A closer look 說古論今
The Dominican Republic, called the Dominican for short, shares the island of Hispaniola in the Carribean ocean with Hati. Hati occupies the western third of the island. The Dominican occupies the eastern two-thirds. The Dominican has been occupied by several different countries over the course of its history, including the French, Spanish and Americans, but today it is an independent democracy.
Dominican culture is a mixture of European, African and native influences. This island of Hispaniola is the place where Christopher Colombus landed in 1492 on his famous journey, and where the Spanish started their first colony in 1493. With the arrival of the Spanish, much of the native population were killed by European diseases and enslavement. The Spanish used the Dominican Republic as a base for their slave trading, and as a result African culture also became a part of its culture. Many Dominicans today come from mixed backgrounds and refer to themselves in Spanish simply as "La familia Dominicana," which means the "Dominican Family."
Today the Dominican Republic is known for its friendly and hospitable people, as well as diverse and vibrant musical traditions. It is the birthplace of merengue, an energetic, fast-tempo kind of music and dance that has become popular all over the world. Baseball is the most popular sport, and many of the best baseball players in the world have come from the Dominican Republic. (Taipei Times)
多明尼加共和國簡稱多明尼加，位於加勒比海的伊斯巴紐拉島，島上還有另一個國家海地。海地位於西邊，佔據此島的三分之一，多明尼加則位居東邊，佔地三分之二。歷史上多明尼加曾遭不同的國家佔領，包括法國、西班牙與美國，但現今已是獨立的民主政體。
多明尼加的文化融合歐洲、非洲與當地文化的影響。伊斯巴紐拉島是哥倫布一四九二年著名航海之旅的登陸地點，也是西班牙一四九三年開啟殖民史的首站。隨著西班牙人抵達，當地有許多原住民都因歐洲疾病與奴役而喪命。西班牙人以多明尼加做為奴隸買賣的基地，這使非洲文化也成為當地文化的一部分。今日有不少多明尼加人來自多元的背景，他們以西文的「La familia Dominicana」自稱，也就是「多明尼加家族」之意。
多明尼加共和國今日以友善熱心的人民與多元活躍的音樂傳統聞名。這裡是充滿活力、節奏輕快的「merengue」音樂與舞蹈的誕生地，在全球各地都相當風行。棒球是當地最受歡迎的運動，世界各地有許多棒球好手都來自多明尼加。 (台北時報／翻譯：賴美君)
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