History                                                                                 
With great struggle comes great triumph. In 1499, a group of eexplorers led by Amerigo Vespucci found natives living in Stone Age conditions on the island. Following Spanish control, the Dutch arrived in 1634. The island was used primarily for supplying livestock, corn and salt.

At one point, the British occupied the island and leased it to a New York merchant for $2,400 per year, a fee which included the use of 300 "salt-mine" slaves.

The Dutch empire returned to the island in 1816 and established plantations for the growth of dyewood, cochenille, and aloes. The economy collapsed shortly thereafter with the abolition of slavery in 1863. The island suffered a long period of economic depression until what was known as the "money- order economy" era, when islanders migrated to Curacao and Aruba for jobs in the oil industry.

In the 1950's after the automation of the oil industry eliminated many jobs, the island was discovered, alng with many other Carribbean islands, as an international tourist destination. In 1951, the first hotel on the island was opened.

Salt- harvesting, long-dormant on the island, was then rejuvenated. The island now boasts one of the most successful salt-mining industries in the world.

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Basic Facts 

Mi tierra has a population of almost 8 million people. It's the most populous country in the Caribbean with 75% of its citizens Mulattoes (a mix of European, Africans, and Ameri-Indians), 15% Whites (descendents from the original Spanish settlers), and 10% Blacks. There are a large number of Haitians that live and work on manual labor and less remunerative work. There is a high birth rate. Half of the population is under 15 years of age (not enough television huh?) and only 3% of the population is over 65. More than 95% of the population is Roman Catholic.

My country occupies two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, shared with Haiti to the west. When Christopher Columbus saw the island on his first voyage in 1492, he couldn't stop raving about its beauty, insisting that, "There is no more beautiful island in the world." To this day, that quote still lies true in my heart. To the east of Quisqueya is Puerto Rico (only 54 miles away).

The capital of the heaven of my heart is Santo Domingo, with more than 1.5 million residents. Santiago de Los Caballeros follows the capital as the second largest city with a population of over half a million. My country is poor economically but rich in culture. The average wage is RD$2,000 (approximately US$150) per month, but slowly improving. Tourism in Puerto Plata, Sosua, Cabarete and La Romana areas account for the largest portion of foreign exchange entering the country.

The Dominican Republic speaks Spanish and it is the official national language. Area where tourists are concentrated, many Dominicans also speak some German, English, French and Italian.