious diseases to which they had no immunity. Other causes were abuse, suicide, the breakup of family, starvation, enslavement, forced labour, torture, war with the Spaniards, changes in lifestyle, and even miscegenation. Although laws were passed for the Indians's protection they were never truly enforced and eventually the Tainos ceased to exist.
After Spain's conquest of the Aztecs and Incas, Spain neglected her Caribbean holdings. French buccaneers settled in western Hispaniola, and by the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick, Spain ceded the area to France.
Geography of Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. The island of Hispaniola is the second largest island in the Greater Antilles.
The Dominican Republic has many small offshore islands and cays that are part of the Dominican territory. The two largest islands near shore are Saona, in the southeast, and Beata, in the southwest.
The Dominican Republic has four important mountain ranges. They are the Cordillera Central (Central Mountains), Cordillera Septerrenal (Northern Mts.), Cordillera de los Haitises (Eastern Mts.) and Sierra de Bauruco (Southern Sierra),
Between the Central and Northern mountain ranges lies the rich and fertile Cibao valley. This major valley is home to the city of Santiago and most of the farming areas in the nation.
The Llano Costero del Caribe ("Caribbean Coastal Plain") is the largest of the plains in the Dominican Republic. Stretching north and east of Santo Domingo, it contains many sugar plantations in the savannahs that are common there.
The Dominican Republic has many lakes and coastal lagoons, the largest lake being Enriquillo.
Climate of Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic has a tropical climate with an annual average temperature of 25°C (77°F). At high points in the Dominican Republic the temperature averages 18°C (64°F) while near sea level the average temperature is 28°C (82°F).
It is possible to see temperatures as low as 0°C (32°F) in the mountains while high temperatures of 40°C (104 °F) are possible in protected valleys.
January and February are the coldest months of the year, while August is the hottest month. Sometimes snow can fall on the top of the Pico Duarte although this is rare.
The wet season along the northern coast lasts from November through January. Elsewhere, the wet season stretches from May through November, with May being the wettest month.
The average annual rainfall is 1,500 millimetres (59 inches). The driest portion of the country lies in the west. Tropical cyclones impact the country every couple years, with 65 percent of the impacts along the southern coast. Hurricanes are most likely between August and October. The last time a category 5 hurricane struck the country was Hurricane David in 1979.