The Dominican Republic, with a 48,442km2 extension, occupies 2/3 of the East Zone surface. Occupied in the east by the Republic of Haiti.

Geography

The counts with three great mountain ranges:

·       The Central Range
It runs through Haiti and the Dominican Republic, all through the central area of our country and all the way to the south. The Pico Duarte (3,175m high) is located in these lifts, the highest in the Antilles.

·       The Northern Range
runs parallel to the Central Range, and separates el Valle del Cibao (Cibao Valley) from the Atlantic coastal plains.

·       The Eastern Range
the shortest and lowest of the three.

There is also “la Sierra de Bahoruco” and in the southeast “la Sierra de Neyba”.

The country counts with numerous rivers, much in which you can travel, such as Soco, Higuamo, Romana, Yaque del norte, Yaque del sur, Yuna, Yuma, Bajabonico.

Climate

The constant clime in the coastal area is warm, as you would expect in a tropical country. In the central region, the temperatures are much cooler. The average temperature throughout the year is 29 degrees C (84 F). In the mountainous areas, mainly during the winter, very low temperatures are registered, sometimes less than 0 degrees C (32 F), most of the time in Valle Nuevo, Constanza and Pico Duarte.

The month of august is the hottest of the year, and January is the coolest. The strongest rain season occurs within May and august, and the calmer season in the midst of November and December.

Language

The official language in the Dominican Republic is Spanish. It is common to find, mainly in tourist areas English, French, Italian or German speaking people.

Coin

The national coin is the “peso”. The real value of the Dominican peso fluctuates based on the US dolar and the euro, and it is subject to the laws of offer and demand.

The Central Bank ( Banco Central ) sets the premium according to the realities of the market. The peso is divided in 100 units. Cents are called “cheles”. The change rate fluctuates in the market based on the US dolar.

Transportation

There are eight airports in the country: Internacional de las Américas Dr. Jose Francisco Pena Gómez and Higuero, in Santo Domingo; the airport in Romana Casa de Campo and Punta Cana, in the east; the airport in Arroyo Barril Samaná; the one in Barahona es Maria Montes, in the south; Gregorio Luperon airport, in Puerto Plata; and The Internatioanal Airport of el Cibao in Santiago de los Caballeros.

There are excellent roadways, that allow you to travel to any corner of national geography.

There are four main highways that start in the city of Santo Domingo: Duarte highway connects to the north, Sanchez highway connects with the southern regions, southeastern regions, the Mella roadway and the east motorway, which links to the southeastern region. Buses, minibuses, public cars and “ moto conchos “ are used for public transportation».

Transit Regulations

People drive to the right in Santo Domingo. Visitors with an up to date driver’s license may use it during a maximum period of time of 90 days, without any other burden.

The highways maximum speed limit is 80 miles per hour; in urban areas the max. speed limit is 60 and 40 kilometers per hour in the cities, except if there are any specific signs.

Gas stations work, generally , until 10:00 p.m., although there are some that are open 24 hours a day.

 Religion

Most of the Dominican population are Roman Catholics.

Investments and Economy

Dominican economy lies on four pillars:

In the last years, tourism and free zones have been the most dynamic sectors. The main products in agriculture are:

Mine-working in concentrated in the Cibao, there lies great ferronickel deposits and it is the largest open sky mine in the continent.

Sports

The national sport is baseball or “ pelota “ as Dominicans call it. Its played throughout the year and all over the country, but the official season is during the winter. The country counts with excellent major league players and great players like Juan Marichal.

There are great golf courts, including various designs by famous men like Robert Trent Jones and Pete Dye. The most notable golf courses are in Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata, Los Cajuiles, in Casa de Campo and La Romana. In La Romana lays the famous Diente de Perro (Dog Tooth), while in the North Coast there is the most recent one in the area of Playa Grande between Puerto Plata and Rio San Juan.

As for water sports , there are excellent places to fish currican. The whole island counts with magnificent beaches for underwater fishing.

Recreation

The whole country counts with a great variety of night clubs, piano bars and discos.

Nights in Santo Domingo are irresistible and invites you to party. Merengue and bachata are always present, as are great part of the modern rythms. Dominican rum and beer are famous all over the world. Dominicans dance until dawn. Everything is a motive to celebrate.