DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, FLAG OF THE

national flag that is quartered blue-red-blue-red with a central white cross; when the flag is used for official purposes, it incorporates the coat of arms. The width-to-length ratio of the flag is 5 to 8. Christopher Columbus visited the island of Hispaniola in 1492, claiming it for the Spanish monarchy. However, French colonists in the 17th century established a state known as Saint-Domingue (Saint-Dominique) in the western part of the island, which subsequently became Haiti. The Spanish-speaking area in the east was conquered by the newly independent Republic of Haiti in 1822. One of the national flags of Haiti had equal horizontal stripes of blue and red, and it was that flag that formed the basis for the revolutionary banner eventually raised in the Spanish-speaking areas. The Dominican revolutionary group known as La Trinitaria emphasized its Christian heritage by placing a white cross on the background of the blue-red flag. The revolution led by La Trinitaria broke out on February 27, 1844, and the flag, designed by Juan Pablo Duarte, was hoisted the next day. The success of the independence movement led to a constitution for the country, which established the official flag on November 6, 1844. The order of the colours at the fly end was reversed, so that henceforth the blue and red would alternate, with the white cross between them. The coat of arms incorporates on its central shield the national flag, a Bible, and a cross, together with branches of laurel and palm, the name of the country, and the motto Dios, patria, libertad (God, fatherland, liberty). With some artistic variations, the flag has continued in use to the present day. Whitney Smith History At the time of Columbus' first landing, the Caribs, a people who had apparently originated on the South American mainland and migrated to the Greater Antilles (and for whom the Caribbean Sea is named), were preying upon the Taino (Arawak), who had previously settled there. These Indians were less advanced socially and culturally than were the large-scale Indian civilizations in Mexico, Guatemala, or Peru. Hispaniola was visited by Columbus on his maiden voyage. A colony was established on the north coast, but the first settlers were slaughtered by the Indians. Returning, Columbus established a second colony; but reports of abundant gold farther south quickly led to the abandonment of the northern outpost and to the founding of Santo Domingo city on the Caribbean coast. Colonial era Hispaniola was the first area in the New World to receive the full imprint of Spanish colonial policy. The oldest cathedral, monastery, and hospital in the Americas were established on the island, and the first university was chartered there. The earliest experiments in Spanish imperial rule were conducted here. Class and caste lines were rigidly drawn; the Roman Catholic church served as the strong right arm of temporal authority. A cruel, exploitative, slave-based society and economy came into being. The first revolution in the New World was also recorded on Hispaniola. During the first half century of Spanish rule, Hispaniola flourished, for its rich mines and lush lands yielded abundant wealth, and it served as the administrative centre for Spain's burgeoning American empire. But the more lucrative conquests of Mexico and Peru soon turned it into a poor way station. Its Indians were decimated, gold and silver were more easily available elsewhere, and the more ambitious Spaniards emigrated. For the better part of the next three centuries, Hispaniola remained a neglected, poverty-ridden backwater of the Spanish empire in the Americas. Successive raids by British, Dutch, and French marauders and buccaneers devastated the island still further. Socially and economically, it retrogressed. Eventually, French claims to the western third of the island were recognized, and a prosperous sugar-producing colony based on black slavery grew up in Saint-Domingue, the area that was later to become the independent nation of Haiti. As a by-product of Haiti's prosperity, the Spanish colony also experienced a modest boom in the 18th century. In 1795, as a result of its defeat in the wars that had been raging in Europe, Spain ceded the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola to France. Meanwhile, inflamed by the revolutionary currents then sweeping France and stirred to revolt by the inhuman conditions under which the slaves were forced to labour, a slave uprising had begun in Haiti. Led by Toussaint-Louverture, the blacks not only succeeded in throwing off French rule but soon overran the previously Spanish eastern end of the island as well, instilling terror in the white ruling class. With the aid of the British fleet, the Haitians were driven back, and in 1809 the colony was reunited with Spain. In 1821, following the lead of the countries on the mainland, the Dominican Republic declared its independence. The new republic comprised approximately the eastern two-thirds of the island. The economy Agriculture continues to be the basis of the Dominican Republic's economy, although that sector has been giving way to manufacturing. During the Trujillo regime, from 1930 to 1961, the Trujillo family largely controlled both agriculture and industry and, thus, the economy. Since 1961 most Trujillo enterprises have remained under governmental control. However, private industry has outstripped these in contributing to the gross national product, and there has been considerable diversification in recent years. As in many other Latin-American countries, this has been made possible through foreign loans, which have placed the country in serious debt. Import duties and excise taxes constitute the largest part of public revenue. Other government income derives from income, sales, and road taxes, as well as vehicle licenses. Trade unionism has not been important historically in the Dominican Republic but has become increasingly significant with the growth of the manufacturing sector since the mid-20th