The country is a tropical, maritime nation. Wet season is from May to November, and periodic hurricanes between June and November. Most rain falls in the northern and eastern regions. The average rainfall is 1346 mm, with extremes of 2500 mm in the northeast and 500 mm in the west. The main annual temperature ranges from 21 °C in the mountainous regions to 25 °C on the plains and the coast. The average temperature in Santo Domingo in January is 25 °C and 30 °C in July. Nonetheless, the highest mountaintops are covered in pine forests and have temperatures that can go several degrees below freezing during winter nights.
The peso oro is the currency of the Dominican Republic. Its symbol is "$", with "RD$" used when distinction from other pesos (or dollars) is required; its ISO 4217 code is "DOP". Each peso is divided into 100 centavos, for which the ¢ symbol is used. It is the only currency which is legal tender for all monetary transactions, whether public or private, in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic is located on the Island of Hispaniola, which it shares with it's much smaller neighbor to the east - Haiti. The country has an area of 48,442 square kilometers, or about 18,000 square miles ~ which take up about 2/3 of the island.
The Dominican Republic offers some of the most beautiful and diverse topography in the Caribbean. To give you and idea of its size, The Dominican Republic is larger than the Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands all combined. The Dominican Republic offers an estimated 1,000 miles of gorgeous beaches to the beach lover. In addition, should you like the idea of year round tropical weather, but are not a beach fan, The Dominican Republic also offers a collection of four mountain ranges. Pico Duarte is found here and is the tallest mountain peak in the Caribbean at 10,700 feet above sea level. Snow or frosts have been reported at the highest elevations of Pico Duarte, so beach attire is out if you are heading up that way.
Santo Domingo is the capital city, situated on the southern portion of the island. Since the city is located directly on the coast, it is a major center of seaport activity. The population of the Dominican Republic has been estimated to be about 8 million, with slightly less than four million living in the capital city of Santo Domingo. Santiago is the second largest city, and is situated closer to the mountainous areas to the north. While Santo Domingo is the nation's capital, Santigo truly is the capital of the tobacco and cigar industry. Cigar manufacturers, such as Leon Jimenez and many others, all have their operations in or near Santiago.
Like any Caribbean island, expect warm year round weather and tropical breezes. The average temperature is 80 degress Fahrenheit or 25 degrees Celsius. It does cool down slightly during November to January. While the temperature and climate is constant, May to July and September to November does experience higher levels of rainfall than the other months. The mountainous regions located in the northern part of the country can be somewhat cooler, especially in the late evening.
The country is ideally located close to Puerto Rico and the United States. A plane flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico takes about 40 minutes and less than 3 hours from major American cities, such as New York. A direct flight from Miami is the quickest, with about an 1 1/2 hour flying time.
1 Jan New Year's Day.
6 Jan Epiphany.
21 Jan Our Lady of Altagracia.
26 Jan Duarte's Birthday.
27 Feb Independence Day.
10 Apr Good Friday.
1 May Labour Day.
11 Jun Corpus Christi.
16 Aug Restoration Day.
24 Sep Our Lady of las Mercedes.
9 Nov Constitution Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
The population of Dominican Republic in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 8,745,000, which placed it as number 85 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 5% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 35% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 103 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 1.49%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 10,121,000. The population density in 2002 was 180 per sq km (467 per sq mi). The southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley are the most densely populated areas of the country.
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 65% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Santo Domingo, had a population of 3,523,000 in that year. Other important cities are Santiago de los Caballeros, La Romana, San Pedro de Macorís, San Francisco de Macorís, and Concepción de la Vega. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 2.3%.
Capital: SANTO DOMINGO
Population: 8,840,000
Area: 48,511 km2
Time zone: - 5 hours - 6 hours when in Italy there DST
Official language: Spanish. English and other European languages are spoken in tourist areas.
Religion: 95% of the population is Catholic religion.
Currency: Dominican Peso (PDO).
Prefix from Italy: 001,809
Telephony: in the country operate only cellular band-trial
Italiano
English