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“There
is no more beautiful island in the world,” -
Christopher Columbus.
Only 54 miles west of
Puerto Rico across the Mona Passage lies the Dominican
Republic the most populous country in the Caribbean. The
Dominican Republic occupies two-thirds of the island of
Hispaniola, which it shares with its neighbor Haiti to the
west. This country is divided into 29 provinces and the
capital is Santo Domingo. Windsurfers fly into the city
of Puerto Plata for the easiest access to Cabarete.
The official language of the Dominican Republic is
Spanish. Many Dominicans speak English and German,
however some areas of the country, particularly in the
interior, the local residents usually speak only Spanish so it
can be quite helpful to know a few basic words or commonly
used phrases.
 A diverse
geography awaits visitors from arid, semi-desert plains to
tropical rain forests and a wide variety of vegetation.
One-third of this island’s 870-mile coastline consists of
golden sand beaches, particularly along the northern Atlantic
shore where the windsurfing center of Cabarete is located.
Tropical
weather dominates year round in the Dominican Republic with
slight variations between summer and winter. The average
annual temperature is 77 degrees. Daytime temperatures
are fairly constant around 84 degrees during the “cool”
season (November – April) and in the summer around 87
degrees. Brief tropical showers occur more often during
the season from May to August but usually turn out to be no
more than a 30 minute rain.
What you notice first about the Dominican
Republic is its size. This is not just another tiny Caribbean
island with a beach and a straw market. Instead, it's a big
country with spectacularly varied scenery that includes the
tallest mountains in the region, stretches of white sand that
run unbroken for miles and the Caribbean's oldest and - some
claim - most cosmopolitan city, Santo Domingo.
Geography
At 250 mi/400 km by 150 mi/240 km, the Dominican Republic is
larger and more diverse than most Caribbean territories. There
are close to 20 distinct topographical areas within the
country, with rugged peaks dropping into river valleys in the
central region, and rolling hills and meadowlands along the
coast. Forests fill the southwest region, and mild trade winds
make the eastern part of the island a great place to soak up
the sun.
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