Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children April 2016

When Christopher Columbus landed on the shores of Hispaniola 500 years ago, he was in awe of its beauty. He saw sandy beaches, impressive mountains, and fertile plains. Columbus also encountered friendly people. Today, the Dominican Republic makes up two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola. The people are still friendly and outgoing, but much has changed on the island since Columbus arrived. Here are five fun facts about the Dominican Republic to get you started on your journey. 1. Before Christopher Columbus arrived, Hispaniola had been home to the Taino people for thousands of years. Within 50 years of Columbus’s arrival, the Taino had been nearly wiped out. Today, some Taino communities remain in the hills of a few Caribbean islands. 2. Baseball may be America’s pastime, but it is…

Name: Republica Dominicana Area: About 18,704 square miles Population: 10,478,756 (July 2015 estimate) Capital: Santo Domingo Location: The Dominican Republic makes up the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola located in the West Indies. Haiti is to the west. The Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea surround the island. Climate: The average annual temperature is about 77 degrees. Tropical depressions and storms, cyclones, and hurricanes often hit the island, especially the southern area. Official Language: Spanish, though English is also widely spoken Religion: 90 percent Roman Catholic Chief Crops: Sugar cane, coffee, cocoa, and tobacco…

Fact or fiction? There are hairy, big-bodied, eight-eyed spiders that will paralyze and suck out the insides of their prey. You guessed it . . . fact. Thankfully, tarantula venom is not known to be deadly to humans, as the bite of many species is about as painful as a bee sting. There are more than 850 species of tarantulas in the world, most being calm and harmless to people. A species called the Dominican Giant Tarantula (called “cacata” by the locals) is native to the Dominican Republic. Cacatas are hunters. They hide under rocks and debris by day, and come out at night to hunt. With fangs almost an inch long, cacatas are intimidating predators with some heavy-duty adaptations. Though they don’t spin webs, some spin a trip wire…

When Christopher Columbus first set eyes on Quisqueya (the Taino Indian name for the eastern part of the island of Hispaniola) on his historic first voyage in 1492, he fell in love with the delightful Caribbean isle. He renamed it La Isla Española, or “Spanish Island,” and wrote in his logbook that, “in all Castile there is no land to be compared to this in beauty and fertility.” The great explorer built a fort on the island using wood from one of his ships, the Santa Marìa, which had wrecked on the Atlantic shore. He left 39 men behind, and then sailed back to Spain with glowing reports of riches and friendly natives. However, when Columbus returned the following year with 1,200 to 1,500 men and supplies, he discovered that…

Baseball has been the heart and passion of the Dominican Republic since the 1800s. The sport is not just a pastime, but also a lifestyle. Kids and adults play in the streets, on fields, in alleys, everywhere. Astoundingly, this small country of 10 million people (the population of the state of Georgia) produces more players for U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) than any other country in the world, other than players from the United States. In fact, 10.3 percent of all the players in the major leagues, 25 percent of the upper minor league rosters, and nearly half of the lower minor rosters come from the Dominican Republic. Dominican’s baseball roots started in Cuba. In 1866, American sailors brought the game to Cuba. When Cubans fled to the Dominican Republic…

ROBINSON JOSE CANO Team: Seattle Mariners Jersey: #22 Position: 2nd Base Age: 33 Born: San Pedro de Macoris High School: San Pedro Apostol, San Pedro de Macoris Debut: May 3, 2005 2011 Home Run Derby Winner 2009 World Series Championship Six-time American League (AL) All-Star Five-time AL Silver Slugger Two-time Rawlings AL Gold Glove Two-time Wilson Team Defensive Player of the Year 2005 AL Rookie of the Year (GIBBY’s – Greatness in Baseball Yearly) JOSE ALBERTO (ALBERT) PUJOLS Team: Los Angeles Angels Position: 1st Base Age: 36 Nickname: The Machine Born: Santo Domingo College: Maple Woods CC, MO Debut: April 2, 2001 2015 AL All-Star Three-time National League (NL) MVP 2006 & 2011 World Series Championship Nine-time NL All-Star Six-time NL Silver Slugger Two-time Rawlings NL Gold Glove Two-time NL…