1. MY CULTURAL HERITAGE HERITAGE,DIVERSITY, AND HONOR US II Tirso Nunez Period 2

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS -ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY+CULTUR E -ECONOMICS -POLITICS

4. Environment

5. Economics Large Economy Dependent Natural Resources Average

6. Politics Representative Democracy President Multi-Parties

7. Society & Culuture Blend of Cultures Roman Catholic African Culture Taino Native Culture

9. Tirso Nunez, Jr. Lenyris Morales Tirso Nunez, Sr. Jose Nunez Maria Nunez Lenny Cuadrado Jose Skerrett Maria Hernandez Jose Hernandez Lola Cuadrado Concepcion Cuadrado Jose Skerrett Iris Skerrett

10. News Headline

11. Environment Dominican Republic is one of the most precious, beautiful places on earth. It's located on the eastern area of the second- largest island in the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola. D.R. is actually the second-largest country in the Antilles, after Cuba. The capital of the country is quite exquisite which is Santo Domingo, known for being a metropolitan area. Also, the mainland of the country has four mountain ranges. The northern mountain ranges are the Cordillera Septentrional and Cordillera Central, and the southern mountain ranges are the Sierra de Neiba and Sierra de Bahoruco. Between these mountains there are plenty of valleys, they are Cibao, San Juan, Neiba, Constanza, Jarabacoa, Villa Altagracia, and Bonao Valleys. There are a couple of lakes and coastal lagoons as well. But the most important lakes are Enriquillo, Leguna de Rincon, Leguna de Cabral, and Leguna Oviedo.

12. Environment (cont.) The climate in Dominican Republic is tropical. The annual temperature is about 77 degrees. At higher elevations, the temperatures average of about 64.4 degrees while at sea level the average temperature is 82.4 degrees. January and February are the coolest months of the year, while August is the hottest! It could be so hot, yet there are so many rainy days as well. You must be careful and very cautious because tropical cyclones and hurricanes occur occasionally. D.R.'s just a place you can go to vacate and relax then again you can live there its great either way.

13. Economics The Dominican Republic has the second-largest economy in Central America and the Caribbean. It's starting to become an upper middle-income country because it wasn't always up there. The economic growth was led by imports, followed by exports, with finance and foreign investment. D.R. is primarily dependent, especially on natural resources and government services. The national currency in Dominican Republic is the Dominican peso, although U.S. Dollars and Euros are able to be used at certain areas as well. The currency between Dominican pesos and U.S.Dollars would always have its ups and downs. As of February 2009 the exchange rate was 36.65 pesos per dollar. Tourism is another thing fueling up D.R.'s economic growth because its employment is actually rising. There are so many tourists, that there is more help needed in the hotels, resorts, and things of that sort.

14. Politics D.R. is a representative democracy just like the U.S. They have the same exact type of government. They have the same three branches of power, the way they run things are as well. The current president of the Dominican Republic is Leonel Fernandez.

15. Society & Culture There is a blend of cultures in the Dominican Republic, like Spanish colonists, African slaves, and Taino natives. The cuisine D.R. has is pretty good. There are plenty of popular dishes. One breakfast dish is eggs and mangu, which is smashed boiled plantain. The mangu can also be accompanied by Dominican salami that is deep fried. Lunch is usually the most important meal of the day. A usual meal for lunch would be rice, beans, meat, and salad on the side. A special stew they make is Sancocho, which is filled with 7 different varieties of meat. The most used ingredient for most meals is sofrito, a mix of local herbs and spices sauteed to bring out all of the dish's flavors. Other favorite foods are yuca, batata, chimichurris, tostones. Famous deserts are arroz con dulce, habichuelas con dulces, and flan. Their famous beverages are Morir Sonando, rum, beer, and Mama Juana. The music originated in D.R. is Merengue and Bachata.

16. Society & Culture (cont.) Merengue is a lively, fast-paced rhythm and dance type of music, as for Bachata is a soft form of music and dance with subjects that are often romantic. There are sports played in the Dominican Republic, like baseball, basketball, football, boxing, Tae Kwon Do, and soccer. But the most popular game played in D.R. is baseball. Most of the MLB is filled with Dominican players. But the main three popular sports are baseball, basketball, and soccer.