Best Countries

Important facts

Capital: Santo Domingo (See more on SIMPLYYELLOWPAGES.COM)

Official language: Spanish

Currency: peso

Continent: Caribbean North America

Cigars, salsa and Caribbean delights await you in the Dominican Republic

Rapid rivers, tropical forests, long beaches and clear water await you in the Dominican Republic. In addition to its idyllic nature, the country is known for salsa and especially for its cigars.

Useful information

According to Countryaah, the Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean Sea and borders the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The country shares the island with Haiti. About two thirds of the island is the territory of the Dominican Republic. As a vacation destination, it is very popular among Americans, Canadians and Europeans and has an unjustified reputation for being a country of “cheap package tourism”. It is well suited for exploration by individual travelers as it is a relatively safe country to travel to Kidnappings are mostly spread by hotel owners so that their guests do not leave the resort.

Bathing every day of the year

In the Dominican Republic, thanks to its favorable location and the relatively constant water temperature of 26 degrees Celsius, you can enjoy a year-round beach holiday. Or learn to dive in one of the many diving schools or try windsurfing or kite surfing.

Special delights, culinary specialties

You can also expect all kinds of delights on the island, because besides rum, the country is world famous for its cigars. Well-known brands are: Romeo y Juliet, Arturo Fuente, La Aurora, León Jimenes, Carbonell, Cojimar, Juan Clemente, Montecristo and Thiriet Mercedes. Are you interested in cigars? Then visit the city’s cigar production facility in Santiago. Either in the tobacco museum or with the manufacturers themselves, such as: Grupo León Jiménes Tabacalera “(founded 1903), or Fabrica Anillo de Oro, Los Maestros and Tabacalera Jacagua, each based in Tamboril near Santiago.
Let your palate with fresh seafoodspoil. Typical national food is fish of all kinds, scampi, crabs and chicken in different variations.

Important facts

Capital: Santo Domingo

Official language: Spanish

Currency

Currency (sub-unit)

Peso (100 centavos)

ISO 4217 code

DOP / 214

Geography

Continent: North America

Region: Caribbean

Geo coordinates: N 18 ° 44 ‘8.5 ” W -70 ° -9’ -45.5″

Highest mountain: Pico Duarte (3,175 m)

Total area: 48,730 km²

Mainland: 48,380 km²

National border: 360 km

Coastline: 1,288 km

Politics

Dependency: Haiti until 1844

UN member since: 1945

Other political affiliation: Organization of American States

Form of government: Presidential Democracy

Houses of Parliament: bicammeral bicameral parliament (“Congreso Nacional”) 1st House of Representatives (“Cámara de Diputados”) with 149 members 2nd Senate (“Senado”) with 32 members

Party system: Multi-party system -> governing party: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana (PLD) – center left facing Opposition: 1.Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD) – social-democratic 2.Partido Reformista Social Cristiano (PRSC) – Christian-democratic

State building: centralized 10 regions 31 provinces 1 national district (distrito nacional)

Political culture: Subject culture

Economy

Export goods: Sugar, coffee, cocoa

BSP: $ 23,046,000,000

GDP: $ 22,141,300,000

GDP purchasing power parity: $ 67.810 billion

Economic growth: 8.6%

GDP share of agriculture: 10.5%

GDP share of industry: 32.4%

GDP share of services: 57.1%

Inflation rate: 3.8%

State budget revenue: $ 4294967295

State budget expenditure: $ 4294967295

National debt: 48.9%

Export: $ 6.213 million

Import: $ 11,060,000,000

Foreign debt: $ 7,682,000,000

Gold and currency reserves: $ 2.289 million

Electricity consumption: 12,030 million KWh

Oil consumption: 137,000 million m³

Cultivation area: 32.64%

Bovine: 1,970,000 pieces

Pigs: 510,000 pieces

Fishing: 16,900 t

Demographic data

Residents: 9,184,000

Residents in cities: 5,722,000

Minorities: (73% mulattos, 16% white, 11% black)

