Dominican Republic Researched via: http://wikipedia.org Student Name: Ababacar Sonko Date: 5/17/10

Where is Dominican Republic located? The Dominican Republic is situated on the eastern part of the second-largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. It shares the island roughly at a 2:1 ratio with Haiti. The country's area is reported variously as 48,442 km² (by the embassy in the United States) and 48,730 km² (by the U.S. CIA) making it the second largest country in the Antilles, after Cuba. The country's capital and greatest metropolitan area, Santo Domingo, is located on the southern coast.

Flag, Motto, Anthem: The flag of the Dominican Republic, as described by Article 96 of the Dominican Constitution, features a centered white cross that extends to the edges and divides the flag into four rectangles—the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue. A small coat of arms featuring a shield with the flag design and supported by a bay laurel branch (left) and a palm frond (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield, a blue ribbon displays the national motto: Dios, Patria, Libertad (God, Fatherland, Liberty). Below the shield, the words República Dominicana appear on a red ribbon (this red ribbon is depicted in more recent versions as having its tips pointing upward). In the center of the shield, flanked by three spears (two of them holding Dominican banners) on each side, is a Bible with a small cross above it and said to be opened to the Gospel of John, either to chapter one or chapter 8, verse 32, which reads Y la verdad nos hará libre (And the truth shall make you free).

Sports: Baseball is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic.The country has a baseball league of six teams. Its current season began in October 2009 and ends January 28, 2010. After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number of Major League Baseball (MLB) players. Some of these players have been regarded among the best in the game. Ozzie Virgil, Sr. became the first Dominican to play in the league. A few of the others born in the Dominican Republic are: Julian Javier, Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, Juan Marichal, and Sammy Sosa. Felipe Alou has also enjoyed success as a manager.

History: The Arawakan-speaking Taínos moved into Hispaniola, displacing earlier inhabitants, circa A.D. 650. The Taínos called the island Kiskeya or Quisqueya ("mother of the earth"). They engaged in farming and fishing, and hunting and gathering. The fierce Caribs drove the Taínos to the northeastern Caribbean during much of the 15th century. The estimates of Hispaniola's population in 1492 vary widely, including one hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, and four hundred thousand to two million. By 1492 the island was divided into five Taíno chiefdoms.

Famous People / Role Models: A special election was slated for May 1996 after the 1994 presidential election had been widely criticized as a fraudulent and corrupt circus led by incumbent President Joaquín Balaguer of the Reformist Social Christian Party (PRSC). The Dominican constitution states that a candidate must capture a majority of votes (50% plus one) in order to be declared winner. If no candidate were to reach that amount, then a second round of voting must be held, where the only eligible candidates would be the winner and the runner-up of the first round.

What do you or your peers like the most about Dominican Republic ? Some of the important symbols include the flag, the coat of arms, and the national anthem, titled Himno Nacional. The flag has a large white cross that divides it into four quarters. Two quarters are red and two are blue. Red represents the blood shed by the liberators. Blue expresses God's protection over the nation. The white cross symbolizes the struggle of the liberators to bequeath future generations a free nation. An alternate interpretation is that blue represents the ideals of progress and liberty, whereas white symbolizes peace and unity amongst Dominicans.