| ||||
| National motto: God, Country, Liberty (Dios, patria, libertad) | ||||
| Official language | Spanish | |||
| Capital | Santo Domingo | |||
| President | Rafael Hipólito Mejía | |||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 138th 48,730 km² 1,6% | |||
| Population
- Total (2002) - Density | Ranked 86th
8,715,000 139,5/km² | |||
| Indepedence
since | from Haiti 27 February 1844 | |||
| Currency | Peso | |||
| Time zone | UTC -4 | |||
| National anthem | Quisqueyanos valientes (Valiant Sons of Quisqueye) | |||
| Internet TLD | .do | |||
| Calling Code | 1-809 | |||
The country has had a history of changing ownership, with Spain, France, Haiti, Spain again, and the United States taking their turns at ruling Dominican territory amid attempts at independence and self rule. The twentieth century was marked by repeated US intervention in local affairs. Apart from the history of US support for the Trujillo dictatorship (1930-1961), the most infamous example of this is the 1965 invasion by American troops in the midst of a Dominican civil war, an uprising that was sparked by an attempt to restore the republic's first democratically-elected president, Juan Bosch, who had been overthrown by an American backed right-wing coup in 1963. This invasion had the effect of establishing the rule of Joaquín Balaguer (1966-1978), and ensuring that Juan Bosch's constitutional government never return to power.
The country's economy is highly dependent on tourism. Since the early 1960s, economic problems have led to a vast migration of Dominicans to the US, mainly to large east coast cities. New York City's Washington Heights is so densely populated by Dominicans, it is sometimes referred to as Quisqueya Heights. Quisqueya believed to be the name given to the eastern side of Hispaniola by its original inhabitants, the Arawak Indians, although this version is disputed by some historians. Dominicans are now one of the largest Latino groups in the US.
Dominicans are notorious baseball lovers, and almost all major league baseball teams have at least one Dominican ball player.
The capital is Santo Domingo. The second largest city is Santiago de los Caballeros.
The Dominican Republic is known for a form of music called merengue, which has been popular since the mid- to late-1800s.
From the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the U.S. Department of State website. Not Wikified.