The Dominican Republic is the second largest country in the Caribbean Sea. It covers about 2/3 of the island's territory, sharing it with the Haiti, which is located on the west side. Tropical cyclones wreak havoc on the country every two years on averagely. 73% of Dominicans are people of mixed racial origin, whites represent 16% of the population and blacks represents 11%. About 1/4 of the population of the Dominican Republic live in the country's capital, Santo Domingo. The second most populous city is Santiago de los Caballeros. Santo Domingo is the first in the New World since the discovery of America. It was founded by Christopher Columbus's brother Bartolomeo on August 4, 1496. It quickly became an important Spanish base for the conquest of the America and an administrative center because better facilities than a makeshift camp were needed to explore new lands. In 1990, the colonial district of Santo Domingo was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Dominican Republic is the only country in the world that has a picture of the Bible on its national flag. Over 80% of the country's population declare themselves Catholic. Religion is very important in the Dominican Republic, even the moto of this country is "God, fatherland, freedom". The Cathedral of Santa Maria La Menor in the Dominican Republic is considered to be the oldest cathedral in the Americas. Its origins date back to 1540. The cathedral can be visited in the capital of the country - Santo Domingo.
The Dominican Republic has two unique gemstones that cannot be found anywhere else in the world: Dominican Amber and Larimar. The first was created millions of years ago because of the warm climate and the extinct prehistoric legume. The second, Larimar, is a rare blue variety of silicate mineral pectolite, with a color varying from light blue, green blue to navy blue.
Dominican Oscar de la Renta is one of the most famous fashion designers of the 21st century. Born in Santo Domingo, he has created clothes for Oprah Winfrey, Sandra Bullock, Jacqueline Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, Emma Watson, Victoria Beckham, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz. Director Francis Ford Coppola filmed scenes from the second part of The Godfather in the Dominican capital.
The Dominican Republic is responsible for creating and developing the merengue style, which is fast, rhythmic dance music. Bachata, a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and in marginal rural districts of the Dominican Republic, has become quite popular in recent years.
Lake Enriquillo is a lake with an area of 375 square kilometers. A very diverse and interesting nature inhabits the lake and its surroundings, among them beautiful pink flamingos. It is also home to the largest population of American crocodiles living in the wild in their natural habitat in the Caribbean. There are over 400 species in its waters.
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