Caribbean · North AmericaDominican Republic
Discover the Dominican Republic - where Columbus built the first European city in the Americas, merengue fills every street, and more MLB players are born than anywhere outside the US.
Where Is the Dominican Republic?
The Dominican Republic is a country in the Caribbean, North America. Its capital is Santo Domingo.
- Capital Santo Domingo
- Population 11.5M
- Area 48,671 km²
The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, the island where European colonization of the Americas truly began. Santo Domingo, founded in 1496, is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Western Hemisphere - the first cathedral, the first university, the first hospital, the first paved street in the Americas are all here. Walk through the Zona Colonial and you are walking through the birthplace of the New World as Europeans knew it.
But the Dominican Republic is far more than history. This is the country that has exported more Major League Baseball players than any nation outside the United States - over 800 and counting. Merengue and bachata were both born here, and both became UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The landscape ranges from the Caribbean's highest peak, Pico Duarte at 3,098 meters, to Lago Enriquillo, the lowest point in the Caribbean at 46 meters below sea level. There are world-class resorts in Punta Cana, wild surf on the north coast, and some of the best whale watching in the Atlantic off the Samana Peninsula. Ten million people live here with a joy and resilience forged by one of the most complex histories in the hemisphere.
At a glance
Largest cities in Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo
Santiago de los Caballeros
Punta Cana
Puerto Plata
La Romana
Famous people from Dominican Republic
Juan Luis Guerra
MusicDominican musical genius who revolutionized merengue and bachata, winning multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards with poetic, socially conscious lyrics
David Ortiz
SportBig Papi, the legendary Boston Red Sox slugger who became one of the most clutch hitters in baseball history with three World Series titles
Oscar de la Renta
FashionWorld-renowned fashion designer from Santo Domingo who dressed First Ladies, Hollywood stars, and royalty for over five decades
Sammy Sosa
SportIconic slugger who captivated America during the 1998 home run chase, hitting 609 career home runs and becoming a national hero
Julia Alvarez
LiteratureAcclaimed novelist and poet whose In the Time of the Butterflies brought the story of Dominican resistance to the Trujillo dictatorship to the world
Traditional cuisine of Dominican Republic
- La Bandera
- The Flag - the national lunch of white rice, red beans, and stewed meat, eaten daily by millions and named for its resemblance to the Dominican flag colors
- Mangu
- Mashed green plantains topped with sauteed red onions, served with fried cheese, eggs, and salami for the ultimate Dominican breakfast
- Sancocho
- Rich seven-meat stew with root vegetables, corn, and plantains, the ultimate celebratory dish served at family gatherings and holidays
- Chimichurri Burger
- Dominican street burger loaded with shredded cabbage, tomatoes, and a signature pink mayo sauce, the king of Dominican street food
- Morir Sonando
- To die dreaming - a frothy drink of orange juice, milk, sugar, and ice blended together, the most beloved Dominican beverage
Nature and landmarks in Dominican Republic
- Pico DuarteMountain
- Highest peak in the Caribbean at 3,098 meters, a challenging multi-day hike through pine forests in the Cordillera Central
- Los Haitises National ParkNational Park
- Dramatic landscape of limestone karst hills, mangrove estuaries, and caves with ancient Taino petroglyphs along Samana Bay
- Lago EnriquilloLake
- Largest lake in the Caribbean and the lowest point at 46 meters below sea level, home to American crocodiles, iguanas, and flamingos
- 27 Waterfalls of DamajaguaRiver
- Series of cascading waterfalls near Puerto Plata where visitors hike, climb, and jump into turquoise pools in a tropical canyon
- Samana BayCoast
- Premier whale watching destination where thousands of humpback whales gather each winter to mate and calve in warm Caribbean waters
Sports in Dominican Republic
- Baseball
- The Dominican Republic has produced over 800 MLB players, more than any country outside the US, including legends like Pedro Martinez, Pujols, and Ortiz
- Boxing
- Multiple world champions across weight divisions, with boxing deeply embedded in Dominican sporting culture
- Basketball
- Growing basketball culture with Dominican players reaching the NBA and strong national team performances in the Americas
Did you know?
Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial contains the first cathedral, first university, first hospital, and first paved street built by Europeans in the Americas
The Dominican Republic has produced more Major League Baseball players than any country outside the United States
Both merengue and bachata were born in the Dominican Republic and are now UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
The country shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, making it one of only two islands divided between two sovereign nations in the Caribbean
The Dominican flag is the only national flag in the world that features an image of a Bible
Pico Duarte at 3,098 meters is the highest point in the entire Caribbean, requiring a multi-day hike to summit
Amber from the Dominican Republic has been found to contain some of the world's best-preserved prehistoric insects, inspiring Jurassic Park
Read more about Dominican Republic
Can you find Dominican Republic on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Dominican Republic and its neighbours without a second thought.
