Location | Facts & Figures | History

History of Dominican Republic

The Dominican economy enjoys one of the fastest growth rates in the Americas and this looks set to continue with stable government, attractive investment incentives and a skilled workforce.

The Dominican people are descendants of the Spanish conquerors, other European nations that emigrated to the island, African slaves that were imported to work in the sugar industry and the indigenous Indian races. The mix of cultures is evidenced in Dominican music, food, art and language making it an interesting patchwork of peoples.

Like Rap in the United States, Bachata began as a music of the poor and dispossessed. Originating in the shantytowns of the Dominican Republic, it was given the name “bachata”, which means a rowdy lower-class fiesta (party). It wasn’t until Juan Luis Guerra won a Grammy in 1992 for his album Bachata Rosa did it gain legitimacy and international recognition.

Although bachata was originally aimed toward people of lower class, nowadays it is enjoyed by people from all backgrounds. It is a very popular type of Spanish dance music and can be heard in cities such as New York, New Jersey, Boston, Miami, or where ever there is a Dominican or Latino population.

1492 First inhabited by the Tainos and Arawak peoples, this beautiful paradise was claimed by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the New World in 1492. Columbus named the islands surrounding the Dom Rep the Indies, because he thought he had finally reached Asia (and the East Indies).
17 - 18 Century Spain and France fought for dominion of the island. Dominican Republic gained independence in 1821.
1861 Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865.
1865 - 1978 Ruled by a series of dictators until democracy was introduced in 1978.
1978 - 2006 Regular competitive elections have been held every four years. The current president is Dr. Leonel Fernandez, of the PLD Party (Partido de la Liberacion Dominicana). He was elected on May 16, 2004 for a period of 4 years.