Dominican Republic
Population:The Population of Dominican Republic in 2015 was 10,478,756. The Dominican Republic is the 87th most populated country,In 2000 the population was about 8,600,000 million. The population has increased by 122% in 15 years.
3 Most Practiced Languages:The most spoken language in the Dominican republic is Spanish. In the Dominican Republic the early colonists were the Spanish. They nearly exterminated the Tiano Indians who lived there before the colonists. During this period the colonists brought Africans to the island as slaves. English and French are taught as secondary languages in schools.
Major Religions:The majority of the citizens of the Dominican Republic are Roman Catholic, about ninety-five percent. The remaining five percent are a large variety of religions, such as Mormon, Baptist, Buddhist, Islam, and Hindu. The “official” religion is Roman Catholic, but the Constitution states that there is freedom to practice any other religion.
Fun facts: The Dominican Republic flag is the only flag in the world that depicts a bible. |
General Geography & Environment:The Dominican Republic takes up most of the island of Hispaniola. Haiti takes over the rest of the island. The island is 575 miles southeast from Florida. Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic. The island lies on top of two underwater mountain ranges.
Most of the island is mountainous. The rest of the country is lowlands. The mountains are in the central and western part of the country. The lowlands are in the southwest. The most notable mountain range in the Dominican Republic is the Cordillera. It is the highest and largest range in the Caribbean. The tallest mountains can reach up to and above 5,000 feet above sea level. In the west the conditions are almost tropical. In the southeast lowlands, the environment is very dry. In the southwest there is Lake Enriquillo. Lake Enriquillo is the largest lake in the Dominican Republic. It is also the lowest point in the Caribbean. To find out more about the geography and environment of the Dominican Republic click here and here Major Ethnicities:Most of the population is made up of 75 percent mixed African and European descent, ten percent unmixed African descent, and 15 percent unmixed European descent.
Popular Music:Here is some Popular Music you can listen to. It is traditional West African music
, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd35Ot8lM1k Other types of Dominican Republican music are Merengue, Congo Music, Salves, Palo, and Bachata. Merengue is played on a metal scraper and a double headed tamboro. The dance steps are very complicated. Congo music has African roots and is associated Christianity. It is in a call and response format. Salves are ceremonial songs. Like Congo music, Salves is in a call and response format. Palo means trees and is played with drums made out of hollowed out logs. Some popular music is Dominican Rock, Classic, Hip Hop, and Jazz. Their popular music types are very similar to music her in America. To learn some more about Dominican music go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_the_Dominican_Republic |
Dominican Republic & Water
Access to clean water is a privilege that we don’t think about when we turn on the tap, or go swimming in our pool. People in developing countries often don’t have a way to get clean water, and this can cause water-born diseases, which sometimes lead to death. About every 20 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease.
Many people are not able to clean themselves, sometimes for a couple days. Many of the girls going through puberty also have to miss several days of school as well every month, because they don’t have access to the right products.
Some areas of the Dominican Republic also don’t have proper sewer systems, and the drainage goes onto the streets instead of underground. This is not only bad for the air, but so many diseases can be obtained from this. Mosquitoes may land in the dirty water, and then infect humans. Some people may also drink the water, which can lead to serious illness and probably death.
The Problem
In the Dominican Republic the amount of access and sanitation they have to water has gone up by a lot in the past twenty years. Even though the amount of water has gone up, the water is still not very clean and full of parasites and bacteria. The chance of getting a waterborne disease in the Dominican Republic is very high. The most common diseases are typhoid fever and hepatitis A.
The Dominican Republic needs water not just because of health issues. Children miss school because they spend too much time going and collecting water and they are also sick from water borne diseases.
Some Solutions
Experts decide whether a well, rain catchment tank, or weir (small damn) will work for the specific conditions, environment, and geography of the area in which they want to harvest cleaner water. These solutions can cost a lot of money.
To learn more about dealing with water shortage in the Dominican Republic click here, here ( go to people and society and under that drinking water source), and here ( go to Why Water?).
How does insufficient access to clean water contribute to other societal problems? There are many problems about not having clean water. One of the biggest ones is the fact that the water carries dangerous germs and diseases that spread to children. So many children are killed because of this and most of us aren’t even aware of it. Also, a lot of children have to take two trips a day just to get water (that isn’t clean) for their families.
Many people are not able to clean themselves, sometimes for a couple days. Many of the girls going through puberty also have to miss several days of school as well every month, because they don’t have access to the right products.
Some areas of the Dominican Republic also don’t have proper sewer systems, and the drainage goes onto the streets instead of underground. This is not only bad for the air, but so many diseases can be obtained from this. Mosquitoes may land in the dirty water, and then infect humans. Some people may also drink the water, which can lead to serious illness and probably death.
The Problem
In the Dominican Republic the amount of access and sanitation they have to water has gone up by a lot in the past twenty years. Even though the amount of water has gone up, the water is still not very clean and full of parasites and bacteria. The chance of getting a waterborne disease in the Dominican Republic is very high. The most common diseases are typhoid fever and hepatitis A.
The Dominican Republic needs water not just because of health issues. Children miss school because they spend too much time going and collecting water and they are also sick from water borne diseases.
Some Solutions
Experts decide whether a well, rain catchment tank, or weir (small damn) will work for the specific conditions, environment, and geography of the area in which they want to harvest cleaner water. These solutions can cost a lot of money.
To learn more about dealing with water shortage in the Dominican Republic click here, here ( go to people and society and under that drinking water source), and here ( go to Why Water?).
How does insufficient access to clean water contribute to other societal problems? There are many problems about not having clean water. One of the biggest ones is the fact that the water carries dangerous germs and diseases that spread to children. So many children are killed because of this and most of us aren’t even aware of it. Also, a lot of children have to take two trips a day just to get water (that isn’t clean) for their families.
Photographs are courtesy of the following websites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Dominican_Republic
http\s://www.flickr.com/photos/batlegroup/2978177536
https://www.flickr.com/photos/neon_lobster/3572864758
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic%E2%80%93Haiti_relations
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dominican_Republic_Regions_map.jpg
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/417216352956650730/
https://hotelinpaguera.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/46/playa-la-romana-peguer/
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Puerto_Princesa_Underground_River.jpg
https://pixabay.com/en/dominican-republic-flag-fingerprint-654230/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Spain#/media/File:Flag_of_Spain.svg
https://pixabay.com/en/dominican-republic-coat-of-arms-33976/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rara
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_scarcity
https://pixabay.com/en/spanish-language-error-learn-speak-761512/
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1512981
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Dominican_Republic
http\s://www.flickr.com/photos/batlegroup/2978177536
https://www.flickr.com/photos/neon_lobster/3572864758
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic%E2%80%93Haiti_relations
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dominican_Republic_Regions_map.jpg
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/dr.html
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/417216352956650730/
https://hotelinpaguera.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/46/playa-la-romana-peguer/
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Puerto_Princesa_Underground_River.jpg
https://pixabay.com/en/dominican-republic-flag-fingerprint-654230/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Spain#/media/File:Flag_of_Spain.svg
https://pixabay.com/en/dominican-republic-coat-of-arms-33976/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rara
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_scarcity
https://pixabay.com/en/spanish-language-error-learn-speak-761512/
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1512981