• United States!

    United States: Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Go Now!

    United States
    Explore the vast openness and wildlife found roaming in the western United States, including Theodore Roosevelt National Park (pictured) in North Dakota. Begin Your Journey!

  • Trinidad & Tobago!

    Trinidad & Tobago: Beautiful Coastline. Go Now!

    Trinidad & Tobago
    These Caribbean islands mix Indian, African, and European cultures alongside beautiful beaches. Go Now!

  • St. Kitts & Nevis!

    St. Kitts & Nevis: Nevis Island. Go Now!

    St. Kitts & Nevis
    This island nation mixes aspects of European, African, and Caribbean culture... not to mention incredible beaches. Go Now!

  • Honduras!

    Honduras: Children. Go Now!

    Honduras
    The original banana republic, Honduras has made a name for itself with the banana trade; however foreign influences have also vastly altered the culture. Go Now!

  • Mexico!

    Mexico: Sunrise over the mountains in Puerto Vallarta. Go Now!

    Mexico
    Although many people just go for the beaches, Mexico offers impressive mountain vistas (pictured in Puerto Vallarta), great food, and historic ruins that compete with the best in the world. Begin Your Journey!

  • Barbados!

    Barbados: Pier on the beach. Go Now!

    Barbados
    This Caribbean island has hints of British culture, but is wholly Caribbean as well. Explore Barbados!

Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of the Dominican Republic

Ethnicity

Most of the people living in the Dominican Republic are ethnically diverse as most people claim numerous ethnicities among their ancestors. Many people have some American Indian, European, and/or African in them, but some people lack one of more of these ethnicities and the degree of each group in an individual varies considerably. There are also people in the country that are wholly European or African on an ethnic level. Most of the African slaves that arrived to the Dominican Republic were from what is today Angola, Congo, and Cameroon, but others came from all parts of West Africa.

Language

The only official language in the Dominican Republic is Spanish, as nearly the entire population speaks this language natively. There are some ethnic groups who speak various other languages natively, but these people are found in very small numbers.

Spanish is a Romance language also spoken in Spain; it is closely related to other Romance languages, including Portuguese, Italian, French, Romanian, others. The dialect of Spanish in the Dominican Republic is quite distinct in comparison to that of Spain and there are also many minor differences in the language across Latin America.

Religion

Dominican Republic is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with about 95% of the population claiming this as their religion. The remaining 5% of the population adheres to numerous other religions.

Catholicism is a Christian religion that is one of the first Christian religions (founded after the death of Jesus in about 30-33 AD). Catholicism believes that there is a single God who created everything, a savior, the son of God, Jesus Christ who is the forgiver of sins, and there is the Holy Spirit, which makes up the last part of the Holy Trinity. Catholics follow the teachings of the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments. Much of the faith is based on the life and teachings of Jesus, which is found in the gospels (in the New Testament).

Continue reading on Safari the Globe to Learn the Catholic Church's doctrines, liturgy, symbolism, traditions, & hierarchy

This page was last updated: May, 2014