Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic is a half-island country located in the Caribbean. We have one of the worst education systems in Latin America; the government refuses to invest the (by-law) minimum of 4% of the budget in education. We have a large illegal immigrant population of Haitians who cross the border seeking to re-establish themselves on this side of the island. Underage drinking is a custom here; allowing minors to go into clubs is an everyday sighting. Culturally rich, the Dominican Republic was the first colony in America to have a university (Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, founded 1538 if I'm not mistaken), the first cathedral, and being the birth place to the music genres of Merengue and Bachata. Other musical styles that have great popularity here are Rap and "Dembow". Unfortunately, this country is controlled by the 5-10% of the population that in election time "buys" votes of the uneducated and gullible by bribing them with food and false promises. This keeps the country chained to a vicious circle from which it seems it cannot unbind itself. The Dominican Republic is a poor country, ravaged by drugs and corruption, and from the looks of it, this might be the case for a while. We got nice beaches, plantain, mangu, sancocho, red soda, a very colourful vocabulary, (mostly) kind and helpful, but retarded people, and one of the most beautiful national anthems.