Go Barahona

Area: 48,442 km2

Population: over 8.5 million inhabitants according to the last census of 2002.

Division: It is divided into three regions: the North or Cibao, the Southeast and the Southwest. Politically, there are 32 provinces including the capital city.

Capital City: Santo Domingo

Time Zone: GMT/UTC -5

Language: Spanish

Currency: Dominican Peso in bananotes of (RD$) 2000, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20, 10 and in coins of 25, 10, 5 and 1 Peso. Coins of 0.50, 0.25, 0.10, 0.05 and 0.01 cents have been out of circulation for some years now.

Government: Representative Democracy.

Every region keeps its own attractions that are easily distinguishable, based on homogenous geographic, economic, social and cultural factors.

Climate

The Dominican Republic has a predominantly sub-tropical climate with marked variations from semi-arid to semi-humid. The Tropic of Cancel passes through the North and guarantees excellent atmospheric conditions for most of the year, similar to the other countries in the Greater Antilles.: Cuba, Porto Rico, Haiti, and Jamaica.

Music

Rhythm is an integral part of life for Dominicans. Merengue and Bachata music comes from our roots. Other musical genres are the Mangulina and the Perico Ripiao, that go together with cheerful costumes and sensual movements in a dance danced by a couple to the sound of the drum and guira.

The island territory, shared by the Dominican Republic with Haiti, was originally inhabited by Arawak Indians known as Tainos, a peaceful people with a well structured social organization who knew how to take advantage of the bounties of nature through fishing, hunting and crops like corn, yucca and other root vegetables. Quisqueya, as the aboriginal natives called the island, was divided into five regions or"cacicazgos", each one governed by a"cacique", chief of the tribes that lived in harmony and brotherhood.