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Santo Domingo
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History
Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Taíno Indians populated the island they called Quisqueya (mother of all lands) and Ayiti (land of high mountains) or what is known today as Hispaniola, including the part now occupied by the Republic of Haiti. At the time, the island was governed by a system of Cacicazgos (chieftains) consisting of five divisions: Marién, Maguá, Maguana, Jaragua and Higüey. These cacicazgos were ruled respectively by caciques (chiefs) Guacanagarix, Guarionex, Caonabo, Bohechío, and Cayacoa.
Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher Columbus, founded the settlement and named it after Saint Dominic, which is today the oldest European city in the New World.
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History
Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Taíno Indians populated the island they called Quisqueya (mother of all lands) and Ayiti (land of high mountains) or what is known today as Hispaniola, including the part now occupied by the Republic of Haiti. At the time, the island was governed by a system of Cacicazgos (chieftains) consisting of five divisions: Marién, Maguá, Maguana, Jaragua and Higüey. These cacicazgos were ruled respectively by caciques (chiefs) Guacanagarix, Guarionex, Caonabo, Bohechío, and Cayacoa.
Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher Columbus, founded the settlement and named it after Saint Dominic, which is today the oldest European city in the New World. In reality, the city dates back to 1496, the period when the first Europeans settled there, although it was officially founded on August 5, 1498. Governor general Nicolás de Ovando arrived in 1502 with a fleet of 30 ships and 2,500 men. Santo Domingo was destroyed by a hurricane shortly after his arrival and he had it rebuilt on a different site nearby (Meining 1986:9). The original layout of the city and a large portion of its defensive wall can still be appreciated today throughout the Colonial Zone, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990. The Colonial Zone, bordered by the Río Ozama also has an impressive collection of 16th century buildings, including palatial houses and majestic churches that reflect the architectural style of the late medieval period.
The city's most important colonial buildings include the Catedral Santa María La Menor, which is the first Catholic cathedral in America; the Alcázar de Colón, once the residence of Don Diego Colón, the son of Christopher Columbus who became viceroy of the colony; the Monasterio de San Francisco, the ruins of the first monastery in America; the Museo de las Casas Reales, the former Palace of the Governor General and the Palace of Royal Audiences; the Parque Colón, a historic square; the Fortaleza Ozama, the oldest fortress in America; the Pantéon Nacional, a former Jesuit edifice now hosting the remains of various renown members of the Dominican Order; and the Iglesia del Convento Dominico, the first convent in America.
Throughout its first century, Santo Domingo was the launching pad for much of the exploration and conquest of the New World. The expeditions that led to Ponce de Leon's discovery of Puerto Rico, Hernando Cortes' conquest of Mexico and Balboa's sighting of the Pacific Ocean all started from Santo Domingo.
In 1586, Francis Drake invaded and pillaged Hispaniola. This so weakened Spanish dominion over the island that for more than 50 years all but the capital was abandoned and left to the mercy of the pirates. In 1655, the French invaded the west end of the island, and after several treaties and forced annexations, the portion of the island controlled by Santo Domingo was reduced to less than half. Later on, in 1822, the Haitians, commanded by Jean-Pierre Boyer, liberated the entire island from slavery,Dominicans gained their independence from Haitian rule on February 27, 1844 led by their national hero Juan Pablo Duarte.After various political factions struggled for control of Santo Domingo. In addition to this instability, the country had to fight continuous liberation movements, which were in their totality defeated. In 1861, the Spanish returned to Santo Domingo and annexed the country for four years; this period is known as the Anexión a España. After that, Santo Domingo went through many power changes, including the 20th century Trujillo dictatorship (established after the 1916–1924 occupation by U.S. Marines), which lasted from 1930 to 1961 and ended with the execution of the dictator (during this time Santo Domingo was known officially as Ciudad Trujillo); as well as the multiple presidencies of Joaquin Balaguer, who governed the country for 22 years. These civil wars and political struggles marked the first 70 years of the country's independence.
The year 1992 marked the 500th anniversary, El Quinto Centenario, of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America. The Columbus Lighthouse, with an approximate cost of 400 million Dominican pesos, was erected, amidst great controversy, in honor of this occasion.
