Nizao
| Nizao | |
|---|---|
| Peravia Province Statistics | |
| Capital: | Baní |
| Counties: | Baní, Nizao |
| Area: | 998 km² |
| Population (2000 est.): | 154,721 |
| Population Density: | 155.0 / km² |
| Economy: | Agriculture, Salt, Tourism |
| Map | |
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Nizao is a city in the province of Peravia in the Dominican Republic.
General Information
Nizao is a city in the Dominican Republic and capital of the Nizao Municipality. It is the second large municipality of the Peravia Province and is located in southeastern corner of this province, in the angle formed by the estuary of the Nizao River and the Caribbean Sea coast. The Nizao Municipality is divided into two municipal districts, Santana and Pizarrete, and one municipal section, Don Gregorio. Nizao was elevated to the category of Municipal District on January 1st, 1945 and to Municipality in 1989. As a municipality, Nizao elected its authorities (Mayor and councilmen) for the first time in the 1990 general elections, in which were elected Salvador Clemente Pérez Pérez, an school teacher, as its first mayor and Juan Bautista Salvador (Guancho), Confesor Meléndez (Confe), Ramón Garcia Valdez (Ramón Garganta), Isidro Indalecio Valdez and Víctor Pérez as its first councilmen. It's believe that Nizao and the town of Don Gregorio will merge into one city in the future.
Nizao is subdivided into four peripheral sectors or wards: El Zapotal to the northeast, which used to be a municipal section, Mono Mojao (wet monkey) to north, Media Blanca (white stocking) to the west, and Ciudad Nueva (new city) to the southeast. The remaining area is just called Nizao. The city is growing to the southeast part with the incorporation of the Ciudad del Niño area, a few houses constructed along Marcos A. Cabral canal (La Regola), on the Mercedes family real estates.
The current mayor of Nizao is Lic. Salvador Gomez -Boy, elected in the last congressional and municipal elections on August 16, 2006.
History
Nizao was an original settlement Canary Islands immigrant families to the northeast of Don Gregorio Gonsales sugar mill (the actual town of Don Gregorio) and to the south of Zapote Plantation sugar mill (El Zapotal as for today) an on the hill overseeing the Nizao river and the Caribbean sea. Late in the 19th century, the top of Nizao hill become a battlefield due to the confrontation of the militants of the two bloody Dominican political parties, Los Bolos (tailless) and Los Colús (long tail). This battle took place around the El Tamarindo (tamarind tree) on Juan Pablo Duarte square.
The People
According to the latest National Census of Population and Family (Censo Nacional de Poblacion y Familia) [1]conducted in 2002, Nizao City population was 6,188 people while the total population for the entire municipality, including its two districts, was 22, 850 people. Nizao people are of mixed race of Canary Islands and of african slaves descendants. Nizao people are recognized as hard working and frendly.
Education
The City of Nizao has two school: one elementary school (Escuela Primaria) and one high school (Liceo). Both schools were housed in the same facility called Aliro Paulino Elementary and Aliro Paulino High School. Aliro Paulino was a personal teacher of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo's family. He was originally from Don Gregorio.
Economy
The economy of Nizao County for decades was based on the agriculture, especially rice, onion, chilis, tomato, etc., which has been substituted, to a large extent due to the international emigration of the Nizao people, the demographic and urban growth that has reduced the arable lands, by the rented labor, the motoconcho (motorcycles transportation system in the Dominican Republic) and the export of players to American professional baseball.
Fishing has another impact in Nizao economy.
Nizao also has a beautiful beach that extends for almost 3 kms (3.10 miles) from Don Gregorio to Catalina, Baní. Early in the 1980s. all farmers who owned land close to the beach sold their properties to Complejo Vacasional (COVACASA) Consortium. More than 50 houses, a club house, and an artificial lake, were built and sold to individual owners as vacation homes. No further turist proyects have been developed since then and the beach continues to be raw and beautiful.
Religion
As it's also the whole Dominican Republic, more than 90% of Nizaeros say they are Catholic, even though less than 5% actually go to church. There are also different groups of protestants in Nizao, of whom Pentecostals are the larger group. There is a Mormon Temple (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and a Seventh Day Adventist Church temples in Nizao.
Churches:
- Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes Catholic Church, at the corners of Duarte, Sánchez, and Maria Trinidad Sánchez streets.
- Iglesia Evangelica Peniel, at Duarte street.
- Seventh-day Adventist Temple, at Ruben Perdomo street.
- Iglesia Evangelica Asamblea de Dios, Sanchez street.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) Temple, at Mella streets.
Sons of Nizao
- Deivi Cruz, professional baseball player.
- Salvador Gomez, current mayor of Nizao.
- Vladimir Guerrero, professional baseball player.
- Wilson Valdez, professional baseball player.
- Dr. Eduardo Valdez, famous known oftalmologist.