Dominican Republic culture

The Dominican lifestyle is more American than Latin, with short siestas and no long, late lunches. This non-Latin ambience is mirrored by the fact that, though the culture has many Roman Catholic and Spanish influences, people can still obtain a divorce in just 72 hours. The daytime dress code is generally casual but beachwear and shorts are only acceptable in resorts and at pools; in fact, it's considered offensive to enter a church wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Evenings tend to be smarter, with jackets recommended for men at better restaurants, hotels and for social functions.

The country is 95% Roman Catholic, with small Protestant and Jewish minorities.

The earliest inhabitants of the island of Hispaniola, on which the Dominican Republic is located, were the Taínos - a seafaring branch of the South American Arawaks.

Christopher Columbus explored and claimed Hispaniola for the Spanish crown during his first voyage to the hemisphere in 1492. On his return he founded the first European settlement in America at La Isabela, and Hispaniola become a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland.

In 1697, Spain recognised French rule over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became independent Haiti after a slave rebellion. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, tried to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years. It finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844.

The United States ruled Dominican territory with a military government from 1916 to 1924.

About 73% of the 9.2 million Dominicans are of mixed European, African and indigenous American ancestry. Around 16% come from Spanish descent and about 11% are Black. A smaller presence of East Asians (primarily ethnic Chinese), Japanese and Middle Easterners (primarily Lebanese) can also be found. The culturally indigenous population is almost extinct. Spanish is the official language, with some English and French spoken.

Economic problems have led to a vast migration of Dominicans to the United States, mainly to large east coast cities such as New York. Sizeable Dominican communities also exist in Spain.

In recent years, illegal immigration from Haiti has dramatically increased as the Dominican economy improves. Most Haitian immigrants have low-paying, unskilled jobs, including construction work and household cleaning. Current estimates put the Haitian population in the Dominican Republic as high as 1 million.