ABOUT THE ISLAND
 

Geography & Location
 
The Dominican Republic occupies two-thirds of the eastern part of the island and is part of the second largest island in the Caribbean Sea.  It is about 100 miles southeast of Miami, Florida.  It shares the island of Hispañola with the country of Haiti and occupies the eastern 2/3 of the island.  The climate is maritime tropical.  It's lush green vegetation contrasts with the dry desert-like side of Haiti.
 
History
 
Christopher Columbus discovered Hispañola in 1492.  Columbus' brother, Bartholomew, founded the city of Santo Domingo in 1496.  This is the oldest European-founded city in the western hemisphere.  The oldest cathedral in the New World, the Cathedral of America, contains the remains of Columbus.  It also displays bells from his three ships, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.  In 1821 the Dominicans declared their country free from Spain.  Haitian military forces occupied and controlled the country until 1844.  Thirty years of  Dominican military dictatorship ended in 1961.  Political struggle continued until a democratic government was established in 1966.  The country continues to make progressive strides in many areas of life.
 
Culture & Economy
 
Most Dominicans are of  Spanish and African ancestry.  They are hospitable, industrious, fond of music, enjoy dancing the Merengue, and love sports.  The national dish is La Bandera (rice and beans with beef). Mining for minerals (gold, silver, nickel), and agricultural exports (sugar, coffee, rice, citrus, and flowers) are providing a stable economy.  Tourism is flourishing.
 
Language
 
Spanish  is the official language. English is increasingly prevalent due to international business and tourism
 
 

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

HISTORY OF THE ISLAND OF HISPAÑOLA
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
[Based on articles from 2/15/95 Watchtower and 3/8/92 Awake!]

In December of 1492, after leaving Cuba, history relates that Columbus discovered a large mountainous island southeast of Cuba that he named La Isla Española (Hispañola, which today is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti).  He discovered that the island was occupied by the Taino Indians whom he described as handsome, trusting, and hospitable.  There were an estimated 100,000 of them at the time.  However, due to the harsh treatment of the invaders, by 1570 the native population had dwindled down to only about 500 Taino Indians.

Columbus said of the natives:  "They love their neighbors as themselves, and they have the softest and gentlest voices in the world and are always smiling."

Columbus observed in his log:  "...with 50 men you could subject everyone and make them do what you wished."  He envisioned a religious colonization:  "I have great hope in our Lord that your Highness will convert all of them to Christianity."  A settlement was organized in a place called "La Villa de La Navidad."

History continues:  "Once an area was conquered, the native population was obliged to become Catholic.  A Catholic priest and historian explained:  "...pagan temples were converted into Christian churches...idols were replaced by crosses..."  Such arbitrary 'conversion' resulted in a peculiar amalgam of Catholic and traditional worship that has continued down to this day."

A Dominican friar, eyewitness of the colonization of the island of Hispañola, bemoaned:  "With such good, obedient and meek people, if only preachers entered among them without the force and violence of those wretched Christians, I think that a church as fine as the primitive one could be founded."

As aptly concluded by this Dominican friar, these good obedient meek people did indeed respond quickly and positively to a loving peaceful preaching activity - that of the first Watchtower Missionaries who arrived in the Dominican Republic in 1945!  By 2002, among a population of almost 9,000,000 people, approximately 24,000 honest hearted persons had responded to the Kingdom good news!

This has resulted in the formation of some 356 Christian congregations ever "so fine as the primitive one(s)" with an ever-increasing crowd enjoying the freedom from bondage to religious traditions that only God's word can bring!

Today, "the Dominican Republic is populated by people of many races and colors whose ancestors have immigrated here.  However, they seem to have many of the fine traits of the Taino, being basically a friendly and easy-going people.  This coupled with a sincere belief in God and respect for the Bible has made the preaching and teaching work of Jehovah's witnesses remarkably successful in this land."

AN IDEA OF ISLAND LIFE

Learning about the Dominican people and their culture is an enriching experience.  When one first visits the country, often it is quite a culture shock, and one remains in constant amazement at how people live and work.  However, none of the inconveniences of the Dominican people affects a person staying at a bed and breakfast or hotel.

                           THE POVERTY:

The first thing that may surprise you upon your arrival in the Dominican Republic, is the poverty.  Little children begging on the streets, shouting out "Dame un peso! [dah-may oon peso], and others wanting to shine your shoes or sell you something.

Vendors line the streets in Santo Domingo, sitting all along the sidewalks selling their fruits and vegetables.

 

INTERESTING SIGHTS:

Another thing that astonishes many visitors to the country is the sight of women along the rivers washing their clothes by hand, shampooing their hair, or bathing their children.  Women and children not living near the rivers can be seen walking long distances to fill their water containers at a "llave" (YAH-vay) or faucet, and washing their clothes by hand in big tubs in their yards.  Laundry can be seen hanging on bushes, trees, and barbed wire fences, and even many times laid out on the hot pavement of the roads to dry.


Traveling along the country roads, it is common to see coffee beans, cacao (chocolate), and coconuts, drying in the sun, young children mounted on donkeys loaded down with coconuts or plantains, other children on mules herding cows to a water hole, women carrying large containers of water on their heads, and others - huge baskets of produce on their heads to sell along the way; sitting in their yards, while others can be seen grating coconuts and squeezing out the oil to sell, or hand grinding and sifting coffee beans for coffee for their family.  Men, women, and children work very hard to survive from day to day.

A large part of the culture of the Dominican Republic is their music.  Dominicans enjoy listening to music all day and all night whether sitting in their yards, riding on buses, playing dominoes in the street, or shopping at the nearest "colmado."  Merengue music fills the air everywhere!

THE DOMINICAN PEOPLE - PREACHING THE GOOD NEWS.

Field service is a wonderful experience in the country.  Everyone invites you in and listens.  Dominicans are a very kind, generous people, so when you are leaving they will often load you down with bananas or platanos and mangos or other fruits in season.  It is such a joy to preach to these spiritually-minded hospital people.  They love hearing about the Bible.  Some pioneers have as many as 15-20 Bible studies, sometimes totaling 45-50 people they are helping.

Actually, even just walking to the houses is an experience in itself.  In some places you may have a beautiful view of sky-to-sky coconut trees framed by mountains in the background, or in other places you may be looking out over the sea and tiny islands in the bay.  Sometimes there are long climbs up hills and walking through wooded areas, and often one must even wade through rivers to reach the little "ranchitos."  Ranchitos are little wooden houses with tin or thatched roofs with little open sided thatched roofed kitchens separate from their houses, where they cook on charcoal or coconut husks.

A LITTLE ABOUT SAMANA
 

A beautiful peninsula off the northeastern coast of the Island of Hispañola, Dominican Republic.  This 30-mile peninsula can be seen clearly on any world map or globe.  It has the most beautiful beaches in the country, and possibly the world.

 

The peninsula is breathtakingly beautiful, with sky to sky coconut trees; its northern coast is lined with picturesque mountains and hills from the beginning of the peninsula to its end, some 50 kilometers.

Around the middle of the peninsula on its southern coast, bordering The Great Bay, is the little "pueblo" of Samana where Tropical Island Bed & Breakfast is located - five to twenty-five minutes from the beautiful beaches.  The little town of Samana, itself, is on the water since it borders The "Gran Bahia" or Great Bay.

The people are extremely poor because there is very little work, except for harvesting coconuts, coffee, cacao (chocolate), bananas, mangos, and avocados.  Throughout the countryside the "campesinos" can be seen washing their clothes in the rivers, and cooking their beans and rice on charcoal in the little open kitchens with thatched roofs.