The peso oro is the currency of the Dominican Republic. Its symbol is “$”, with “RD$” used when distinction from other pesos (or dollars) is required; its ISO 4217 code is “DOP”. Each peso is divided into 100 centavos, for which the ¢ symbol is used. It is the only currency which is legal tender for all monetary transactions, whether public or private, in the Dominican Republic.
Tourism
Tourism is fueling the Dominican Republic’s economic growth. For example, the contribution of travel and tourism to employment is expected to rise from 550,000 jobs in 2008 — 14.4% of total employment or 1 in every 7 jobs — to 743,000 jobs — 14.2% of total employment or 1 in every 7.1 jobs by 2018. With the construction of projects like Cap Cana, and San Souci Port in Santo Domingo and Moon Palace Resort in Punta Cana the Dominican Republic expects increased tourism activity in the upcoming year. Ecotourism has been a topic increasingly important in the nation, with towns like Jarabacoa and neighboring Constanza and locations like the Pico Duarte, Bahia de Las Aguilas and others becoming more significant in attempts to increase direct benefits from tourism.
Highways
The Dominican Republic has five major highways, which take travelers to every important town in the country. The three major highways are Autopista Duarte, Autopista del Este, and Autopista del Sur, which go to the north, east, and western side of the country. A new 106 kilometer toll road that connects Santo Domingo with the country’s northeastern peninsula is now operating. Travelers may now arrive in the beautiful Samana Peninsula in less than two hours. Most of routes interconnecting small towns in the country are unpaved but are improving.
Work
The average wage of an Dominicans are probably at about EUR 250 per month. “Average” but here is very relative – some are even Dominicans for European conditions very wealthy, while others are very poor. There are few employees, most Dominicans are day laborers or small-scale self-employed.
Especially in large hotel complexes are very low wages paid – but this work is quite popular, because the tourists sometimes quite generous gratuities paid. If you want to support Dominicans, buy as much outside the hotel, because of what the hotel is being implemented, will benefit only the investors from Europe or North America.
Many of the country (often illegally) live Haitians earn money with their work, the Dominicans do not want or can exercise, eg in construction or in the sugarcane harvest. They have a reputation as good workers, but earn very little money.
In “poverty” to live approximately 10% of Dominicans, some of them in extreme poverty. In the mountains there are still isolated villages without electricity and no running water.
Many Dominicans deny a part of their livelihoods by transfer payments from relatives abroad (Puerto Rico, U.S. or Europe) live.
The Taínos
Hispaniola was inhabited by the Taínos, an Arawakan-speaking people who may have arrived around A.D. 600, displacing earlier inhabitants. The Taínos called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya, meaning “highest land”, as well as Haití or Aytí, and Bohio. They engaged in farming and fishing, and hunting and gathering.There are widely varying estimates of the population of Hispaniola in 1492, including one hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, and 400,000 to 2 million.
By 1492 Hispaniola was divided into five chiefdoms. With in a few short years following the arrival of European explorers the population of Tainos had declined due to a change in their lifestyle, the introduction of diseases such as smallpox, and possibly enslavement. Their cave paintings can still be seen in a variety of caves around the country.
Climate
The country is a tropical, maritime nation. Wet season is from May to November, and periodic hurricanes between June and November. Most rain falls in the northern and eastern regions. The average rainfall is 1346 mm, with extremes of 2500 mm in the northeast and 500 mm in the west. The main annual temperature ranges from 21 °C in the mountainous regions to 25 °C on the plains and the coast. The average temperature in Santo Domingo in January is 25 °C and 30 °C in July. Nonetheless, the highest mountaintops are covered in pine forests and have temperatures that can go several degrees below freezing during winter nights.
When to Go
The main foreign tourist seasons are from December to February, July to August, and Semana Santa (the week before Easter). Expect higher prices and more crowded beaches during these times. Also, note that most water sports and activities are prohibited throughout Semana Santa. The June-to-September hurricane season might be worth missing; though the chances of one blowing through are miniscule, remember that one little hurricane can wreck your whole holiday.
All in all, February and November are perhaps the best months to visit – both have great weather, thinner crowds and allow you to partake in either pro baseball, Carnival or whale-watching.
Santo Domingo de Guzmán
Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo) population 2,084,852 (Metro) (2003), estimated 2,253,437 (Metro) in 2006, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic, and the seventh largest in North America[1]. The city is located in the Caribbean Sea at the mouth of the Ozama River. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas, and was the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New World . In 1930, the city of Santo Domingo was almost completely demolished by a tropical hurricane called San Zenon. Dictator Rafael Trujillo, the incumbent at the time, reconstructed the city and named it Ciudad Trujillo after himself. After his assassination in 1961, Ciudad Trujillo became Santo Domingo de Guzman as today’s actual name. Santo Domingo de Guzman is within the boundaries of the Distrito Nacional (D.N.) and the Santo Domingo Province surrounds it. In 2001 a law was approved making Santo Domingo de Guzmán (The City & D.N) less than 200 km² in size, making it the smallest administrative division in the country.
Please note that when the article refers to Santo Domingo it is most likely referring to the Greater Santo Domingo Area (D.N + Santo Domingo Province) to avoid confusion of the terms. In some cases it may say D.N. which specifically means the city Boundaries without including the surrounding Santo Domingo province.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana, Spanish pronunciation: [reˈpuβlika ðominiˈkana]) is a nation located in the Caribbean region. It is on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago. Hispaniola lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica.[2] The western third of Hispaniola is the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries, Saint Martin being the other.
The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, its capital Santo Domingo, which was also the first colonial capital in the Americas.[3] It is the site of the first cathedral,[1] university, European-built road, European-built fortress, and more.
For most of its independent history, the nation experienced political turmoil and unrest, suffering through many non-representative and tyrannical governments. Since the death of military dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina in 1961, the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy.
