Santo Domingo
a republic occupying the E. part of the island of Haiti, one of the Greater Antilles, West Indies.
There are several mountain ranges running E. and W., between which are large and fertile plains. The country is well watered, the most important rivers being the Yaqui, Yuna, and Ozama. The coast is irregular, having a number of deep indentations which afford excellent harbors. The climate on the coast is hot and in some sections unhealthful. In the interior it varies, being mild and salubrious in the more elevated districts.
Area 19,332 square miles. Pop. (1919) about 1,000,000, mostly negroes, and over 10,000 whites. Spanish is generally spoken in the country, French and English in the towns. Capital, Santo Domingo. SANTO DOMINGO Religion and Education. The State religion is Roman Catholic, though other forms of worship with certain restrictions are tolerated. There are in all 54 parishes. Primary education is free and obligatory. The public or state schools consist of primary, superior, technical, and normal schools, and a professional school similar to a university. In 1920 there were 972 schools, 26 secondary, one normal, one law and one medical school. Government. The Santo Domingo Constitution dates from 1844. Its Congress consists of a Senate of 12 and Chamber of Deputies of 24 members. Each of the 12 provinces is represented by one senator and two deputies. A U. S. Military Governor had supervision after 1916. Commerce. - The imports in 1919 were valued at £4,403,825 and the exports at £7,920,378. The chief articles of import were cotton goods, iron and steel manufactures, rice, vegetable fibers, chemical products and drugs, leather and manufactures, and agricultural implements. The greater part of the sugar and cocoa are shipped directly to the United States and a large part is transshipped to Europe and Canada. The sugar exports in 1919 were valued at £20,697,761.
Finances. The estimated revenue in 1919 was $7,973,000. The figures for expenditures indicated a surplus of $33,686. For the year 1920 the estimated entire revenue was $12,000,000. The expenditures were not expected to reach beyond $8,160,- 000. The Dominican Republic's chief source of revenue is the customs collections. A treaty concluded between Santo Domingo and the United States in 1907 authorized the issue of $20,000,000 in 5% bonds, secured by a first lien on the customs revenue of the Republic. By the terms of this treaty the President of the United States appointed a general receiver of Dominican customs, and a sinking fund was established for the service of the loan. In 1918 bonds were issued to the amount of $5,000,- 000 for the purpose of settling claims and indebtedness accumulated prior to the establishment of the military government.
History. The early history of this portion of the island, which remained Spanish when the W. part was ceded to France in 1697, and which was united with the neighboring state in 1795-1808, and in 1822-1843, properly belongs to that of HAITI (q. v.). In 1843 it assumed a separate standing as the Santo Domingo republic, the anarchy and misrule of which it exchanged in 1861 for the despotism of its former masters. But the harsh Spanish rule brought on a SANTONIN revolt in 1863. The Spaniards were driven out by a force headed by José Maria Cabral in 1865, and the constitution of 1844, with a few changes was reaffirmed. In 1905 the President of the United States undertook to adjust all the heavy financial obligations of the Dominican Government. In 1914 the United States sent a body of Marines to supervise the elections in Santo Domingo, and later American troops were employed to put down a revolt which arose in connection with the elections.
Troops were retained in the Republic and it became virtually an American protectorate, and a Military Governor, who in 1920 was Rear-Admiral Thomas Snowden, was virtually the executive head of the island.