Travel links to the Caribbean - Dominican Republic Dom Rep holiday hotels and villas in the Caribbean
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
ON AVERAGE more than 3 million tourists visit the country.
Slightly more than half were European
HOLIDAY express! ...with TLC 0845 22 50 49 2
| Country Facts |
| Capital: Santo Domingo de Guzmán |
| Population: 8,833,634 (July 2004 est.) |
| Area: 48,730 sq. km. |
| Currency: Dominican peso (RD$) |
| Independence: February 27, 1844 (from Haiti) |
| Government: Representative Democracy |
| Official Language: Spanish |
| Official Religion: Roman Catholic |
| National Bird: Palmchat (Dulus dominicus) |
| National Flower: The Mahogany flower |
| Founding Father: Juan Pablo Duarte |
| President: Leonel Fernández (since August 2004) |
| Vice President: Rafael Alburquerque (since August 2004) |
| Currency |
The Dominican Peso is freely exchangeable to the dollar and other major currencies. |
The Dominican Republic is the second largest nation in the Caribbean. It shares the island of Hispaniola,
situated between Puerto Rico and Cuba, with Haiti.
The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island and Haiti occupies the western portion.
the Atlantic Ocean is to the north of the Dominican Republic and to the south there is the Caribbean Sea.
The Dominican Republic has a semitropical climate, with an average yearly temperature of 26°C (78°F).
The rainy season is from May to November, with rainfall heaviest in the northern regions and lighter in
the southwest. The hurricane season lasts from June until November, with August and September being
the peak months.
The Dominican Republic is geographically diverse for its size, having extensive beaches of white sand,
evergreen forests in the highlands, fertile valleys with exuberant vegetation, and even desert zones with
dune formations. Its mineral resources include nickel, bauxite, gold and silver.
The Dominican Republic is crossed by four parallel mountain ranges running northwest to southeast,
with fertile valleys in between. The largest is the Cordillera Central, extending from northwest of
Santo Domingo into Haiti. Its peak, Pico Duarte, is 3,175 metres high. It is the highest point in the
Caribbean and is often covered with frost during the winter. Along the north coast is the
Cordillera Septentrional. South of the Cordillera Central are the Sierra de Neiba and the Sierra de Bahoruco
ranges. Lake Enriquillo, the largest natural lake in the country, with the lowest elevation in the Caribbean islands.
It is also the only salt water lake in the world inhabited by crocodiles.
The country is divided into 31 provinces and a district, in which the Capital Santo Domingo is located.
Other important cities in the Dominican Republic are Santiago, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana,
Puerto Plata, Barahona, La Vega and San Francisco de Macorís!
Ports that serve the Dominican Republic are: Barahona, La Romana, Manzanillo, Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo
and San Pedro de Macorís. The peninsula, near Santo Domingo, is now home to a new port with a
state-of-the-art container terminal facility.
The Dominican Republic has seven international airports and three for domestic flights.
Ask your Travel Coordinator for details of flights and holidays to the Dominican Republic
0845 225 0492 TLC
