Country Pages

Photo courtesy of abbeyclock.com

Comprising two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic was first sighted by Europeans in 1492 by Christopher Columbus in his search for the Indies. Instead, he found an island inhabited by the Taino Indians that became Spain's first New World colony, called Santo Domingo. Their first permanent settlement was established on the southern coast of what is now the capital city, also named Santo Domingo. The early history of the Dominican Republic is intertwined with that of Haiti, its island neighbor, as well as struggles with the Spanish, French and British for control. In 1844, Juan Pablo Duarte helped establish the Dominican Republic as an independent nation. The past century has seen periods of turmoil, dictatorship and U.S. intervention, combined with slow but steady economic and social progress.

Photo courtesy of dominicanrepublic.com

The Dominican Republic is a mountainous country; the highest peaks in the Antilles reach a height of 3,087 meters in the Cordillera Central and attract hikers from all over the world. The country also attracts growing numbers of tourists to its postcard-perfect white sand beaches along the northern coast in Cabarete, Sosua, as well as along the Amber Coast. The Dominican countryside offers unparalleled beauty, from mangrove swamps, dozens of blooming trees, and 18 different species of birds. The offshore wildlife boasts its own brand of unique features including the famous gathering of humpback whales in the Bahía de Samaná during the breeding season.

Photo courtesy of abbeyclock.com

Dominican society is as diverse as its geography and natural beauty. About 73% of its 9 million people are of mixed race (African, European and Amerindian), 16% are of European descent, and 11% are of African descent. The official language is Spanish and the country is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. The country's culture includes rich music and dance traditions reflecting African influences.

Over 1 million Dominicans currently reside in the United States, making them the fourth largest Hispanic group in the country. While Dominicans in the United States have traditionally faced problems such as low incomes and high unemployment, these trends are starting to turn as second-generation immigrants are graduating from high school and college at higher rates than other Latino groups.

Photo courtesy of abbeyclock.com

Economic growth has risen back home as well. While agricultural exports of sugar, tobacco and coffee have been a backbone of the economy, free trade zones and tourism have fueled economic growth and a transformation into a manufacturing and service-based economy during the 1990's. The country still suffers, however, from marked income inequality. Macroeconomic stabilization, education and institutional development are all key to the Dominican Republic's further development and progress.

Higher education in the Dominican Republic is the responsibility of both public and private universities. The Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), the state university, was the first university established in the New World in 1538. Although the university's administration is autonomous, the government provides its funding, enabling the UASD to offer courses free of charge to all enrolled students. A leading private institution is the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), located in Santiago and Santo Domingo. The Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLASCO) is on the leading edge of social science research and teaching. All three of these institutions have hosted numerous Fulbrighters over the past five years.

Since 1990, over 30 grants to the Dominican Republic have been awarded to U.S. scholars. Grants have been awarded in a number of diverse academic disciplines including art, American literature, business administration, journalism, environmental sciences and sociology. The Fulbright program in the Dominican Republic offers grants of three to six months and encourages applicants of all backgrounds, especially in the areas of environmental studies, international business and marketing, economics, agriculture, history, psychology, arts and design, and education. Applicants should have good to fluent Spanish language skills.

CIES encourages interested applicants to make use of the following links to complement their research into potential opportunities available in the Dominican Republic. Please also feel free to use the contact information to get in touch with CIES staff.

U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
http://santodomingo.usembassy.gov/
Official site of the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, with consular information, current news, and information on public affairs, with in-depth reports on political and economic issues.

Embassy of the Dominican Republic, Washington D.C.
http://www.usemb.gov.do
An in-depth site with extensive news, political and economic information and news archives.

Embassy World Website
http://www.embassyworld.com/maps/Maps_Of_D_Republic.html
Links to a variety of interactive maps of the Dominican Republic.

Nations Online Project, a worldwide portal and reference directory http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/dominican_republic.htm

LANIC-U Texas DR link
http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/cb/dr/
Comprehensive links to Dominican Republic information sources

Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism
http://www.dominicana.com.do/
Provides official government information on tourism in the Dominican Republic.

World Travel Guide
http://www.wtgonline.com/data/dom/dom.asp
Travel information including information on sports, climate, business, health, and good regional and city information.

U.S. Department of State
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35639.htm
Background information on the Dominican Republic including political conditions, foreign relations, relations with the U.S., history, people, government, economy, and business.

Hispaniola Language Schools
http://www.hispaniola.org
Spanish language schools in the Dominican Republic

USAID
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/latin_america_caribbean/country/
dominican_republic
Information on USAID programs in the Dominican Republic

Political Database of the Americas
http://www.georgetown.edu/pdba/
A comprehensive database maintained by Georgetown University.

Autonomous University of Santa Domingo
http://www.uasd.edu.do/

Madre y Maestra Pontifical Catholic University
http://www.pucmm.edu.do
http://www.pucmmsti.edu.do (Santiago campus)

Iberoamerican University (UNIBE)
http://www.unibe.edu.do

Institute of Agriculture (ISA)
http://www.isa.edu.do

Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC)
http://www.intec.edu.do

Dominican Republic University Link
http://www.dominicanrepublic.com/education/education.php
For a more extensive list of Dominican institutions.

El Caribe
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/
An independent daily newspaper.

Hoy
http://Hoy.com.do/

Listen Diario
http://www.listin.com.do/

U.S. Department of State - The Americas
http://usinfo.state.gov/wh/
U.S. news, reports, and policy relating to the Americas. Also includes links to numerous Online journals.

Latin American Network Information Center
http://lanic.utexas.edu/
Comprehensive information about every aspect of Latin American life and culture, including specific information about the Dominican Republic.