Dominican republic continent: Dominican Republic | History, People, Map, Flag, Population, Capital, & Facts

Santo Domingo | History, Culture, & Facts

Summary

Read a brief summary of this topic

Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. It is situated on the southeast coast of the island of Hispaniola, at the mouth of the Ozama River, and is the oldest permanent city established by Europeans in the Western Hemisphere. The city is also the seat of the oldest Roman Catholic archbishopric in the Americas.

Santo Domingo was founded in 1496 by Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher Columbus, as the capital of the first Spanish colony in the New World. The original city site was located on the left (east) bank of the Ozama River and was called Nueva Isabela in honour of Queen Isabella I of Spain. It was destroyed by a hurricane, however, and was rebuilt in 1502 at its present location on the right bank of the river. It became the starting point of most of the Spanish expeditions of exploration and conquest of the other islands of the West Indies and the adjacent mainland. The colony prospered as the seat of government of the Spanish possessions in the Americas until the conquest of Mexico and Peru, after which its importance declined.

Britannica Quiz

World Capitals Quiz

Can you identify the world’s national capitals? In this quiz you’ll be shown the names of 195 countries, and you’ll need to select the city (or cities) that is each one’s official or de facto capital.

In 1586 Sir Francis Drake, the English buccaneer, sacked the city. In 1655 its inhabitants defeated a British force that had been sent to seize the city. From 1795 to 1809 Santo Domingo was under French domination, and then, after another brief Spanish period, it was conquered by invaders from Haiti, its neighbour to the west on Hispaniola. Independence was proclaimed in 1844, and Santo Domingo became the capital of the new Dominican Republic until the republic’s annexation to Spain in 1861–65. The city has been the Dominican capital since the restoration of independence in 1865. The city’s name, officially changed in 1936 to Ciudad Trujillo in honour of the dictator Rafael Trujillo, was restored after his assassination in 1961.

Santo Domingo is the industrial, commercial, and financial centre of the country. Its industrial development has been greatly influenced by the construction of hydroelectric dams, which furnish its industries with inexpensive electrical power. The country’s most important industries—such as metallurgy; the manufacture of refrigerators, petrochemicals and plastics, cement, and textiles; and food processing—are located in Santo Domingo. The importance of services, including tourism, to the city’s economy has grown since the late 20th century.

Santo Domingo is also the chief seaport of the Dominican Republic. Its harbour at the mouth of the Ozama River was greatly improved in the 1930s to accommodate the largest vessels, and the port handles both heavy passenger and freight traffic. Roads connect the capital with the rest of the republic. There are no railway lines from the city, except those of the nearby sugar refineries. Two international airports serve the region, one about 10 miles (16 km) north-northeast and the other some 15 miles (24 km) east of the central city.

Santo Domingo claims the oldest university in the Western Hemisphere: the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (founded 1538). The city’s other educational institutions include the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (1966) and a technological institute (1971). Among the noted cultural institutions are the National Theatre, the music conservatory and the National Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of Dominican Man—important for its pre-Columbian collection—and various public and private libraries, especially the National Library. The two most prominent colonial monuments in Santo Domingo are the cathedral and the palace of Diego Columbus. The cathedral, in Spanish Renaissance style, was built between 1514 and 1542. The Columbus Lighthouse (Faro a Colón) reputedly contains the remains of Christopher Columbus. The historic district of the city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990. The city has numerous parks and green spaces, including the National Botanical Garden, established in 1976. Pop. (2002) urban area, 1,887,586; (2010) urban area, 2,581,827.

Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content.
Subscribe Now

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.

What Continent is the Dominican Republic In?

The Dominican Republic shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Haiti.

The Dominican Republic is considered part of the North American continent, and it is among the most visited nations in the Caribbean. Some of the famous and popular attractions include golf courses, the sandy beaches, and the tropical climate. The country is located on the Caribbean Hispaniola Island also known as Española. The country borders the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, Haiti, and the Mona Passage. The Dominican Republic is almost twice the size of the US state of New Hampshire.

