DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

A RELAXED ATMOSPHERE is not just a promise in the Dominican Republic; it is a way of life. Old World charm lingers here in language, food, customs and thought. The emphasis placed on music, dance, history and art as well as the usual island activities of sunbathing and swimming make the Dominican Republic a popular Caribbean vacation destination.
Santo Domingo, capital and cultural center, preserves the Dominican Republic's rich history with its many churches, palaces, museums, forts, monuments and restored homes. Puerto Plata in the north and La Romana in the southeast are other major resort centers. Duarte Peak, at 10,417 feet (3,175 m), is the highest point in the Caribbean; just 50 miles (80 km) southwest, Lake Enriquillo, at 148 feet (54 m) below sea level, is the lowest point in addition to being one of the largest salt lakes in the Caribbean.

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island the Indians called Quisqueva and Christopher Columbus named Hispaniola: Haiti occupies the western third. When Columbus ran the Santa MarIa aground on the northern coast on Dec. 25, 1492, he used the ship's salvaged lumber to build Fuerte de Navidad, or Fort Christmas. But about a year later, Columbus returned to discover the settlement destroyed and 38 of his men massacred.

Columbus then founded Isabela further east in the present-day Dominican Republic. The first European city in the New World, Isabela was to become Columbus’ base of operations for the next 2 years. In 1496 Bartolomeo Columbus, Christopher’s brother, founded New Isabela on the southern coast—where the Republic’s capital of Santo Domingo thrives today. Because Ca-lumbus had left members of his family to colonize the island and returned to it after venturing throughout the Caribbean, the island is described as "the land Columbus loved best."

The only colony ever governed by its discoverer, Hispaniola was the base for excursions by many famous explorers, including Francisco Pizarro, Hernando Caries, Hernando de Soto, Vasco de Balboa, Alonzo de Ojeda, Diego Velásquez and Juan Ponce de Leon.