For those interested in beaches, the Dominican Republic is one of the prime destinations in the Caribbean. This tropical island has long stretches of pristine white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, and beautiful resort areas. The Dominican Republic is generally mountainous, with deserts in the extreme western regions. The principal mountain range is the Cordillera Central, running from east to west. The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy with national powers divided among independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The president appoints the cabinet, executes laws passed by the legislative branch, and is commander in chief of the armed forces.
The Dominican Republic is ranked 20th out of 29 countries in the Americas, and its overall score is slightly lower than the regional average. The geography of the Dominican Republic is greatly diverse, ranging from arid semi-desert plains, to lush valleys, to tropical rain forests with 27 different climatic zones; resulting in a wide variety of incredibly beautiful vegetation. The topography of the Dominican Republic consists of a diverse range of highland and lowland areas, offshore islands, rivers and lakes, all of which contribute in some way or another to the varied beauty of the country and the adventure travel options to explore. To be dark-skinned in the Dominican Republic is to live under suspicion of being Haitian. Though anyone born in Dominican territory is legally Dominican, anyone born of a Haitian parent is generally considered Haitian by the society at large.
Getting to and getting around the Dominican Republic is easy with many regional and international airports. This is also one of the world’s premier destinations for golf, with over 22 courses designed by the industry’s most famous names: Robert Trent Jones, Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Fazio to name a few. In fact, the Dominican Republic is home to an art school as well as a museum of modern art. Architecture is another important cultural aspect.
Cigar manufacturers, such as Leon Jimenez and many others, all have their operations in or near Santiago. Pacific Cigar has the largest stock of premium tobacco grown in the San Victor region. This guarantees our customers that they will be smoking the highest quality, most consistent tasting cigars for years to come.
Originating at the middle section or base of the tobacco plant, the leaves partially determine how strong the cigar will taste and how distinctive the flavor. The two types of fillers include the long, which is an entire leaf rolled into the cigar, and a short, consisting of a variety of tobacco leaf scraps. During his previous term as president, 1996 to 2000, Fernandez presided over the fastest-growing economy in Latin America. Last year, however, a banking scandal crippled the Dominican economy, costing the treasury US$2.2 billion.