century. During Trujillo's rule, there was one so-called confederation of workers, which, in fact, was no more than a company union. After 1961 the labour movement developed rapidly, with unions tending to organize on the basis of political affiliation. Many are affiliated with international labour organizations. There are also a number of employer associations, including the U.S. and Dominican chambers of commerce, as well as associations of cattle growers, sugar producers, and tomato growers. A number of factories and industries have associations for workers and management. Resources The most important resource of the Dominican Republic is the land, which is the foundation of the heavily agricultural economy. About one-third of the land is agricultural and under permanent cultivation. Pastures and meadows make up the largest land use category, more than 40 percent, and forests account for more than one-tenth of the land area. A number of minerals are known to be present butwith the exception of nickel, bauxite, gold, silver, gypsum, and iron orehave not yet been highly developed commercially. Salt, largely from salt deposits near Enriquillo Lake, is also produced in commercial quantities. A smaller salt-producing enterprise, based on the evaporation of sea water, has also been of some importance at Monte Cristi. Other minerals of potential importance include sulfur, coal, titanium, molybdenum, cobalt, tin, oil, and zinc. The Dominican Republic is one of the relatively few sources of quality amber in the Western Hemisphere. Although it has not yet been extensively exploited, craftsmen produce distinctive jewelry for the local and tourist trade. Unexploited biological resources are few, but proper management of agricultural lands, forests, and grazing areas has been encouraged to improve productivity. The land Relief Topography is complicated and varied and includes five distinct highland or upland areas running along a northwest-to-southeast axis. The Duarte Peak in the major Cordillera Central (Central Highlands) is the highest mountain in the West Indies, rising to a height of 10,417 feet (3,175 metres). There are also a smaller range, the Cordillera Septentrional, which runs parallel to the northwest coast, and two lesser ranges in the southwest. Another minor upland area, the Cordillera Oriental (Eastern Highlands), lies in the northeastern portion of the country. The extreme northwest and the extreme southwest are dry, low, and desertlike. The southeastern region consists of rolling lowlands. Drainage The Yaque del Sur River empties into the Bay of Neiba, draining the Cordillera Central to the south, while the Yaque del Norte River drains the northern slopes, flowing into the Bay of Monte Cristi. The eastern part of the island is drained by the Yuna River, which flows into Saman Bay, and by the Ozama River, the mouth of which is near Santo Domingo, on the south coast. The salt lake of Enriquillo, about 23 miles long and 11 miles wide at its widest point, located near the Haitian border, is the country's largest natural lake. The people The racial composition of the republic is predominantly mulatto (i.e., of mixed European and African ancestry), the Amerindian element having been largely decimated by disease, warfare, and the effects of forced labour shortly after the arrival of the first Europeans. The colonizing whites, mostly Spaniards, were joined in the 19th and 20th centuries by immigrants from East Asia and from such European countries as France, England, and Germany, as well as by small numbers of Sephardic Jews and Middle Easterners. The Mediterranean immigrants at first competed with Chinese peddlers and shopkeepers in the rural areas, but most have moved to the cities, where they occupy positions in commerce and industry. The Chinese particularly established themselves in the hotel and restaurant industry. A small group of Japanese developed truck farming in the Constanza Valley even before World War II, but their descendants are now to be found throughout the republic. Intermarriage among all of these groups has blurred, but not erased, their ethnic origins. The exact African heritage of the large black population is unknown. Many of them arrived with or soon after the conquistadors, serving as slaves in the mines and the early sugar enterprises. Others drifted over from the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) both before and after that area achieved its independence. Indeed, the entire country was briefly under Haitian rule early in the 19th century. There has long been a problem with Haitian squatters who cross over without immigration papers along the entire mountainous frontier between the two countries; other Haitians imported as cane cutters in the south have found ways to remain after their contracts expire. Thus, the African-American cultural influence is strong, especially among the lower socioeconomic classes, which tend to be darker-skinned than their more affluent compatriots. The Spanish language has always been predominant, although English is becoming more common due to the massive emigration to the United States, which has been accompanied by continual visiting back and forth, plus some repatriation. Among Haitian immigrants, a French creole is spoken. Most of the population is Roman Catholic. That religion exerts a marked influence on cultural life at national, local, and family levels. The religious beliefs and practices of the rural populace are rooted in the cultures of both the early Spanish and African communities. A small percentage of the population is Protestant, although it has been growing in recent years; there are a few practitioners of Judaism and other religions. The rate of population increase is greater than that of most of the West Indian islands. Birth rates in both the Dominican Republic and bordering Haiti are substantially higher than those of nearly all of the neighbouring islands; but the death rate for the Dominican Republic, although higher than those of most Caribbean islands, is considerably less than that of Haiti.