Culture of the Dominican Republic Culture of the Dominican Republic The culture of the Dominican Republic is a diverse mixture of different influences from around the world. The Dominican people and their customs have origins consisting predominately in a European cultural basis, with both African and native Taíno influences. The Dominican Republic was the site of the first European settlement in the Western Hemisphere, namely Santo Domingo founded in 1493. As a result of over five centuries of Spanish presence in the island, the core of Dominican culture is derived from the culture of Spain. The European inheritances include ancestry, language, traditions, law, the predominant
Economy of the Dominican Republic China 13.9%, Mexico 4.5%, Brazil 4.3% (2017) Debt - external: $29.69 billion (31 December 2017 est.) Economic aid - recipient: $76.99 million (2005) Currency: Dominican peso Exchange rates: Dominican pesos per US dollar - 33.113 (2007), 33.406 (2006), 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003) Fiscal year: calendar year Economy of the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic has the ninth largest economy in Latin America, and is the largest in the Caribbean and Central region. It is an upper middle-income developing country primarily dependent on mining, agriculture, trade, and services. Although the service sector has recently overtaken agriculture as the leading