Caribbean
Tropical · Festive · Rhythmic
Dominican Republic is a country located in Caribbean. Its capital city is Santo Domingo, with other major cities including Santiago de los Caballeros and San Pedro de Macorís. With a population of approximately 11.1M, the main language spoken is Spanish. The country covers an area of 48,671 km². The official currency is the Dominican peso ($). Traffic drives on the right side.
Santo Domingo, founded in 1498, is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas and home to the first cathedral, hospital, and university in the Western Hemisphere.
Santo Domingo serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Dominican Republic, positioned in Caribbean. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Santiago de los Caballeros, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Santo Domingo was the first European city founded in the Americas — established by Bartholomew Columbus in 1496 — its Colonial Zone containing the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Western Hemisphere, with the oldest cathedral, university, and hospital in the Americas within walking distance on cobblestone streets unchanged since the 16th century.
With a population of approximately 11.1M, Dominican Republic is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is Spanish, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Dominican Republic is reached via the dialling code +1. Dominicans built a national identity partially in opposition to Haiti — sharing the island of Hispaniola but separated by language (Spanish vs French-Creole), religion (Catholicism vs Vodou), and a historical narrative of Haitian occupation (1822-1844) that shapes the asymmetric relationship between a wealthier Dominican Republic and a Haitian population that depends significantly on Dominican employment.
Dominican Republic spans 48,671 km², in the Caribbean subregion of Americas. Geographically centred around 19.0°N, 70.7°W, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the right-hand rule, in line with surrounding Americas convention.
The official currency is the Dominican peso ($), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Dominican Republic's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC-04:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
Baseball holds a special place in the heart of Dominican Republic's national identity. Baseball has replaced all other sports in the Dominican Republic's sporting identity — the country with the highest per-capita rate of MLB players in history, with entire towns (particularly San Pedro de Macorís) having contributed entire generations of professional players to American major leagues through a system of baseball academies (buscones) that functions as a parallel education pathway.
The highest point in Dominican Republic is Pico Duarte, rising to 3,098 metres above sea level. Pico Duarte at 3,098 metres is the highest peak in the Caribbean, reachable by a demanding multi-day trek through cloud forest from the mountain town of Jarabacoa — a summit in the Cordillera Central whose altitude creates a climate so different from the coastal resorts that most visitors to the Dominican Republic never realise the country contains alpine conditions.