Barahona

The province of Barahona sits on the south west coast of the Dominican Republic, which itself shares the island of Hispaniola with the neighboring nation of Haiti. Barohona itself outlooks onto the Caribbean Sea, and experiences some of the milder weather during the rain season. It is a popular destination for tourists, primarily owing to this, and tourism is the main revenue generator.

Prior to 1958, the province that is now known as Barahona was included in the still existing Pedernales Province. However, the decision was taken to separate the province into two and a create a separate identity for one. The far western corner of the former Pedernales was kept, including the border with Haiti, and the eastern side became Barahona.

There is some controversial history pertaining to Barahona, primarily from the spring of 2006. Following the devastating natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Barahona – like much of the Caribbean and surrounding Dominican Republic – was in a state of emergency. The United States, always a firm trading partner of the Dominican Republic, vowed to help despite the equally devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina on southern American state, Louisiana.

The province of Barahona was one of the places that gratefully accepted American aid, and the US Army arrived in spring 2006 under the guise of these aid works. They were joined by other military groups from the region, including the Georgia National Army Guard and the Puerto Rico Army National Guard. The troops were supposed to be helping to rebuild schools that had been damaged by the hurricane, as well as helping hospitals and shelters in the most damaged mountainous regions of the province.

There is, however, a less gracious reason given for this aid relief. While the military presence without doubt did what it was supposed to be doing, many people believed this was little more than an expensive – though charitable – ploy. The real reason for the American presence is thought to be a desire to spy on neighboring Venezuela, gathering intelligence data. There is also a widespread belief that the United States forces used the time to help the Dominican Army itself, making provisions. While a local belief, this is nevertheless a suspicion that has refused to go away – though the United States have never directly commented on it. If this were the real purpose, it was nevertheless affection from the point of views of the Barahonian people – their schools and hospitals were indeed rebuilt at a much faster rate that could have been achieved without US intervention.

Of the province itself, it is a medium sized area of the Dominican Republic, containing around two per cent of the total nation population. The capital city is Santa Cruz de Barahona, a tourist hub with numerous casinos and a much celebrated night life. The province covers around 1, 739 square meters, split down into 11 municipalities and 10 municipal districts. While a fair distance away from the Dominican Republic capital of Santo Domingo, the entire province of Barahona is well served by public transport and has a thriving tourist trade.