There are some museums dedicated to the history of the Dominican Republic, the Museo de las Casas Reales is dedicated to the colonial period; while the soon-to-be renovated Museo de Historia y Geografía is dedicated to the Dominican history prior the Discovery up to contemporary times. The history of the Independence is summarized in the Museo y Casa de Duarte and the Altar de la Patria.
The cobblestone streets and late medieval architecture of the Western Hemisphere's first city let visitors glimpse the colonial past as vibrant nightlife, warm beaches and up-market resorts take historic Santo Domingo into its future.
Geography
Santo Domingo is separated from east to west by the Ozama River The river flows 148 kilometers before emptying into the Caribbean Sea. This position was of great importance to the city's economic development and the growth of trade during colonial times. The Ozama River is where the country's busiest port is located.
Metropolitan Santo Domingo is divided into four municipal Sections mostly for administrative reasons. These sections are Santo Domingo Norte, Santo Domingo Este, Santo Domingo Oeste, which all together make part of the Santo Domingo province and Santo Domingo de Guzman which is within the D.N boundaries, all of which have different administrative orders. Santo Domingo to the north has the section of Villa Mella (Municipal District) which makes part of Santo Domingo Norte (Municipal Section). To the east it has San Isidro (Municipal District) and to the west it borders Province of San Cristobal and Bajos de Haina. The Ozama River and Isabella end at the Center of Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo is relatively low in altitude with several high hills.
ClimateThe average temperature varies little in the city, because the tropical tradewinds help mitigate the heat and humidity throughout the year. December and January are the coolest months and July and August are the warmest. Santo Domingo and the rest of the country are in the Caribbean and have a tropical climate, which makes them very vulnerable to hurricanes.
DevelopmentSanto Domingo contains a wide variety of incomes, ranging from the extremely poor to the highly rich. Areas of high income families are found in the central Poligon of the city, which is bordered by the Autopista Kennedy to the North, Avenida 27 de Febrero to the South, Avenida Winston Churchill to the west and Maximo Gomez to the east and is characterized by its mostly residential area and its distinguished nightlife.
Santo Domingo has areas of high development like Naco, Arroyo Hondo, Piantini, Paraiso, Bella Vista, Sarasota and other neighborhoods, which mostly consist of costly buildings and luxury houses, contrasting with the outskirts of the city like Villa Mella, Los Alcarrizos and Herrera which are less economically developed.
Bella Vista and La Esperilla are currently the neighborhoods with the highest income growth and with tall mega-construction projects sparking the city skyline. Gazcue is one of the more historic places in the city, dating back to its early construction in the 1930s until the 60's.
Commercial centers in the city are mostly found in Avenida Winston Churchill, where large plazas like Acropolis Center and large supermarkets are found. This area is home to most of the banks in the city like Scotiabank, Citibank, Banco BHD, Banco del Progreso, Banreservas, to name a few. 27 de Febrero Avenue is very commercially successful and is considered the most important crosstown avenue in the city. The oldest mall plazas in the country are Plaza Central and Plaza Naco, which served as the first commercial center in the city until the recent construction of others, which quickly became new alternatives. Bella Vista Mall and the Acropolis Center are two of the newest malls built in the city, attracting much of the high income families.
Most of the city's poor live in the barrios outside the center. Some live in extreme conditions of poverty and in slums, intensifying the city's economic contrast. Santo Domingo Norte is statistically the poorest subdivision of the metropolitan area.
Government and PoliticsSanto Domingo is the center of the national government of the Dominican Republic. The National Palace, which is the President's office, as well as the National Congress, are located in the metropolitan area.
The current mayor of the City of Santo Domingo is Roberto Esmérito Salcedo of the governing Dominican Liberation Party. The City is administered by the Ayuntamiento del Distrito Nacional (City Hall), which is responsible for municipal functions. The "Policia Nacional" (National Police) and "Policia Turística" (Tourist Police) (POLITUR) are assigned for enforcing city safety.
Landmarks
Famous landmarks in Santo Domingo include the Calle El Conde, the Puerta de la Misericordia, the Catedral Santa María La Menor, and the Alcázar de Colón, all of which are located within the Zona Colonial district of the city. This part was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.
Outside of the colonial quarters, the area surrounding the Malecón (seawall) is a vibrant commercial and tourist center, having as a centerpiece the large obelisk located at the eastern end of the George Washington avenue.
