Boca Chica

For other uses, see Boca Chica (disambiguation).

Boca Chica
Boca Chica Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic
Coordinates: 18°27′14″N 69°36′23″W / 18.45389°N 69.60639°W / 18.45389; -69.60639Coordinates: 18°27′14″N 69°36′23″W / 18.45389°N 69.60639°W / 18.45389; -69.60639
Country	Dominican Republic
Province	Santo Domingo
Municipality since	2001
Area[1]
– Total	145.67 km2 (56.2 sq mi)
Population (2002)[2]
– Total	99,508
– Density	683.1/km2 (1,769.2/sq mi)
– Urban	46,385
Municipal Districts	1

Boca Chica is a municipality (municipio) of the Santo Domingo province in the Dominican Republic. Within the municipality there is one municipal district (distritos municipal): La Caleta.^[3]

As of the 2002 census the municipality had 99,508 inhabitants, 46,385 living in the city itself and 53,123 in its rural districts (Secciones).^[2]

For comparison with other municipalities and municipal districts see the list of municipalities and municipal districts of the Dominican Republic.

It has a popular beach with the same name, located about 30 kilometers east of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in the south shore of the island of Hispaniola.

History

Boca Chica was originally developed by Juan Bautista Vicini Burgos, who established sugar plantations there in the early twentieth century. Vicini was very fond of the place but the golden era of Boca Chica was in the 1950s, when dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo ordered the construction of a modern hotel named "Hotel Hamaca", which subsequently became something of an icon. The hotel got all the more famous because it was there that Trujillo granted asylum to Fulgencio Batista after the Cuban Revolution.

The Hamaca was closed almost immediately after Trujillo was killed in May 1961, and it remained closed and abandoned for more than twenty years. It was reopened in the early 1990s.

During the 1950s and the 1960s, prominent families of the Dominican Republic built several summer properties along the beach only accessible by private transportation.

After the 1970s, the beach became more and more popular and public transportation helped to make Boca Chica a very populated beach; it was no longer secluded and quiet, as it had been during the '50s and '60s.

Characteristics

The short distance from the capital city of the Dominican Republic, the crystalline waters and the white sands, turned Boca Chica into the most crowded beach of the Dominican Republic, especially on weekends and holidays because is 19 miles (30 km) away from Santo Domingo^{[citation needed]}. Boca Chica has two small islands, Los Pinos and La Matica, and two marinas.

Boca Chica beach has immaculate fine sand. You can walk in the water and the depth will barely change, the water will be to your waist (or a little bit over) all the time. It's the most family friendly of all the Dominican Republic beaches^{[citation needed]}.

There are lots of bars, restaurants, pizza stands, very tacky souvenirs stalls and loud music all day long; all this along the beach sand very close to the shore.

In recent years, the town has become overwhelmed with tourists from North America and Europe, especially during the months of December through April^{[citation needed]}. It is one of the better places to enjoy swimming in the warm Caribbean waters^{[citation needed]}. The town of Boca Chica, after dark has a notorious reputation^{[citation needed]}. Later in the evening, the family friendly town transforms itself into a town of party bars and prostitution^{[citation needed]}. However, the notorious reputation is ill deserved when compared to other "hot spots" in the area^{[citation needed]}.

References

1. ^ Superficies a nivel de municipios, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica
2. ^ ^{a b} Censo 2002 de Población y Vivienda, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica
3. ^ Oficina Nacional de Estadistica, Departamento de Cartografia, Division de Limites y Linderos. "Listado de Codigos de Provincias, Municipio y Distritos Municipales, Actualizada a Junio 20 del 2006" (in Spanish). http://www.one.gob.do/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=113. Retrieved 2007-01-24. 

External links

• Online guide to Boca Chica