Geographic Location

The country covers approximately two thirds of the whole of Hispaniola Island which makes it the second largest country by size in the whole of the Caribbean after Cuba. Part of the republic’s territory includes the islands of Catalina, Beata, Saona, Catalinita, and Alto Velo which are all located in the Caribbean Sea. There are some islets and cays in the Atlantic Ocean also belonging to the Dominican Republic. The Atlantic Ocean forms the northern border of the country while the Caribbean Sea borders it to the South. The country shares its western border with Haiti. The Mona Passage separates the Dominican Republic from Puerto Rico with a distance of about 237 miles.

Size of Dominican Republic

The total area covered by the Dominican Republic including its offshore islands is approximately 18,815 square miles. The maximum length of the country measured from east to west is 240 miles, and the width from North to South is 162 miles at its maximum. The entire boundary length of the Dominican Republic is 890 miles of which 696 miles form the coastline on the Atlantic and Caribbean shores. Of the offshore islands, the largest are Beata in the southwest and Saona located in the southeast.

Relief Features

The Dominican Republic’s terrains spot a variety of relief features. The interior of the island is mountainous, and the country is home to the Caribbean’s highest Pico Duarte which stands at 10,164 feet high and is part of the Cordillera Central. Four main rivers drain the mountainous interior of the country, and they include the Yaque del Norte which is the most important river in the country, the Yuna, the Yaque del Sur, and the Artibonito which is the longest river on the Hispaniola island flowing west into Haiti. Lake Enriquillo is the largest lake in the Caribbean and also the lowest point in the island country. This lake is fed by several minor river systems springing from the Neiba Mountains.

Population and Inhabitants

The Dominican Republic is the third-largest country by population in the Caribbean. Demographic reports from 2016 estimated the country’s population at 10.65 million. The capital city, Santo Domingo which is located at the southern coast, is home to at least 2,907,100 people. It is the most populous city in the country and is also the largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. Santiago de los Caballeros is the second-largest in the country and the fourth largest in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic has reaped significant economic benefits from its geographical location in the Caribbean. The extensive coastline, the climate, fertile soils, and deep harbors have all chipped in to make the Dominican Republic the economic powerhouse of the Caribbean.

Joyce Chepkemoi July 25 2018 in World Facts

Where is the Dominican Republic on the world map

Surprisingly, in today’s world, where travel is so easy, not everyone knows where the Dominican Republic is located.

The Dominican Republic is ideally located between the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea and the cool currents of the Atlantic Ocean. These conditions create a unique climate in the country and a stunning landscape with warm Caribbean winds off the coast and tropical rains in the mountains in the center of the country.

Geographical coordinates of the Dominican Republic: 19° north latitude and 70 ° west longitude

Dominican Republic on the world map: where is the Dominican Republic, what sea or ocean

From the west, the Dominican Republic borders on the Republic of Haiti. It is unlikely that in the world you can find two bordering states with such strong differences in culture, economy, education, language and religion.

If you look further west on the map, you will find the famous island of freedom, Cuba, with its own unique culture and history. Cuba is located just 70 km from the coast of Haiti. But we are sure that after visiting the Dominican Republic, you will not want to fly anywhere else 😉

On the east side, the nearest island is Puerto Rico. It is only 150 km from the coast of the Dominican Republic.
There are a lot of beautiful places in the Caribbean, but the Dominican Republic is a special place that you want to visit again and again or just stay here to live, as we once did.

What island is the Dominican Republic on?

The island currently occupied by the Dominican Republic and Haiti had several names. The Taino Indians, when the Europeans did not yet know where the Dominican Republic was located on the world map, called it “Haiti”. The word “Haiti” in the Taino language meant “height”, which is quite consistent with the relief of the island, which has several high mountain ranges. In addition, the Taino Indians called the island “Boio”, which means “home”.

