Rafael Trujillo, the often blood-thirsty dictator of the Dominican Republic for 31 years, perhaps deserved his fate in an even-handed appraisal of history.

The recent history of the Dominican Republic is an almost classical study of the way in which even a professedly benevolent dictatorship tends to become oppressive.

The Dominican Republic could turn toward Communist-type authoritarianism as easily as toward Western freedom.

For that reason any democratic reform and effort to bring genuine representative government to the Dominican Republic will need the greatest sympathy and help.

If the Dominican Republic achieves free, democratic government, it will be due in large part to the U.S. show of force that enabled President Balaguer to prevent a threatened restoration of Trujillo dictatorship.

In some countries the trend has gone further than others: Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela are displaying open sympathy for Castroism, and there is no country -- save the Dominican Republic whose funeral services we recently arranged -- where Castroism and Anti-Americanism does not prevent the government from unqualifiedly espousing the American cause.

The southern arrows bend northward just east of the Dominican Republic before straightening out again.

Countries where ASL or a derivative of ASL is the national or a widespread language include Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana ( with BSL ), Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d ' Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya ( minority use ), Liberia, Madagascar ( minority use ), Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines ( L2 use ), Puerto Rico, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Trinidad and Tobago, Togo, and Zimbabwe ( with ZSL ).

Worry beads ( masbaha ) made of Dominican Republic blue amber.

Amber jewellery from Dominican Republic

* Adrián Beltré, Dominican Republic baseball player

* Restoration Day ( Dominican Republic )

* 1965 – United States occupation of the Dominican Republic: American troops land in the Dominican Republic to " forestall establishment of a Communist dictatorship " and to evacuate U. S. Army troops.

* 1946 – An earthquake of magnitude 8. 0 hits northern Dominican Republic.

* Alexandra Caso ( born 1987 ), Dominican Republic volleyball player

* 1965 – Civil war breaks out in the Dominican Republic when Colonel Francisco Caamaño, overthrows the triumvirate that had been in power since the coup d ' état against Juan Bosch.

ARIN formerly covered Argentina, Aruba, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Dutch West Indies, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands ( UK ), French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela until LACNIC was formed.

About 5 % of the population is of Hispanic origin, regardless of race, primarily from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

With a $ 1. 92-billion-a-year tourism industry, Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region, with 1. 9 million foreign visitors in 2007, thus reaching a rate of foreign tourists per capita of 0. 46, one of the highest in the Caribbean Basin, and above other popular destinations such as Mexico ( 0. 21 ), Dominican Republic ( 0. 38 ), and Brazil ( 0. 03 ).

Costa Rica joined other Central American countries, plus the Dominican Republic, in establishing a Trade and Investment Council with the United States in March 1998.

It was a sort of poetic justice that at the time of his own demise a new plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government, reportedly involving the use of Dominican arms by former Venezuelan Dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez, has been uncovered and quashed.

The Dominican people have known no democratic institutions and precious little freedom for a generation, and all alternative leadership has been suppressed.

The Dominican Republic's small Catalina Island has been studied since 13 December 2007, by a team of underwater archaeologists from Indiana University, after an Italian tourist announced the discovery of an old wreck at just under the clear blue waters, at a distance of no more than offshore.

It was reported on 13 December 2007, that " wreckage of a pirate ship abandoned by Captain Kidd in the 17th century has been found by divers in shallow waters off the Dominican Republic.

These African importees have had the most dominant racial influence, and their rich and ancient culture has had an influence second only to that of Europe on the political and cultural character of the modern Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic has the second largest economy

The use of a foreign company for the extraction of gold at the largest mine in the Western Hemisphere has startled and concerned many Dominican's who believe that this gold is Dominican gold and should be extracted by Dominican companies and not foreign.

The Dominican Republic has extensive mobile phone and land-line services.

The Dominican Republic has Cable Internet, ADSL, WIMAX, EDGE, EV-DO and UMTS / HSDPA in most parts of the country.

The Dominican Republic has a close relationship with the United States and with the other states of the Inter-American system.

The Dominican Republic has very strong ties and relations with Puerto Rico.

The U. S. has a strong interest in a democratic, stable, and economically healthy Dominican Republic.

U. S. relations with the Dominican Republic are excellent, and the U. S. has been an outspoken supporter of that country's democratic and economic development.

The Dominican Government has been supportive of many U. S. initiatives in the United Nations and related agencies.

The Dominican Republic has worked closely with U. S. law enforcement officials on issues such as the extradition of fugitives and measures to hinder illegal migration.

( See German mysticism, which has also been called " Dominican mysticism.

El Salvador has already signed free trade agreements with Mexico, Chile, the Dominican Republic, and Panama, and increased its exports to those countries.

It became one of the poorest countries in the Americas, while the Dominican Republic gradually has developed into the largest economy of Central America and the Caribbean.

Haiti has ( almost 36 % of the area ); the Dominican Republic ( over 64 % of the area ).

The island has five major mountain ranges: The Central Range, known in the Dominican Republic as the Cordillera Central, spans the central part of the island, extending from the south coast of the Dominican Republic into northwestern Haiti, where it is known as the Massif du Nord.

Haiti has 9 million inhabitants, the Dominican Republic,.