Dominican Republic: Overview

Updated: 2017-03-15.

The Dominican Republic is an island, well, half of an island-nation in the Caribbean Sea; it shares the large island of Hispaniola with Haiti, its neighbor to the west. It is the second-largest Caribbean nation after Cuba, in both population and area.

The Dominican Republic constantly gets bombarded with tourists looking to laze upon its picturesque, white, sandy beaches. However, for the traveler looking to take in a bit of that Latin American culture that defines the Dominicans, you won’t have to look far to get away from the tourist traps and start diving into the local scene.

Other than the jagged cliff lines and palm-studded beaches that DR is famous for, the inner portion of the island is quite rural in nature. This is a great place to head to try some of the best foods that the country has to offer, as well as to glimpse an often-overlooked natural beauty that’s waiting just around the corner.

Santo Domingo is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic, as well as the oldest European city in the Americas (continuously-inhabited), having been founded in 1496 by Christopher Columbus’s brother, Bartholomew. Because of this, it has a rich history and culture that is just begging to be shared, and the city’s ample museums and galleries will help paint a picture of just what life was like in the early days.