Dominican Republic Travel Overview
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.