Upon the arrival of Christopher Columbus, the island was christened with the name of Hispaniola, which means “little Spain”. After the founding of the city of Santo Domingo at the end of the fifteenth century, the island was also referred to as the name of its main city.

Location of the Dominican Republic on the world map

Above, we have already briefly talked about where the Dominican Republic is located on the world map, and even tried to show you the location of this island. Now it’s time to tell in more detail about where the Dominican Republic is located on the map.

The island of Hispaniola is located in the archipelago of the Greater Antilles. This island currently hosts the Dominican Republic and Haiti, two sovereign states. Hispaniola is the tenth most densely populated island in the world and the most populous of all the islands in the Americas. He belongs to the 22nd largest in the world. The island is located in the northern hemisphere, south of the Tropic of Cancer and west of the Greenwich meridian or prime meridian. Its northern point is located at 20° 00′ north latitude, and its southern point is 17° 36′ north latitude. The easternmost point of Isla Hispaniola is at 68° 19′ west longitude, and the westernmost at 74° 31′ west longitude.

The Dominican Republic occupies almost 2/3 of the territory of the island of Hispaniola, and Haiti occupies the entire west of the island. The Dominican Republic has an area of ​​48,670 square kilometers, including the islands of Saona, Beata, Alto Velo, and Catalina, while Haiti has an area of ​​29,243 square kilometers.

There are three main mountain ranges in the Dominican Republic. The Central Cordillera stretches from Haiti through the center of the country and ends in the south, in the San Cristobal region. Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Antilles (altitude 3087 meters) is located in these mountains. The northern range runs parallel to the central Cibao Valley. The third important mountain range in the Dominican Republic is the Baoruko and Neibe Mountains in the southwestern part of the country.

Which sea or ocean is in the Dominican Republic

Since many people have problems with geography, it is not surprising that not all tourists know what the Dominican Republic is washed by, what sea or ocean. In fact, this country offers the opportunity to relax both on the sea and on the ocean. In addition, the coast of the Dominican Republic is also washed by several bays, but it is correct to consider them as parts of the sea and ocean.

The Dominican Republic is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and the Caribbean Sea or the Antilles Sea in the south. The ocean and the sea are connected by the Mona Strait, which washes the Dominican Republic from the east (in particular, the city of Cap Cana lies on the shore of this strait) and separates it from the island of Puerto Rico.

Which Dominican resorts are located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean? This is, firstly, the resort area of ​​Punta Cana, which is the most popular in this country and one of the most popular in the Caribbean. Also on the ocean is the tourist area of ​​Puerto Plata and small resorts on the Samana Peninsula. On the Caribbean coast there are such resort areas as La Romana, Juan Dolio and Boca Chica. The main city of the Dominican Republic and the first city of the new world, Santo Domingo, also lies on the Caribbean coast.

Also, tourists who ask a question about what kind of sea or ocean in the Dominican Republic are interested in the characteristics of these reservoirs.

The ocean and sea surrounding the Dominican Republic are very warm throughout the year, as the water temperature in them ranges from 24 degrees in the “cold” months (February and March) to 29 degrees in the warmest months (August and September). The Caribbean Sea is warmer than the Atlantic Ocean throughout the year, although, in general, the difference in water temperature between them is relatively small.

The salinity of the sea and ocean near the Dominican Republic is usually very high (36 ppm) due to evaporation favored by the wind and high air and water temperatures. Salinity decreases around the mouths of large rivers and in areas with high levels of precipitation, especially after heavy rains. In the Gulf of Samana, for example, the salinity is 33 ppm, mainly due to the confluence of the freshwater Yuna River into this bay and the high amount of precipitation.

What time is it in Dominican Republic now

The geographical location of the Dominican Republic also affects the time in this country. As you know, the whole planet is divided into 24 time zones, so the time in different parts of the planet can vary greatly. Residents of such a huge country as Russia know this very well.

