Welcome to the Dominican Republic!

The DR is a destination like no other: unspoiled beaches, clear blue sea, friendly people, democratic government, and secure real estate investment. This truly is an island paradise with a rich history and prosperous future.

Explored and claimed by Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non‐representative, rule for much of its subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin BALAGUER became president. He maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996.

Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. The Dominican economy has had one of the fastest growth rates in the hemisphere over the past decade.

Some Brief Facts:

• Population: 9,365,818 (July 2007 est.)
• Ethnic groups: Mixed 73%, white 16% and black 11%
• Religion: Roman Catholic 95%
• Literacy: At age 15 and over 84.6% male and 84.8% female can read and write.
• Language: Spanish
• Electricity: 110 volt, 60Hz as in North America and Canada.
• Legal drinking and gambling age: 18
• Area: 48,730 sq km - slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire, USA
• Borders: 275km with Haiti, Coastline: 1,288 km
• Terrain: Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys.
• Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46M, highest point Pico Duarte at 3,175M or 10,477 feet.
• Land use: Arable land: 21%, permanent crops: 9%, permanent pastures: 43%, forests and woodland: 12%, other: 15% (1993 est.)
• Natural resources: Nickel, bauxite, gold and silver.
• The economy expanded by nearly 8% in the first half of 2007 according to the Central Bank. Growth is being driven by the financial, communications and trade sectors. Exports jumped by 65% over the same period last year. Imports were up 18%. 12 month inflation is running at only 6%. Overall in 2006 the economy growth by 11.7%
• Total trade with the US is US$4.9bn for the first half of 2007.
• Tourists have increased steadily from 1,925,565 in 1996, to 3,450,392 in 2004 and 3,965,055 in 2006. 2007 is expected to see figures over 4,000,000
• The three largest investors within the DR are the US, Spain and Canada.