• Dominican Republic is located on Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea.
• Shares maritime border with Puerto Rico and land border with Haiti.
• Second-largest country in the Antilles by area (48,671 km²) and second most populous (11.4 million in 2024).

• Indigenous peoples like the Taíno inhabited Hispaniola before European arrival.
• Christopher Columbus claimed the island in 1492; Santo Domingo was the first European settlement in the Americas.
• Gained independence from Spain in 1844 after the Dominican War of Independence.
• Experienced civil wars, dictatorships, and brief U.S. occupation.
• Transitioned to representative democracy since 1996.

• Largest economy in the Caribbean and seventh in Latin America.
• Fastest-growing economy in the Western Hemisphere over the past 25 years (average 5.3% GDP growth).
• Growth driven by sectors like construction, tourism, and mining; host to the Pueblo Viejo gold mine.

• Most visited destination in the Caribbean.
• Features diverse geography, including Pico Duarte and Lake Enriquillo.
• Home to the first cathedral and fortress in the Americas.

List of newspapers published in Dominican Republic.