Dominican Republic
POPULATION 8,721,594
ROMAN CATHOLIC 89.3 percent
PROTESTANT 8.1 percent
OTHER 2.6 percent
Country Overview
Introduction
The Dominican Republic, located in the West Indies, consists of the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola and several small islands. Haiti occupies the western third of Hispaniola, with the Atlantic Ocean lying to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The capital is Santo Domingo.
Christopher Columbus first reached Hispaniola in 1492, and Santo Domingo became the first European colony in the New World. From the beginning efforts were undertaken to convert the native Taino to Roman Catholicism, but they were decimated by warfare and disease. Aspects of the Taino heritage have been retained, particularly in the southwest, which was their political and ceremonial center. As early as 1502 Christian slaves of African origin arrived from Spain, and shortly thereafter slaves were introduced directly from Africa. The Spanish blacks established religious brotherhoods (cofradías) that served as mutual aid and burial societies. Africans also introduced healing and divination societies characterized by spirit possession (called vodú, or voodoo).
In 1697 France gained control of the western third of the island, organized the colony of Saint-Domingue, and imported more than a million African slaves.
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