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Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo
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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic: Patrolling and securing the Dominican Republic-Haiti border has been intensified with the increase of additional specialised United Nations and Dominican troops. Their mission is to guard against drug and gun smuggling as well as stemming ever-increasing illegal immigration.
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Occupying the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic is the second largest country, after Cuba, in the West Indies. This mountainous land includes Pico Duarte—the highest point in the Caribbean. Colonized in 1493 by Spaniards, it offered the first chartered university, hospital, cathedral, and monastery in the Americas. Santo Domingo, founded in 1496, is the oldest European settlement in the Western Hemisphere. The nation became independent in 1844, but endured political instability and repressive governments. Today it is a democracy, economically dependent on agriculture and tourism.
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Professional Baseball in the Dominican Republic has evolved dramatically in its 100-year history. Originally there were two professional teams in the entire country; today the league consists of five teams. Santo Dominigo has two teams, Tigres del Licey, and Leones de Escojido; San Pedro de Macoris has Estrellas Orientales; Santiago has Aguilas del Cibao; and La Romana has Azucareros del Este. Each team play a sixty game schedule that begins the end of October and runs to February. The season ends in a round-robin play-off with the two finalist advancing to the Caribbean Series to play against the champions of Mexico Venezuela and Puerto Rico.
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The Dominican Republic is the Caribbean country that’s got it all. With a tropical climate, its wide sandy beaches and coconut palms are picture perfect but that’s only part of its appeal. Gentle manatees and frolicking humpback whales are known to swim these waters. Santo Domingo, the first European colonial city in the Americas, is a historical treasure trove, while the wildlife and raw beauty of the mountainous interior is breathtaking. Two outrageously colourful carnivals are held in late February and August. This destination is ... popular with the North American markets, who can, at times be more boisterous than European tourists.
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CLIMATE: The Dominican Republic has a tropical maritime climate with trade winds moderating the heat. The wet or rainy season is from May to November in the south and from December to April in the north. Hurricanes can ... occur between June and November. In general, rainfall is heaviest in the north and diminishes towards the south and west. Average annual precipitation varies between 1,390 mm (55 inches) and 1,520 mm (60 inches). Average temperature ranges in Santo Domingo are from 19 to 29 degrees Celsius (66 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 23 to 31 degrees Celsius (73 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit) in August.
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The Dominican Republic is among the most popular vacation destinations in the Caribbean. La Romana offers golf, tennis, horseback riding and sightseeing at Altos de Chavon, a replica of a 16th-century Spanish village. The main pastime in Puerto Plata is relaxing at the beach. As the oldest city in the New World, Santo Domingo is rich in history. The city claims the oldest cathedral in the New World as well as the oldest house, street, hospital and university. Punta Cana is packed with fun activities both on and off its beaches, including diving, beachcombing, horseback riding and Manati Park.
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Santo Domingo