Average age: 24.1 years

0-14 years: 32.6%

15-64 years: 61.9%

> 65 years: 5.5%

Population growth: 1.47%

Birth rate: 23.28 / 1,000 residents

Death rate: 5.73 / 1,000 residents

Migration: -2.79 / 1,000 residents

Ratio men / women: 1.03

Fertility: 2.83 children / woman

Infant mortality: 28.25 ‰

Life expectancy men: 70.21 years

Life expectancy women: 73.33 years

Country codes and abbreviations

ISO 3166 Alpha 2: DO

ISO 3166 Alpha 3: DOM

ISO 3166 numeric: 214

Top Level Domain: do

IOC country code: DOM

UN / LOCODE: DO

Source: Abbreviationfinder

Communication

Telephone connections: 954,000

Cell Phones: 3,320,000

Radios: 1,830,000

TV: 910,000

Computer: 760,000

Internet users: 1,020,000

Transportation

Railway lines: 422 km

Cars: 750,000

Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 1

Health

Number of doctors: 16,140

Daily food intake: 2,380 kcal / resident

HIV- infected people: 95,000

education

Illiteracy: 15%

History

Foundation: 1844

Last sovereign since: 1844

Religion

Main religious group: Christians

Distribution of religions: 75% Catholics; 4% Protestants; 1.5% each, Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, 2% others and 16% without religious affiliation

Crime

Prison inmates: 14,300

Military

Armed forces (troop strength): 25,000

GETTING THERE

Arriving by plane

Condor (DE) flies from Munich to Puerto Plata and Punta Cana.
Air France (AF) connects Germany, Austria and Switzerland with Santo Domingo. There are also flights with low-cost and charter airlines from Germany and Milan. Iberia (IB) flies from Frankfurt via Midard and Miami to Santo Domingo.

Air Berlin (AB) flies from Düsseldorf to Puerto Plata and Punta Cana.

Note on arriving by plane

Airline tickets bought in the Dominican Republic are highly taxed.

Flight times

Frankfurt – Santo Domingo: 9-10 hours (direct), 12-14 hours (with a stopover).

Departure fee

The airport tax for outbound passengers is US $ 20 per person each way. Transit passengers and children under two years of age are exempt from this. Most airlines already include this tax in the airfare.

Arrival by ship

The following shipping companies call at the Dominican Republic, among others: Celebrity Cruises and Holland America.

ON THE GO

Traveling by plane

Sapair (Internet: www.sapair.com) offers charter connections to other domestic airports. Small planes can be rented. Details from the airlines.

On the way by car / bus

The road network is quite well developed, but not all roads are paved. You have to expect potholes in the cities. Four-wheel drive vehicles are appropriate during the rainy season. The Sanchez Highway leads from Santo Domingo west to Elias Piñas on the border with Haiti, the Mella Highway from Santo Domingo to Higüey in the southeast, the Duarte Highway from Santo Domingo north to Santiago and on to Montecristi on the northwest coast. A motorway connects Santo Domingo with Punta Cana and Bayahibe / La Romana.

There are controls near the military bases, but difficulties are not expected. Stricter controls are common near the border with Haiti.

Long-distance buses operated by Caribe Tours (Internet: www.caribetours.com.do), Metro Tours (Internet: www.metrotours.com.do) and Terra Bus are inexpensive, reliable and air-conditioned. Seats must be booked in advance. All larger towns are approached from the capital.

Rental cars: Well-known companies such as Budget and Avishave offices in major cities, airports and hotels. Minimum age: 25 years. Maximum rental period: 90 days. Road traffic often has its own rules, so visitors should refrain from driving their own car.

Documentation: international driver’s license.

Traffic regulations:
right-hand traffic.

Speed limits:
within built-up areas: 60 km / h, out of
town: 80 km / h,

on the motorway: 110 km / h.

Traveling in the city

Bus: Regular buses and minibuses in Santo Domingo and Santiago have unit prices. The often overcrowded but cheap minibuses not only travel within cities, but also connect them with each other. The buses run until 9 p.m.

Taxi: approx. 7000 Carro de Conchos or Públicos (shared taxis) operate 24 hours a day in Santo Domingo, Santiago and Puerto Plata. They can be stopped anywhere but are more expensive than buses. Caution is advised in the old town of Santo Domingo, as local drivers often prefer to honk than brake. The taxis are not equipped with taximeters, because unit prices are charged, which should be confirmed by the driver before departure. Motoconchosare motorcycle taxis, but they are not for the faint of heart. In most cities horse-drawn carriages can be rented for excursions.