Distrito Nacional

The Distrito Nacional (Spanish pronunciation: [disˈtɾito nasjoˈnal]) (D.N.) is a subdivision of the Dominican Republic enclosing the capital Santo Domingo. It is not in any of the provinces, but in practice, it acts as a province on its own. Before October 16, 2001, the Distrito Nacional was much larger, including what is now known as Santo Domingo Province. Published statistics and maps generally show the former, larger, Distrito Nacional. The Distrito Nacional has no rural or undeveloped areas.

Distrito Nacional
District
Coat of arms
Location of the Distrito Nacional
Country Dominican Republic
District since1932
Government
 • TypeSubdivisions
 • Body1 municipalities
0 municipal districts
 • Congresspersons1 Senator
18 Deputies
Area
 • Total104.44 km2 (40.32 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total1,402,749
 • Density13,000/km2 (35,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
Area code1-809 1-829 1-849
ISO 3166-2DO-01
Postal Code10100 to 10699
Websitehttp://www.adn.gov.do

Points of interest

Poligono Central

The Poligono Central is the central area of Santo Domingo. Upscale neighborhoods of Naco, Piantini, and Paraiso are located within this central polygon. Most of the financial activity in Santo Domingo is also located in the Poligono.

Central Government

The Distrito Nacional houses the central government's executive branch Presidential Office (Palacio Nacional), the national congressional building (Congreso Nacional) and the top judicial court building (Suprema Corte de Justicia). It also houses all the nationwide public office's main buildings, called Ministerios (formerly Secretarías de Estado).

Ciudad Colonial

For the main article, please select Ciudad Colonial.

The Ciudad Colonial (lit. "Colonial City") is the oldest continually occupied European settlement in the Western hemisphere, established by Bartholomew Columbus and the Spanish explorers in the New World. It has several historic landmarks and is declared as World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.

Nightlife

There are various nightlife activities available inside the Distrito Nacional. Upscale nightclubs, casinos, hotels, restaurants with international bars are widely available. Discothèque DJs and live performances caters both local sounds (merengue, salsa or bachata) and dance music (house, techno, trance, reggaeton, drum and bass, etc.) Most nightclubs alternate between the two main genres; some other clubs stick almost exclusively to either one. Several chain restaurants are available serving dinner up to midnight. Most restaurants within hotels don't close at all, and the majority of casinos serve complimentary snacks all night. Most restaurants are specialized on the following cuisines: Local, Italian, French, Steakhouse, Mexican, Spanish, Seafood, Chinese and Japanese). There are several movie cinemas that play movies in English (with subtitles) and are on par with worldwide premiers. Jazz music outlets, live theater, live concerts and sports events are available throghtout the whole week.

Parks

Distrito Nacional has several urban parks, the largest one, Parque Mirador Sur, overlooking the Caribbean Sea from a high cliff from the Avenida Mirador Sur (also called Avenida de la Salud - Health Avenue). It has several miles of open road designed for picnic, jogging and cycling. Roller skating and even Kendo are regularly practiced in areas of the park.

Other places in the area include:

Shopping

There are several shopping malls that represent international brands of clothing, electronic goods, gifts and the like. Banks, barber shops, internet cafés, travel agencies, dental offices and supermarkets can all be found under a single roof.

Schools

There are plenty of public (government funded) and private schools that offer teaching in both Spanish and English. Among the public universities is the first university of the Americas, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, located near the center-south of the city. The first private university, Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, has a campus nearby.

Transportation

Metro de Santo Domingo

The Distrito Nacional boasts the first and only underground public transportation system in the country. The first line connects the Distrito Nacional with Santo Domingo Norte.

Public transportation

Other means of public transportation include: taxi services, public bus routes, urban transportation by bus, local airports and rent cars. International flights are handled by the near Las Américas International Airport. It can be reached from the city center through some 20 miles of recently expanded expressway and new suspension bridge (Puente Presidente Juan Bosch).

Politics

The Distrito Nacional is represented in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies on the same scale as a Province (a single Senator (Senador), plus one Deputy (Diputado) per 50,000 inhabitants). Its local government is the same as the provincial municipios, without the equivalent of a provincial tier of government.

Sectors of the District.

Sectores (neighborhoods)

The Distrito Nacional is subdivided in incorporated areas (neighborhoods) called sectores which could be considered as small urban towns. All sectores are serviced directly by the municipal mayor's office (Alcalde).

Some sectores prefixes:

  • Ciudad (city) - applies to the original older parts of town, some dating back to colonial times;
  • Ensanche (lit. "widening") - usually, but not always, applied to the more "modern" parts of the city.
  • Villa - the urban outskirts of both the old city of Santo Domingo and the current (smaller) Distrito Nacional.
SectorPopulation[1]
Altos de Arroyo Hondo27,692
Arroyo Manzano19,151
Atala17,617
Bella Vista28,253
Buenos Aires-Independencia14,759
Cacique14,384
Centro de los Héroes2,045
Centro Olímpico Duarte36
Cerros de Arroyo Hondo24,486
Ciudad Colonial1,339
Ciudad Nueva1,423
Ciudad Universitaria33,812
Cristo Rey42,140
Domingo Sabio7,359
El Millón10,401
Ensanche Capotillo27,613
Ensanche Espaillat25,045
Ensanche La Fé43,765
Ensanche Luperón14,167
Ensanche Naco9,227
Gazcue14,308
General Antonio Duvergé11,981
Gualey13,539
Honduras del Norte9,820
Honduras del Oeste9,679
Jardín Botánico21
Jardín Zoológico177
Jardines del Sur4,004
Julieta Morales14,729
La Agustina14,028
La Esperilla14,807
La Hondonada18,795
La Isabela17,653
La Julia17,254
La Zurza11,982
Los Cacicazgos15,633
Los Jardines17,599
Los Peralejos6,651
Los Prados12,454
Los Restauradores6,236
Los Ríos13,886
María Auxiliadora31,639
Mata Hambre12,823
Mejoramiento Social39,889
Mirador Norte40,104
Mirador Sur41,927
Miraflores38,449
Miramar11,051
Nuestra Señora de la Paz8,729
Nuevo Arroyo Hondo20,259
Palma Real7,803
Paraíso26,021
Paseo de los Indios6,697
Piantini52,483
Puerto Isabela38,449
Quisqueya24,933
Renacimiento21,912
San Carlos26,008
San Diego14,063
San Gerónimo13,987
San Juan Bosco21,198
Simón Bolívar39,069
Treinta de Mayo30,159
Tropical Metaldom2,601
Veinticuatro de Abril21,181
Viejo Arroyo Hondo49,495
Villa Consuelo54,065
Villa Francisca49,397
Villa Juana46,268
Villas Agricolas2,140
Distrito Nacional1,402,749
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See also

References
  1. Consejo Nacional de Población y Familia. "Estamaciones y Proyecciones de la Población Dominicana por Regiones, Provincias, Municipios y Distritos Municipales, 2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2014-02-02.
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