Tourist information about the Dominican Republic, including all the things to know before leaving for a trip or vacation in this state of Central America.
Dominican Republic in a nutshell
- Capital: Santo Domingo
- Area in square kilometers: 48,683
- Population: 9,759,665 (2007)
- Religion: Catholic majority
Where is it
The Dominican Republic is an island state of Central America and occupies the central eastern part of the Hispaniola island of the Greater Antilles.
It borders Haiti to the west, to the north it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Caribbean Sea and to the east the Mona canal separates it from the island of Puerto Rico.
Some neighboring islands also belong to the Dominican Republic, including Saona and Beata.
The territory, mainly mountainous, is rich in fertile land and water courses.
The central Cordillera crosses the Dominican Republic from north-east to south-west and reaches the highest peak in the Antilles with the Pico Duarte (3175 m).
In the northern part the Cordillera Septentrional faces the central cordillera.
The fertile Cibao valley lies between the two mountain ranges.
South of the central Cordillera there are two other chains: the Sierra de Neiba and the Sierra de Bahoruco, separated by a depression partly occupied by the salt lake Enriquillo.
The eastern part of the country, crossed by the Eastern Cordillera (below 1000 m altitude), slopes down to the sea with large flat areas.
The high and jagged coasts are engraved by numerous inlets and bays.
Recommended readings- Haiti (Caribbean): what to see
- Virgin Islands (American): what to see
- Grenada (Caribbean): what to see on the spice island
- Cuba: useful information
- Caribbean: what they are, holidays
The capital of this state is Santo Domingo, a populous city overlooking the Caribbean Sea at the mouth of the Ozama river.
Hydrography
In the northern part of the Dominican Republic the main streams are Yaque del Norte, Yuna and Camù, while in the southern part the rivers Yaque del Sur, Ozama and Soco flow.
Climate
The climate of the Dominican Republic is tropical, the rainy season includes the months from June to November, in this period the humidity and temperature are higher, the showers frequent and there is the risk of hurricanes, in particular between August and October.
In winter the climate is pleasant, moderate heat, fairly dry, except for the north-eastern part, where the trade winds cause rainfall all year round.
Population
Before the Spanish colonization, the island was inhabited by the ancient Taino population.
Today the majority of the population is mulatto, born from the union of Europeans, especially Spaniards, and Africans, followed by the descendants of Africans and Spaniards, and small minorities of Chinese and Arabs.
Time zone
In the Dominican Republic it is necessary to move the clock hands 5 hours behind Italy, bearing in mind that when in Italy there is daylight saving time, they become 6 less.
Spoken language
The official language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish.
Economy
The agricultural sector, which employs a large part of the population, is oriented towards the export of products from large plantations.
The main crops are those relating to sugar cane, coffee, tobacco, cocoa, bananas, while rice, cassava, maize, sweet potato and beans are produced to meet internal needs.
Poultry, pigs and cattle breeding is also aimed at domestic consumption.
The secondary sector is mainly based on the transformation of agricultural products.
Machinery for industry, consumer goods, pharmaceutical products, oil and more are widely imported.
In the mining sector the main resource is nickel, which in the form of iron nickel contributes significantly to exports, in addition gold, silver and bauxite are extracted.
Tourism represents a sector of vital importance for the country's economy.
When to go
From a climatic point of view, the best time to visit the Dominican Republic is from December to February, it rains less and the temperatures are slightly lower.
The average annual temperature is 25 ° C, there are no large seasonal climatic variations, the temperature differences are related to altitude and maritime influence.
The months from June to November correspond to the least indicated period to visit this country, as hurricanes may occur.
Necessary documents
To visit the Dominican Republic you need a passport valid for at least three months from the moment you enter the country.
For Italian citizens for stays of less than 90 days, a visa is not required, but the "tourist card" is issued by the local authority, which completes it in duplicate, a part is stamped and retained on arrival and the another must be kept and exhibited at the time of exit, or it can be purchased at the Dominican Consulates at the time of purchase of the air ticket.
Phone
- The international prefix for calling from Italy to the Dominican Republic is: 001,809
- The international dialing code for making calls from the Dominican Republic to Italy is: 01139
Tri-band cellphones work in the Dominican Republic.
Electricity
The electric current is 110 V 60 Hz. Sockets type A C.
Therefore adapter and current transformer are required.
Money and credit cards
The official currency of the Dominican Republic is the Dominican peso.
Major credit cards, travelers checks and US dollars are accepted for payments.
The euro can be exchanged at banks, hotels and exchange offices.
How to get
plane
From Italy it is possible to reach the Dominican Republic using various airlines, including Iberia, which makes a stopover in Madrid, Air France via Paris, Livingston which manages direct flights from Rome Fiumicino to La Romana and from Milan to La Romana and Punta Cana .
Las Americas international airport is located near Boca Chica, 35 km from Santo Domingo.
Other airports in the area are Dr. Joaquin Balaguer Airport in Santo Domingo for domestic flights, Gregorio Luperon International Airport, near the resorts of Puerto Plata, Playa Dorada, Cabarete and Sosua, Punta Cana International Airport, the 'La Romana International Airport, El Catey International Airport, which serves the Samana peninsula with the beaches of Las Terrenas Las Galeras Playa Rincon, the Maria Montez International Airport of Barahona.
Vaccination
No vaccination is required to visit the Dominican Republic.
Vaccinations against hepatitis A and antitifica are recommended, as well as the stipulation of a health insurance that covers, in case of need, medical expenses and those to be incurred for any repatriation.
Also it is good to use some hygienic precautions, drink only bottled water without adding ice, eat single vegetables if cooked and personally peeled fruit.
Bring repellent products against mosquitoes and insects.
