The Dominican Republic- Culture and History

1. The Dominican Republic- Culture and History By: Elena Reynolds, Isabel Uehling, Gabi Vermeire, and Maria Schwartz

2. The Dominican Republic Country that is eastern two-thirds of island Hispaniola Hispaniola�s western side is Haiti In West Indies island group 575 miles southeast of Miami, Florida Has fertile valleys, forest-covered mountains

3. The Dominican Republic cont. Dominican Republic has been ruled by dictators and other countries for most of history U.S. troops came twice to Dominican Republic to stop fighting between political groups Nowadays, president is head of Dominican Republic Have Cabinet appointed by president, elected legislature

4. Capital � Santo Domingo

5. Capital � Santo Domingo Formerly Ciudad Trujillo Capital and major seaport of Dominican Republic Commercial and manufacturing center Has sugar and fruit processing, distilling, and tanning industries

6. Capital � Santo Domingo, cont. Popular resort area Has close beaches and nice climate Population of 2,766,000 Largest city in Dominican Republic Is national district, not province

7. Historical Landmarks of Santo Domingo Basilica Santa Maria la Menor From 16th century, includes tomb of Christopher Colombus Alcazar de Colon Palace created by Diego, Colombus�s son Built in 1510 � restored in 1957 Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo Oldest university in Western Hemisphere � 1538 Made UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990

8. History of Santo Domingo Founded in 1496 by Bartholomew, Christopher Columbus�s brother First city in Western Hemisphere founded by Europeans that�s still lived in today Occupied by U.S. Marines from 1916 to 1924, again in 1965 1930 and 1979 � hurricanes greatly damaged city

9. Cursed??? Anyone who says Columbus�s name will be cursed Three planes bearing names of Columbus�s ships crashed Earthquake when his urn opened Leader got infection and died when pricked with pin of Order of Columbus medal Pirates and many uprisings have, over the years, overwhelmed Santo Domingo

10. Dominican Republic Tourism

11. Tourism Offers fine: Beaches Mountains Historical Sites Nice hotels

12. History of Tourism Until 1967, there was no organized tourist industry 1967 only 182,036 visitors By 2003, there were 3,268,182 tourists Has become as economically important as agriculture

13. Dominican Republic Food

14. Food Most of diet contains starchy proteins: Rice Beans Tubers Pigeon peas (guandules) Plantains (similar to bananas with thicker skins) Need to be cooked Known as comida criolla, or creole food Mainly includes rice, various beans, a small amount of pork, beef, or goat, and plantains Cod, shellfish, lobster, shark, tuna, and salmon are the major sea foods

15. Beverages Beverages normally are various fruit juices, coffee at least three times a day and a couple of alcoholic beverages at night or on weekends

16. Meals El desayuno (breakfast) Boiled roots/plantains, which fill the stomach El almuerzo (lunch) Rice and beans are always eaten during lunch, the most considerable meal of the day. A siesta normally occurs afterward Dinner Consists of boiled roots, eggs, mashed potatoes, bread, spaghetti, and sometimes a plantain dish called mangu Desserts are sweet, generally made from plantains, tubers, and beans, though other dessert foods exist

17. Marketplaces Original open-air markets. Many like to bargain at these. Colmados, small markets that sell main necessities at set prices. Modern supermarkets. Only in urban areas.

18. Agriculture At first, was the backbone of the Dominican Republic economy; now it is only 10.7% of gross domestic product 17% of Dominican Republic workers have professions in agriculture Some cash crops today are coffee, cocoa, and tobacco Sugar is its �largest agricultural export� Dominican Republic 10th largest sugar producer in the world Some of Dominican Republic�s sugar workers include people from Haiti. �Dominicans shun the menial labor of cutting sugarcane.�

19. Agriculture cont. The Government is working to build �quality� and popularity of Dominican coffee throughout the world In the 1960s, tobacco, which was first grown by Taino Indians, grew to a high level in the Dominican Republic In 1978, became highly important export Declined in 1980s Black tobacco, used for cigars, is 88% of tobacco production Dominican Republic is �world�s largest cigar exporter�

20. Nontraditional Crops Since traditional crops declined in the 1980s, nontraditional crops came to a higher standpoint Vegetables not grown in the U.S. in winter, citrus and tropical fruits, spices, and nuts, and produce popular among Hispanics in the U.S.

21. Major Food Crops and Livestock Major food crops include: rice, sorghum, plantains, beans, tubers, fruit, vegetables, spices, and nuts Cattle ranching is still significant from the 1800s Hide and salted beef are exported

22. Arawak/Taino Indians

23. Arawak/Taino Indians They were peaceful people, surrounded with happiness and friendliness Complete genocide wiped them out and as far as my sources indicate, this was the only completed genocide in the history of the world

24. Daily Life of Arawak/Taino Indians The main population lived in circular buildings that used poles for main support They ate generally small mammals, like rodents, bats, and worms, and grew corn, squash, beans, peppers, and sweet potatoes

25. Taino Indians Wiped Out The only thing that dangered them before Columbus�s landing in 1492 were the Caribs, war like cannibals that lived in the North of the Dominican Republic They would kill off the men, fatten the children up to eat, and use the woman for breeding purposes

26. Quiz! 1.) What is the capital of the Dominican Republic? 2.) Name one historical landmark in the Dominican Republic�s capital. 3.) By 2003, how many tourists were visiting the Dominican Republic per year? 4.) Tourism is as economically as important as _______. (Fill in the blank.) 5.) What is breakfast called in the Dominican Republic, and name one thing it may consist of 6.) Name at least one of the Dominican Republic�s cash crops. 7.) Name at least two foods that were part of the Arawak/Taino Indians� diets. 8.) What wiped out the Taino Indians?

27. Check Your Answers 1.) Santo Domingo 2.) You could have any of the following: Basilica Santa Maria la Menor, Alcazar de Colon, and/or Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo 3.) 3,268,182 tourists 4.) Agriculture 5.) El desayuno (breakfast); consists of boiled roots/plantains 6.) You could have any of the following: coffee, cocoa, and/or tobacco 7.) �Complete� genocide 8.) You could have any of the following: small mammals, like rodents, bats, and worms, corn, squash, beans, peppers, and/or sweet potatoes.

28. Works Consulted Gale, Thomson. �Dominican Republic.� Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations. 12th ed. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2007. Student Resource Center. 24 October 2006. <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC>. Maggiolo, Marcio Velez. �Dominican Republic.� Lands and Peoples. 2006. Grolier Online. 24 Oct. 2006. <http://lp.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid+4062100>. Sag�s, Ernesto. �Dominican Republic.� World Book Online. Springfield Township HS Lib. 2006. World Book Online. 24 Oct. 2006. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/ Article?id=ar163580>.

29. Works Consulted cont. �Santo Domingo.� Grolier Online. Springfield Township HS Lib. 2006. World Book Online. 24 Oct. 2006. <http://gme.grolier.com/>. �Dominican Republic.� SIRS Discoverer. Springfield Township HS Lib. 19 June 2002.� SIRS Discoverer. 24 Oct. 2006. <http://discoverer.prod. sirs.com/>. Foley, Erin and Leslie Jermyn. Cultures of the World: Dominican Republic. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2005.