How can I find out what time it is in the Dominican Republic? To do this, you need to subtract the difference between time zones from the time in your city. For example, for Moscow and St. Petersburg, this difference is 7 hours, for Samara – 8 hours, for Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and other cities of the Urals – 9hours. In general, the further east a city is in Russia, the greater the time difference between it and the Dominican Republic.

Regions of the Dominican Republic

We have repeatedly talked about the tourist areas of the Dominican Republic on the pages of our website, which even contains review articles about the most famous resort regions. Now we want to talk about the geographical regions of this country.

The Dominican Republic is divided into three regions: northern or Cibao region, southeast and southwest.

Northern Dominican Republic

This region, also called Cibao, occupies the northern part of the Dominican Republic and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and east, Haiti in the west and the Cordillera Central in the south. It covers an area of ​​19,100 square kilometers and is very fertile. That is why agriculture is developed in most of the region. The Cibao region is divided into five sub-regions: Santiago, La Vega, Puerto Plata, San Francisco de Macoris and Valverde. Each sub-region is formed in turn by the provinces. Cibao has a total of 13 provinces, which are: Santiago, Bonao, La Vega, Sanchez Ramirez, Duarte, Dajabone, Espaillat, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Montecristi, Samana, Santiago Rodriguez, Maria Trinidad Sanchez.

The Santiago sub-region is the largest industrial region in the Dominican Republic. Here are factories for the production of rum, cigars, clothing, furniture, etc. The La Vega sub-region boasts large ferronickel deposits in Bonao. In addition, flowers and vegetables are grown here in the Constantzu Valley, while rice is mainly grown in the Bonao Valley. The Puerto Plata sub-region has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean in recent years due to its beautiful beaches and abundance of attractions. In addition, the most important port of the Northern Dominican Republic is located in Puerto Plata. San Francisco de Macoris is a sub-region known for its fishing, marble mines (Samana) and gold and silver deposits (Cotuy). Samana Bay is the most important tourist attraction in the area. The last sub-region of the Northern Dominican Republic, Valverde, is famous for its salt mines in Montecristi. The main agricultural products in this subregion are rice, peanuts and sugar cane.

Southeastern Dominican Republic

The Southeastern region covers the entire south and east of the country. It is limited in the north by the Cibao Valley, and in the south by the Caribbean Sea. This region has an area of ​​14740 sq. km. It is divided into three sub-regions: La Altagracia, San Pedro de Macoris and Santo Domingo. In general, the southeastern region has six provinces and one national district, which are: Santo Domingo, Peravia, San Cristobal, La Romana, San Pedro de Macoris, La Altagracia and El Seibo.

The La Altagracia sub-region is a leader in tourism in the entire Dominican Republic, as it hosts not only the most famous resort area of ​​Punta Cana, but also other popular resort areas such as La Romana, Boca Chica and Juan Dolio. La Romana is the most significant province in this sub-region, because, in addition to tourism, sugar production is also developed here (there is the largest sugar factory in the Dominican Republic). The sub-region of San Pedro de Macoris also boasts of its sugar industry, as there are as many as six sugar refineries. The province of El Seibo is an important center for raising livestock and growing rice and cocoa. The sub-region of Santo Domingo includes the capital of the country and the provinces of San Cristobal and Peravia. Santo Domingo is a major industrial and commercial center, the municipality of San Cristobal is characterized mainly by the production of sugar and rice, while Peravia is characterized by the cultivation of coffee and peanuts.

Southwest Dominican Republic

The southwest region borders the Cordillera Central to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the south, and Haiti to the west. It has an area of ​​13180 sq. km. and is divided into six provinces: Barahona, La Estrelleta, Independencia, Pedernales, Baoruco and San Juan de la Maguana. The center of this region is Barahona, where there are salt mines, as well as mines for the extraction of gypsum, bauxite and larimar. In the Southwestern Dominican Republic, Lake Enriquillo is located, which is the largest in the country.

