Sharing the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and taking up its eastern two-thirds, the Dominican Republic is the Caribbean's largest economy — famous for its beaches, Spanish colonial architecture, all-inclusive resorts, golfing and merengue.
The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, sharing the island with Haiti to the west — in the Greater Antilles, east of Cuba and west of Puerto Rico. It's a presidential representative democracy: the President is both head of state and head of government, legislative power sits with a bicameral National Congress, and the judiciary is independent. View map →
It's also the Caribbean's largest economy, and Hispaniola itself is the region's second-largest island after Cuba — home to Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the Caribbean, alongside rainforests, savannah, and some of the region's most famous all-inclusive beach resorts around Punta Cana. Read the full fact sheet →
Nationality: Dominican · Size: 48,670 sq km (18,792 sq mi) · shares Hispaniola with Haiti
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Dominican Republic offers a fantastic combination of environments to capture your imagination and refresh the soul. And with eight international airports, paradise has never been easier to explore.
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FUNDEMAR, desde sus inicios trabajó en la protección y conservación de los mamíferos marinos a nivel nacional, en especial las ballenas jorobadas, siendo institución clave en la creación del Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos Bancos de la Plata y Navidad y en el Acuerdo de Hermanamiento de Nuestro Santuario y El Santuario Marino Nacional Stellwagen en los Estados Unidos.
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Dominican Republic offers a vast variety of tours, from jetski, fishing, boating, kitesurfing, horse riding, snorkeling, scuba diving, waterfall ziplining, buggy tours and more...
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Real, lived-in advice from travellers and locals — trip reports, packing lists and the tips that make a Caribbean vacation go smoothly.
These Dominican Republic tours or activities are independently operated. After booking, the tour operator will contact you directly with your reservation details.
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The stories behind the postcard — a few things worth knowing before you go.
La Isabela, founded near present-day Puerto Plata by Christopher Columbus in 1493 on his second voyage, was the first permanent European settlement in the Americas.
Baseball is the national pastime — David Ortiz, Pedro Martínez and Sammy Sosa are just a few of the many Major League stars who trace their roots back here.
The Dominican Republic has the largest economy in the Caribbean region. Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti, is the second-largest island in the Caribbean after Cuba.
From tropical rainforest to arid desert, the terrain includes Pico Duarte — at 3,098m (10,164 ft), the highest peak in the entire Caribbean — in the Cordillera Central range.
Two of the Caribbean's most infectious genres were born here — fast-paced, accordion-and-tambora merengue, and guitar-driven, heartfelt bachata.
Ranked by locals — the Dominican Republic essentials.
See the island before you go.
“Himno Nacional”
(“National Anthem”)
In pre-Columbian times the island was inhabited by the Taíno, an Arawak-speaking people. Christopher Columbus reached the island in 1492 and claimed it for the Spanish Crown; the following year, his crew founded La Isabela near present-day Puerto Plata — the first permanent European settlement in the Americas.
Santo Domingo, founded soon after, became the seat of Spain's 16th-century empire in the New World, and its Zona Colonial remains the oldest colonial city in the Americas — cobblestone streets and restored mansions where the past and present sit side by side.
Today the Dominican Republic is the Caribbean's largest economy, powered heavily by tourism centered on Punta Cana and the country's all-inclusive resort belt, alongside a passionate national culture built around baseball, merengue and bachata.
Fine, immaculate sand and gin-clear water protected by coral reefs make this one of the most family-friendly beaches in the country — though its closeness to Santo Domingo (30km/20 miles east) means it draws a crowd.
One of the world's great beach strips — roughly 30km (20 miles) of wide, golden sand along the eastern coast, backed by the Caribbean's largest concentration of all-inclusive resorts.
A small island off the Samaná peninsula, reachable by boat, with three white-sand beaches and jungle-like trails — once famous as the Bacardi Rum island from 1970s TV commercials.
Consistently ranked among the top beaches in the Caribbean — long, wide and backed by thick palm forest, with plenty of room to spread out and fresh seafood available on request.
A well-established Puerto Plata resort beach — golden sand and calm water, wrapped in one of the north coast's longest-running tourism destinations.
Tips by Liz Strauss, an experienced traveler and piano entertainer. www.lizpiano.com · Disclosure
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