Other places of interest are Plaza de la Cultura, which houses the city's most important cultural venues such as the Teatro Nacional and the Museo de Arte Moderno; the Palacio de Bellas Artes , a neoclassical theatre that is the permanent home of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (National Symphony Orchestra); the Parque Mirador Sur, a six square kilometers park in the southwestern part of the city; the Faro de Colón, a cross-shaped lighthouse built in honor of Christopher Columbus; and the Boulevard 27 de Febrero, a pedestrian promenade located on the busy Avenida 27 de Febrero which displays many works of art from prominent Dominican artists and sculptors.
Another attraction is the Centro Olímpico Juan Pablo Duarte a sports complex in the center of Santo Domingo. This complex was used during the 2003 Pan-American Games, but has been severely abandoned since.
Colonial District of Santo DomingoOldest Continuously Populated City in The New World. It can be traced back to as early as 1500's after Columbus arrival. Colonial City is a UNESCO Historic Site. Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492
MuseumsThe City of Santo Domingo has numerous museums, most of them are within the Zona Colonial District.
- Museum of Alcázar
- Naval Museum of the Atarazanas
- Museum of the Casas Reales
- Museum of Duarte
- Museum of Natural History
- Museum of Dominican Man
- World of Ambar Museum
- Museum of Modern Art
- National Museum of History and Geography
Parks and Recreational AreasSanto Domingo has various parks, three of which are called Miradores and are located in the North, South and east sections of the city. Even though these parks are relatively big, Santo Domingo still lacks enough recreational areas.
- Mirador Norte Park, lies in the North of the city close to Villa Mella
- Enriquillo Park
- Mirador Sur Park, located in the Southwest section of the city
- Mirador Este Park, located across the Ozama River near Faro Colón
- Independencia Park, located in Zona Colonial
- Colón Park, located in Zona Colonial
- Las Praderas Metropolitan Park
- The Malecon, cityfront coastal park
- Dr. Rafael M. Moscoso National Botanical Garden
- National Zoo
- Barrio Chino ( Chinatown )
TransportationInformalSanto Domingo is provided with a large amount of informal transportation due to the lack of government funded transportation. These kinds of informal transportation is either by conchos(Cheap motorcycle taxi), Guaguas/voladoras(Cheap old buses), and carro publicos(share taxi).
HighwaysThe City of Santo Domingo is the Terminus for three of the five national highway connecting the city to the rest of the country. The city is provided access to the Southwest by national highway DR-2,Northwest by DR-1 including the second most important city of the country, Santiago, connected to the east by the most modern highway of the country DR-3 and recently will be connected to the northeast by a junction of the newly constructed Samana Highway with DR-3
RailThe Santo Domingo Metro is a 15km underground and elevated system consisting of three proposed lines. The first line is currently under construction and crosses the Santo Domingo province from north to south. This line will begin elevated at Villa Mella, located north of the Isabela River and north of the city center and will terminate at Centro de los Héroes in the southern coast of Santo Domingo, near the seawall district. Some of the stops on the first line will be the Teatro Nacional (National Theatre), the main campus of the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) and Avenida Lincoln.
The second line is proposed to run in an east-west direction beneath Avenida 27 de Febrero, crossing the first line. The third line will also run in an east-west direction, but it will run beneath Avenida John F. Kennedy.
The first line is expected to be completed for February 27, 2008, but not available to the public until May 2008. Presently around 85% of the physical construction is done and the viaduct is almost completely finished.
The Charles de Gaulle station will be named after Dominican martyr Florinda Soriano Muñoz (Mamá Tingó).
Airports- Las Américas International Airport
Santo Domingo is served by two international airports, the main one being Las Américas International Airport JFPG. The airport has two terminals, the newer one just completed in 2006 added four more gates on the northern end of the facility. The airport is currently the busiest in the country, handling over 2.5 million passengers per year.
