2019-11-01 Fri

The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti to the west. It's known for its beaches, resorts and golfing. Its terrain comprises rainforest, savannah and highlands, including Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s tallest mountain. Capital city Santo Domingo has Spanish landmarks like the Gothic Catedral Primada de America dating back 5 centuries in its Zona Colonial district.

The island was discovered by Columbus on his first voyage, and the capital, Santo Domingo, is the oldest permanent European settlement in the Western Hemisphere. Gaining independence in 1821, it was subsequently conquered and ruled by Haiti and later Spain. Permanent independence from Spain was gained in 1865.

The Dominican peso is the currency of the Dominican Republic. Each peso is divided into 100 centavos ("cents"). The “Peso Oro” was introduced in 1937 with the new peso oro banknotes been introduced from 1947. Today we are looking at a 50 Pesos Oro banknote issued in 2008. The note specifications are as follows:

This purple note has on its obverse the Catedral Primada de America, Santa Maria La Menor in Santo Domingo, the first cathedral built in the Americas, to right; the Seal of the Central Bank of the Republic to left and blossoms of the Mahogany Tree, La caoba, formerly the national flower and now the national tree of the Dominican Republic in centre. The reverse depicts the Basilica Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Altagracia in Salvaleon de Higuey top centre left.

Image Courtesy: Numismatica Cameroni