|
 The
Dominican
Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of
Hispaniola. The country is mountainous, but despite having
the highest mountain on the island and in the Caribbean,
Pico Duarte (3,175 meters), it is less mountainous than
Haiti. Within a system of widespread food production are
large sugar and fruit plantations. The Republic has built
up its tourist trade, and has much to offer in the way of
natural beauty, old colonial architecture, attractive
beaches, modern resorts and native friendliness. Its
population is mostly a mixture of black, white and mestizo,
and is Spanish-speaking.
The
Dominicans are a mixture of black, Amerindian or mestizo
and white, with a strong European strain. These English
terms should, however, be qualified: ‘blanco’ (white)
refers to anybody who is white, white/Indian mestizo, or
substantially white with either or both Indian or African
admixture; ‘indio claro’ (tan) is anyone who is
white/black mixed, or a mestizo; ‘indio oscuro’ (dark
Indian) is anyone who is not 100 percent black (ie with
some white or Indian admixture); ‘negro’ is 100
percent African. Negro is not a derogatory term. There is
a certain aspiration towards the Indian; this can be seen
not only in the use of the original name for the island,
Quisqueya (and Quisqueyanos), but in place names (San
Pedro de Macorís, from the Macorix tribe, the other
Indian inhabitants being the Taino and the Ciguayo) and in
given family names (Guainorex, Anacaona, etc). Unlike in
Haiti, the Dominicans’ culture and language are Hispanic
and their religion Roman Catholic. Economically, the
country is much more developed, despite a stormy political
past and unsavory periods of dictatorship, particularly
under Generalísimo Trujillo (1930-61). Nevertheless, in a
material sense the country prospered during the Trujillo
era and the standard of living is much higher than it is
in Haiti.
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