About the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic occupies roughly two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. The land surface area is 48,442 km2, making it the same size as Holland, Luxembourg and Northern Ireland all together. It is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and the Caribbean Sea in the south. The official language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish; although English, French, and Italian are widely spoken. Presidential system with a Parliament made up of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. The President is elected for a period of 4 years. The current President is Dr. Leonel Fernandez, elected in 2004 for a 4-year term. The Dominican Republic has enjoyed continued democracy since 1961 with free elections held every four years and is recognised by several international organisations to be the most politically stable country in the Central American, Caribbean and Latin American region. This political stability is a guarantee to foreign investment.
The Dominican Republic has a sub-tropical climate. However, there are also "micro climates" making it a very diverse country with mountains, lakes, waterfalls, rivers. The average temperature the whole year round is between 18°C and 27°C. It can be said that the Dominican Republic knows only one season: summer. The hottest month is August and the coolest is January. There are "tropical showers" all year round which keep the country green, with lush tropical foliage. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) for 2006 was +11.3%.
The Dominican government officially welcomes foreign investment in nearly all sectors of the economy. There are no restrictions on foreigners purchasing property, it's a literal tax heaven for property investment in Caribbean. Christopher Columbus discovered the Dominican Republic in 1492, when the island was inhabited by the Taino Indians, who called it "Quisqueya" which means: "Mother of all lands". It was under Spanish colonial rule until it became independent in 1844. Ruled by a series of dictators, the island became the Dominican Republic in 1961. There are numerous airlines with direct regular flights to the Dominican Republic. Flying time from Europe is 8 hours; from New York, 3 hours; from Miami, 2 hours. Direct charter flights go from the U.K. There are 9 international airports on the island.