The Dominican Republic is a sovereign state occupying the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola while Haiti occupies the other one-third. Although Christopher Columbus arrived in Haiti on December 6, 1492, the Taino people already occupied the island.

The Dominican Republic has the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central America; tourism, agriculture, and mining serve as the basis for the economy. The Dominican Republic is one of the most visited and popular tourist destinations in the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic is also home to the Caribbean’s tallest mountain peak, Pico Duarte, and the Caribbean’s largest lake and point of lowest elevation, Lake Enriquillo.

Basic Information About The Dominican Republic:

Population: The population of the Dominican Republic is 10,700,991.

GDP: $138.0 billion (2016)

Climate: The majority of the Dominican Republic enjoys beautiful tropical weather all year round, with the average annual temperature hovering around 25°C (77°F). Some call the Dominican Republic’s climate, ‘the endless summer’, due to warm and sunny conditions experienced pretty much everywhere in the country, all year round. 

People: The Dominican Republic’s population is 73% of racially mixed origin, 16%  White, and 11% Black.  Ethnic immigrant groups in the country include West Asians—mostly Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians. 

Religion: The Dominican Republic is 83% Christian, including 65% Roman Catholic and 18% Protestant. Recent but small scale immigration, as well as proselytizing, has brought other religions, with the following shares of the population: Spiritist: 1.2%, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: 1.1%,  Buddhist: 0.10%, Baha’i: 0.1%, Islam: 0.02%, Judaism: 0.01%, Chinese folk religion: 0.1%,

Capital: Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital of Dominican Republic.

Language: Spanish is the primary language. English and French are mandatory foreign languages in both private and public schools; however, some private organizations such as hotels teach other languages, notably Italian, Japanese, and Mandarin.

Currency: The Dominican peso (DOP, or RD$) is the national currency. 

Time Zone: UTC-04:00

Country Phone Code: 1-809

Emergency Number: 911

Electricity: 110 V 60 Hz; Plug Styles: Flat blade plug

Security Concerns: Corruption, crime, drug trafficking and kidnapping are the main concerns.