- La Isabela International Airport
The Aeropuerto Internacional La Isabela is a secondary, newly constructed airport located in the northern section of the city, within kilometres of the city center. It is not currently used as a major international airport, servicing mostly domestic and charter flights. It was built to replace the obsolete Herrera Airport, which was considered by many too dangerous due to the proximity to commercial and residential areas. La Isabela Airport is also conveniently located just on the outskirts of the city and most of the internal flights of the country can be carried out here, flights to the north of the island such as Samana can be booked here with airlines serving like caribair and aerodomca. Many pilots also cited the length of the runway as inadequate for most private jets .
Ports- Port of Santo Domingo: Sans Souci
is located in the Ozama River. Its location at the center of the Caribbean is well suited for flexible itinerary planning and has excellent support, road and airport infrastructure within the Santo Domingo region, which facilitate access and transfers. The port is suitable for both turnaround and transit calls.
The port’s renovation is part of a major redevelopment project, aimed at integrating the port area and the Zona Colonial and foster a cruise, yacht and high-end tourism destination. Supported by legislation approved in 2005, the project, developed by the Sans Souci Group also includes the development of a new sports marina and a 122-acre mixed-leisure real estate development adjacent to the port.
CommunicationTelevision Signals In Santo DomingoThey are 15 TV stations (both UHF and VHF) in Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo has the greatest number of TV signals in the country, followed by Santiago De los Caballeros.
Additional cable TV channels are provided by companies like Aster, Cable TV Dominicana and Telecable.
VHF
- Teleantillas (2)
- CERTV (4)
- Telemicro (5)
- Antena Latina (7)
- Color Visión (9)
- Telesistema (11)
- Telecentro (13)
UHF
- Digital 15 (15)
- Telefuturo (23)
- RNN (27)
- Supercanal (33)
- CDN (37)
- Coral 39 (39)
- Teleradio América (canal 45)
- Santo Domingo TV (canal 69)
Radio Stations In Santo DomingoIn Santo Domingo there are 100 different stations in AM frequency and 44 in FM frequency.
Telephone ProviderCODETEL (Compañía Dominicana de Teléfonos) was originally the provider of telephone service in the Dominican Republic since the 1940s. The company was later bought by GTE (Later Verizon). By 2004 the company was named Verizon Dominicana; and was later sold to América Móvil; it was named CODETEL again, because of marketing strategy. The company uses the name Claro for its cellular phones division. The second landline competitor is Tricom, which is a minor competitor, Codetel being the dominant service provider in the country. Other mobile providers include Tricom, Cenntenial and Orange, the last and Claro having the majority of the mobile phone service provider market.
The National Area Codes are 809 and 829. In 2005 a new area code (829) was made as an overlay of 809 due to the increase of fax, internet, mobile, and ground lines created in the last decade. The Dominican Republic uses +1-809-XXX-XXXX and +1-829-XXX-XXXX as the official format for telephone numbers.
Internet Information.do is the internet code for The Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic has an estimated 1,000,000 internet users.
EducationThere are eighteen universities in Santo Domingo, the highest number of any city in the Dominican Republic. Established in 1538, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) is the oldest university in the New World and is also the only public university in the city. Santo Domingo holds the nation's highest percentage of residents with a higher education degree. .
Photo GallerySister citiesSanto Domingo has three sister cities designated by Sister Cities International :
Santo Domingo also has twinning agreements with the following sister cities:
Ciudad de Habana, Cuba
Madrid,Spain
La Guardia, Pontevedra, Pontevedra, Spain
La Muela, Zaragoza, Spain
Curitiba, Brazil
Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Taipei, Taiwan
Caracas, Venezuela
Sarasota, Florida, United States
Paris, France
Toronto, Ontario Canada
Haifa, Israel
Guadalajara, Mexico
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Moscow, Russia
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Bern, Switzerland
London, UK
Bogotá, Colombia
Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Spain
Quito, Ecuador |
Notable residents- Francisco Cordero, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds
- Juan Luis Guerra,singer, composer
- Francisco García, G/F for the Sacramento Kings
- Albert Pujols, infielder for the St. Louis Cardinals
- David Ortiz, designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox
- Manny Ramírez, outfielder for the Boston Red Sox
- Sammy Sosa, outfielder for the Texas Rangers
- Moisés Alou, outfielder for the New York Mets
- Pedro Martínez, Pitcher for the New York Mets
- Adrian Beltre, infielder for the Seattle Mariners
- D'Angelo Jimenez,second baseman for the Washington Nationals
See also
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