Still have questions? Do you want to get advice on holidays or find out about the best excursions in the Dominican Republic? Write to us! Be sure to answer everyone!

THANK YOU!

If you liked our article, then tell us about it in the social. networks

Plus a Dominican phrasebook!

Hotel Beliv Dominican Republic (Be Live Collection Punta Cana)

Filming Eagle and Reshka in the Dominican Republic – Sea season (Kolya Serga and Alina Astrovskaya), 2019

Dominican Republic – how long is the flight from Moscow?

Time in the Dominican Republic now, time difference with Punta Cana and tips for successful acclimatization

How to comfortably relax in the Dominican Republic with children? Practical advice and tips for choosing a hotel in Punta Cana

Hotel Memories Splash Punta Cana 5⭐️

Royalton Punta Cana Resort & Casino 5⭐️, Dominican Republic

Sunscape Dominican Beach Punta Cana 4⭐️ in Dominican Republic

Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa 5⭐️, Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic weather in June and water temperature. holidays in punta cana in june.

Weather in the Dominican Republic in April, water temperature in the ocean and features of recreation0003

Where it is better to relax in the Dominican Republic

Punta Kana, Dominican Republic: Review of the resort

Best Dominican Resorts (Dominican Republic)

Official Wedding in Dominican Republic, Prices for the official wedding ceremony in the Dominican Republic

Cigars in the Dominican Republic

Excursions from Puerto – Fee in the Dominican Republic

Which excursions to visit in the Dominican Republic?

Wrangler Super Jeep Safari

Saona Island, Dominican Republic 92, he considered this land the most beautiful of all, on which the foot of a man stepped. And today it is one of the most rapidly developing resort areas in the Caribbean, annually receiving hundreds of thousands of tourists.

The three highest peaks of the Antilles are located in the Dominican Republic – Peak Duarte (3175 m).
Santo Domingo is home to the region’s oldest buildings – the first cathedral, fort, street, monastery, hospital, university and palace of the New World.
The shortest river in the world – two hundred meters Los Patos, connecting the lake of the same name (40 km from Barahona) with the ocean.

Capital : Santo Domingo.

Geography :
The state with a total area of ​​48.7 thousand square meters. km is located in the West Indies, in the center of the Greater Antilles, occupying the eastern part of the island of Haiti (another name for the island is Hispaniola).
In the north it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, in the south – by the Caribbean Sea, in the east the Mona Strait separates the country from Puerto Rico, in the west it borders on the Republic of Haiti.
The relief of the island is very diverse. More than half of the country’s territory is occupied by 4 mountain ranges that cross the island from northwest to southeast, as well as the Sierra de Baoruco plateau in the southwest. The highest point of the country is Duarte Peak in the northwest (3175 m). The coastal zone and intermountain valleys are occupied by vast savannahs (most of them have long been used for farmland) and tropical forests.

Climate :
Tropical trade winds, maritime. The average monthly temperatures in the lowlands fluctuate slightly – from +25 C to +27 C. The hottest month is August (up to +31 C), but sea winds blowing from the northeast soften the heat even at this time. The “coldest” is January (about +22 C).
Altitudinal zonality is relatively poorly developed, but still in mountainous areas the temperature in winter can drop to minus.
The local climate is characterized by high humidity – from 65% to 80%. Precipitation falls from 1000 to 2000 mm per year. The rainy season lasts from May to August-September, when tropical air masses bring showers to the island. Frequent but short showers are also possible in November-December. The rest of the time, dry and warm weather prevails.

Language :
The official language is Spanish, English, German and French are also used in the tourism sector.

Population :
About 8.7 million people. The bulk of the population (73%) are blacks, mulattos and creoles, there are also many immigrants from Europe (up to 16%) and Africa (11%).

