Dominican Republic - Leisure and Happiness

The Dominican Republic is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Caribbean. It has lots of glorious beaches and resorts. The most notable aspect of the Dominican Republic is the white sand and crystal clear waters. The capital city of Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, is considered as one of the oldest cities in the New World.

Located on the eastern part of an island in the Caribbean called “Hispaniola”, Dominican Republic comprises two-thirds of the Caribbean island while the other one-third belongs to Haiti. The country has little seasonal temperature variation and is composed of rugged highlands and mountain ranges along with diverse topography, ranging from barren semi-arid plains to lush green valleys of tropical rain forests.

The country has numerous attractions which include sixteen national parks, nine natural monuments and six scientific reservations. The country has sixty-seven protected locations that consist of panoramic roads, recreational sites and ecological corridors. All of these protected locations are supervised and controlled by the National Parks Office of the Dominican Republic (Nacional de Parques).

The country has two pine forests located on the mountain range Cordillera Central. These are the Armando Bermudez and Jose del Carmen Ramirez pine forests. Dominican Republic also has lots of secluded beaches. Some of these secluded beaches have cave systems that have pre-Columbian arts painted on its walls. The country is also the habitat of various kinds of wild life. Some of these are the white-headed dove (paloma coronita), rhinoceros iguana (Columba leucocephala) and numerous species of turtles.

Located on the northwest of the Haitian border is the “Montecristi National Park”. The Montecristi National Park is coastal lagoon. This national park is full of marine and land ecosystems and numerous species of fauna. The country has numerous panoramic roads, botanical and zoological areas, recreational sites and lots of historical interests that have been selected as national parks.

The popular dance style “merengue” is said to have been originated in the Dominican Republic. The local population of the country is considered to be a music loving population. You can be assured to see the locals vibrate to the tempo of its native music.

The most well-liked sport in the country is baseball. As a matter of fact, some of the famous “Major League Baseball” players came from the Dominican Republic. Today, baseball considered as the national passion and sport of the country. The other favorite recreational sport of the local population is domino.

Lots of people visit or migrate to the Dominican Republic for business or recreation reasons. Some visitors even decide to permanently reside on the country of Dominican Republic because of its splendid, breath taking and magnificent beauty. The country is known for its rich history, diverse culture and beauty of Mother Nature.

Do you know how the Dominican Republic got its name? It was said that this Latin American Country got its name from the fact that it was discovered on a Sunday. Dominican Republic is said to have come from the Latin word “dominus” which means “lord”. Furthermore, the word “Dominic” which is usually the name given to a child born on a Sunday means “of the Lord”.

As with any region in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic has lots of attractions that catch the attention of lots of tourist all over the world. One of the most well known Dominican Republic attractions is their beaches.

The country has lots of world class resorts that allow the visitors to explore the beautiful Dominican Republic attractions made by Mother Nature. The beaches of Dominican Republic are places wherein the beauties of nature remain unblemished and the simple pleasures of easy living can easily be experienced.

The coast line of these 1,228 kilometer Dominican Republic attractions is considered not just one of the most beautiful beaches of the Caribbean, but also in the whole world. The beaches come in wide array of styles by which its visitors can take pleasure with the various water sports and activities (activities such as windsurfing, snorkeling, parasailing, deep sea fishing, sailing, and scuba diving) that these Dominican Republic attractions offer.

The country’s sixteen national parks are considered most visited Dominican Republic attractions. Dominican Republic has a total number of sixty-seven protected areas which include the panoramic roads, recreational sections and ecological passages. The “Direccion Nacional de Parques” manages and controls all these Dominican Republic attractions.

The Parque Nacional del Este is one of the most well known Dominican Republic attractions located on the San Rafael del Yuma south peninsula. This Dominican Republic attraction has lots of isolated beaches, examples of pre-Columbian paintings in the array of caves. The Parque Nacional del Este is also the home of the “paloma coronita” or the white headed dove and the rhinoceros iguana and an assortment of turtles.

The Jardin Botanico Nacional and the Museo de Historia Natural are some of the Dominican Republic attractions in Santo Domingo that has a complete classification of the country’s flora. One can find sixty-seven types and three hundred species of orchids on these Dominican Republic attractions.

One of the most prominent Dominican Republic attractions is their bird watching activity. Dominican Republic has lots of bird species. The mostly watched of these are the hummingbirds, guaraguao (a bird similar to a hawk), the barrancoli and the flautero. The national bird of the Dominican Republic is a green, talkative and popular parrot called the “cotica parrot”. Aside from the cotica parrots, Dominican Republic also has lots of other types of parrots and also crocodiles, iguanas and other species of reptiles.