Dominican Republic

Keyword phrase = Dominican Republic

KWD = / (.%) MyOwnArticles.com

Dominican Republic

Do you know how the Dominican Republic got its name? It was said that this Latin American Country got its name from the fact that it was discovered on a Sunday. Dominican Republic is said to have come from the Latin word “dominus” which means “lord”. Furthermore, the word “Dominic” which is usually the name given to a child born on a Sunday means “of the Lord”.

The Dominican Republic covers the eastern two-thirds of the Hispaniola Island, sharing it with Haiti. The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his journey in and was called La Espaniola. Towards the end of the sixteenth century, the French got control over the western part of the island but the Spanish still has its control over the east. Around the end of the seventeenth century, the oldest city of the Americas – Santo Domingo, was turned over to the French, as well as the rest of the Hispaniola Island. The battle of the Palonhicado signified the defeat of the French on its control over the eastern part of the island. The colony was under Spanish regime again and Santo Domingo’s independence was proclaimed a few years after that. However, its independence was not for long. The Haitians invaded the colony a year after the proclamation and was its occupants for years. Fortunately, it recovered its dominion over the Haitians and independence was proclaimed once more, but this time as the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic went through several years of civil war and dictatorship, including that of General Rafael Trujillo from to . His assassination has brought civil unrest but President Joaquin Baalguer’s service of three-terms has brought stability to the country once more. Guzman Fernandez won the presidential elections in , however, Balaguer fought and won four consecutive times for the office between and . The string of protests and strikes fueled by crises in late has made Balaguer step down from office and Leonel Fernandez took the Presidency in . Balaguer still fought to regain office despite his health condition in May , but Hipolito Mejia won the elections. Two months after that, Balaguer, who ruled the Dominican Republic politics for seven terms, died at the age of . Leonel Fernandez regained the Presidency in the recent elections, carrying the promise of a better Dominican Republic.

Indeed, the Dominican Republic’s history is as interesting as what the country has to offer to its guests. Today, the government of the Dominican Republic has to live up to a lot of expectations following several years of unsatisfactory governance. Fortunately, it has been found out that the economy this year has increased – paving the way for more reasons to visit.