People of the Dominican Republic capital and its patron saint, Saint Dominic. Hence the residents were called "Dominicanos" (Dominicans), which is the adjective form of "Domingo", and the revolutionaries named their newly independent country "La República Dominicana". It was often referred to as the "Republic of San Domingo" in English language 19th Century publications. The first recorded use of the word "Dominican" is found in a letter written by King Phillip IV of Spain in 1625 to the inhabitants of the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo. In this letter, which was written before the arrival of French settlers on the Western side of the island,
Pedernales, Dominican Republic in the south extreme between Haiti and Dominican Republic. Its location over a number of rain shadows through the highlands of Hispaniola from the northeasterly trade winds gives Pedernales a semi-arid climate (Köppen "BSh"). Rainfall is highest in September and October when tropical cyclones may strike the whole island, and temperatures are generally warmer during the day than in much of the tropics. Pedernales, Dominican Republic The Dominican city of Pedernales is the capital of the Pedernales Province, in the Dominican Republic. It is located in the southwest of the country, on the border, and has a crossing to the