State system :
Democratic presidential republic. The head of state and government is the president, elected for a term of 4 years by universal direct secret suffrage.

Religion :
The main population is Catholics (95%), Protestants and Jews live in a small number, but many people still practice local animistic cults.

Money :
Dominican peso (RD$ or DOP), equal to 100 centavos. In circulation are banknotes in denominations of 2000, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10 pesos, as well as coins of 1 peso and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 centavos.

Currency exchange :
Only the national currency is officially accepted in the country, but foreign tourists are paid almost everywhere in US dollars. Foreign currency can be exchanged at the airport, hotel or commercial banks. In tourist areas, the rate is greatly underestimated. In private institutions, dollars are accepted everywhere, but change can be returned in pesos. If prices are set in dollars, the conversion rate must always be specified in advance.

Indicative exchange rate
Dominican peso (DOP) / American dollar (USD)
1 USD = 37.31 DOP
100 DOP = 2.68 USD
Dominican peso (DOP) / Euro302 =6 90 EUR (EUR) 50.98 DOP
100 DOP = 1.96 EUR

Time :
Behind Moscow time by 7 hours in winter and 8 hours in summer.

Official holidays and days off:
January 1 – New Year.
January 6 – Epiphany (Baptism).
January 21 – Our Lady of Altagracia.
January 26 – Duarte’s birthday.
February 27 – Independence Day.
March-April – Easter.
May 1 – Labor Day.
end of May – beginning of June – Feast of the Body of the Lord.
August 16 – Restoration Day of the Republic.
September 24 – Our Lady of the Mercedes.
November 6 – Constitution Day.
December 25-26 – Christmas and New Year.

Communications and communications:
To call Cuba, dial 8 – 10 – 809- “subscriber number”.
GSM 1800/1900 communication standard. Roaming is available to subscribers of major Russian operators.

Entry:
Citizens of Russia do not need a visa to enter the Dominican Republic for tourism purposes. At the entrance to the country (in front of the passport control zone) a tourist card (“tarjeta del tourista”) is issued for a stay of 30 days. There is a fee of $10 or €10 for the card.
When passing through passport control, the following documents must be presented:
international passport, valid for at least 1 month from the end of your stay in the country;
return tickets or tickets to a third country.
The period of stay in the country can be extended by 90 days by contacting the local police station.

Flight : from 12 hours (direct).

Customs regulations:
Import of foreign currency is not limited (declaration is obligatory), export – in the amounts declared in the declaration (export of more than 10 thousand US dollars in cash is prohibited). Import and export of local currency is prohibited.
Duty-free import of up to 1 liter of alcoholic beverages with a strength of up to 22%, up to 2 liters of less strong drinks, up to 500 g of coffee, up to 200 cigarettes or one box of cigars, up to 2 bottles of perfume (must be opened), as well as items for personal use and gifts worth no more than $100.
The import of products of animal, agricultural and horticultural origin (that is, almost all products) and drugs is prohibited (the import of some medicines is also restricted).
It is forbidden to export, without special permission, objects and things of historical and artistic value (especially those raised from the bottom of the sea), some types of orchids and the heart of a palm tree, as well as cigars in quantities of more than 50 pieces per person.

Tips:
Tips are partly already included in the cost of service in hotels, but in restaurants it is customary to leave 10% of the order value to the waiter. Maids and porters are usually entitled to 1-2 USD.

Security:
You should not exchange money on the street and in the markets – currency fraud accounts for about half of all crimes in the country.
When driving on local roads, you should be extremely careful – the driving style of local residents is quite extreme (to put it simply – everyone drives as he pleases).

Medicine:
It is recommended to have international health insurance with you.
No special vaccination required.
It is strongly recommended to use bottled water for drinking and boiled or specially purified water for brushing teeth and making ice.

Electricity:
Mains voltage 110 V., 60 Hz. Flat sockets, American standard plugs. To connect electrical appliances, you need an adapter (usually sold in hotel shops).