i Dominican Republic - travelfilm.de

huracán (hurricane), iguana (iguana),
lambí (conch meat), maíz (corn),
tabaco(tobacco), tiburón (shark), yagua
(palm), and yuca (yucca), among others.
Some visitors tend to think that we
are either angry or deaf when they
hear us talking. Indeed, shouting and
gesticulating, common among rural folk
who overcome distances by raising their
voices, have now made their way to
urban areas, and have even crossed
generational lines.
For this reason, protest in this country
differs markedly from what one might
see in Switzerland or the United States.
While it is their practice to walk slowly in
silence at the venue of the protest as they
hold a poster that expresses their feelings,
we Dominicans tend to shout while
making abrupt gestures and running from
one place to the other in order to call
attention. For this reason a demonstration
that may appear imminently violent to a
visitor tends to fizzle out within half an
hour without any great problems. This
manner of protesting, which is very much
a reflection of our national character, has
on occasion been misunderstood by the
international media.
The nation: government
and territory
The Dominican Republic has a population
of over 8.5 million people. Its territory
is divided into 31 provinces plus the
National Capital District of Santo
Domingo. The country is a Democratic
republic. Government is composed of
three branches: executive, legislative and
judicial. The country elects its president,
Dominican Republic
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