San Felipe de Puerto Plata
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| San Felipe de Puerto Plata Puerto Plata |
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| Nickname: La Ciudad de La Playa,La Tacita De Plata (the silver cup), La Novia Del Atlantico. | |||
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| Country | Dominican Republic | ||
| Province | Puerto Plata Province | ||
| Municipality | San Felipe de Puerto Plata | ||
| Founded | 1492 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (Síndico) | Walter Musa | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 1.839 km² (0.7 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| - Total | 350,000 (approx.) | ||
| Website: [http:www.one.gob.do] | |||
San Felipe de Puerto Plata, often referred to as simply Puerto Plata, is the capital of the Dominican province Puerto Plata. It has a population of 130,000.
The city is famous for resorts such as Playa Dorada and Costa Dorada, located east of San Felipe de Puerto Plata. There are a total of 100,000 hotel beds in the city.
The only aerial tramway in the Caribbean is located in Puerto Plata. With it, one can ride up to Pico Isabel de Torres, a 793 meter high mountain within the city. The top of the mountain features a botanical garden and a replica of Christ the Redeemer, the famous statue in Rio de Janeiro.
The fortification Fortaleza San Felipe, which was built in the 16th century and served as a prison under Rafael Trujillo's dictatorship, lies close to the port of Puerta Plata. The amber museum is also a well-known attraction in this city. La Isabela, a settlement built by Christopher Columbus, is located near Puerto Plata.
In April 1563 the Spanish settlement became notorious when the English privateer Sir John Hawkins brought 400 people he had abducted from Sierra Leone and enslaved. Hawkins traded his victims with the Spanish for pearls, hides and sugars, some gold. This was the start of British involvement in the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, in which 20 million people were forced into slavery.
Puerto Plata is served by Gregorio Luperón International Airport, which lies about 15 km east of the city near the town La Unión.
The Austrian musician Falco died in Puerto Plata in 1998.
This is the hometown of NBA player Al Horford.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- This article is based on a translation of an article from the German Wikipedia.
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