BuildingsThe Dominican Republic has the original first city of America, Santo Domingo. Many of the building in the Dominican Republic are very traditional. There are beautiful cathedrals and original building still standing today. These building have exquisite detail and highlight the culture of the natives. However, the Dominican Republic also has many modern buildings. There are many diverse building that highlight the culture and beauty of the Dominican Republic.
|
DressThe traditional clothing of the Dominican Republic is predominantly a result of Spanish and African influences. Dress in the Dominican Republic is not extremely different from dress in the United States. People commonly wear warm weather clothing, shirts and shorts. Commonly people wear casual clothes but if they have a profession that requires business attire than they are expected to dress in formal attire. Men must wear conservative, dark colored, and good quality business suits. Women are expected to dress elegantly. They often wear dresses and suits and must wear jewelry and makeup.
FamilyIn the Dominican Republic many people live in the extended families. It is not uncommon for someone to live with all of their cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and other distant relatives. Families are also very large because the Roman Catholic Church encourages people to reproduce and create offspring. The culture of the Dominican Republic tells people that they should sacrifice personal interests to those of extended family and community. People are expected to put the needs of others over their personal needs. Families are very close and often some of your best friends will be within your family.
HistoryIn 1492, Columbus landed on the island of Hispaniola. By 1496, the Spaniards set of the a colony called Santo Domingo. Soon, the Spaniards need a labor force to produce crops and agriculture. The first shipment of African Americans to Santo Domingo occurred in 1510. In 1697, Hispaniola was split was up. The Treaty of Ryswick established that Haiti was to go to France and the present Dominican Republic was to go to Spain. In 1822, the Haitian Republic was born. On February 27, 1844, the Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti. Santo Domingo declared its independence and became the Dominican Republic.
JobsMost jobs in the Dominican Republic are in the primary and secondary sector. This means that many people have jobs in agriculture and manufacturing. This is largely because the economy of the Dominican Republic is heavily based on farming. The manufacturing business is growing steadily as the Dominican Republic becomes more independent of foreign investors. A large majority of the population also works in the tourism sector because of the mass influx of people that come to the Dominican Republic for tourism. Majority of the jobs in the Dominican Republic are low paying and over cover the basic needs. There are very few high paying jobs in the Dominican Republic. This is what leads the large wealth disparity gap.
LanguageThe official language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish. However dialects are spoken across the country . The local dialect of the Dominican Republic is called Dominican Spanish and has some African influences . English is generally only spoken in the tourist areas of the Dominican Republic. This language was brought over by the Spaniards in 1492 when Columbus came over from Spain. Spanish influences are largely seem in the Dominican Republic.
PopulationThe racial distribution consists of two primary groups: Dominicans and Haitian-Dominicans. The majority of the population is Dominican, a racial mixture of Afro-Carribean, Indigenous Caribbean, and European ancestry. The majority of Haitian-Domicans are not recognized as citizens even though they were born in the United States. They are many people of mixed race in the Dominican Republic and are many hispanic people. There are very few people that are white or of Asian decent. There are even fewer people of American Indian/Alaskan decent. There are a large numbers of Africans in the Dominican Republic because many Africans were shipped over as slaves to work in plantations.
ReligionThe primary religion in the Dominican Republic is Roman Catholicism. There are beautiful cathedrals and churches scattered all throughout the Dominican Republic. The Roman Catholic church has strong ties to the government and is very persuasive over people's decisions. The church influences many parts of citizens lives and plays a major role in the way people act and think. Gender roles are also strongly influenced by the Roman Catholic church . For instance, virgin Mary is model for women to follow through set of values called Marianismo. Marianismo emphasizes chastity, motherhood, and service to family. The Roman Catholic Church places pressure on the women to be pure and be submissive to men.
Quality of LifeThe quality of life in the Dominican Republic is so-so. Compared to other countries, the quality of life in the Dominican Republic is very poor. The education and healthcare in the Dominican Republic are very poor. The life expectancy of the Dominican Republic is 78 years. This is fairly high and shows that while the Dominican Republic has decent health care but that it is not very reliable. The IMR is 19.63 death/1000 live births. This is very high and indicates the lack of adequate health care. The education is not up to "standards" of the United States and many students do not finish school.
Vacation and RecreationEcotourism is one of the major outlets for income in the Dominican Republic. There are many 5 star that attract tourists from all throughout the world. The beautiful beaches and natural scenery are a great place to relax. Popular actives include hanging out on the beach, water activities, and relaxing in the pool. Many locals work in resorts and at many of the resorts English is the primary language spoken. The infrastructure in the Dominican Republic is also largely based on tourism. Many of the major roads connect tourists attractions. The airports are also centered around primary attractions. Tourism is and will continue to grow in the Dominican Republic.
YumDominican cooking is not that different from Spanish style cooking. Common foods include: sancocho, kipes, empanadas, mangu, tostones, flan, arroz habichuela y carne, chicharron, pollo guisado, and con-con. The food is always made with fresh ingredients and commonly residents eat lots of locally grown food. Most of the meals will be prepared fresh and there is not as many pre-package or processed foods.
|