Visiting the Dominican Republic
For travel guide for the Dominican Republic and practical advice regarding eating, drinking, shopping, how to get around, price levels on lodging and holiday accomodation (e.g. hotels, vacation rentals by owner, b&b's, vacation rental homes, holiday villas, condos, cabins, hostels, self-catering cottages) and safety hints please click here.

Dominican Republic facts, geography & history

Facts
Government: Representative democracy.
Population (est.): 9,185,500.
Capital, population (est.): Santo Domingo, 2,853,000 (metro. area), 2,253,000 (city proper).
Language: Spanish.
Monetary unit: Dominican Peso.

Geography
The capital of the country is the city of Santo Domingo (full name Santo Domingo de Guzmán) located in the southern part of the island. Originally a single city located within the province Distrito Nacional (National District), it has now been divided into the Province of Santo Domingo and the National District. The Province of Santo Domingo is comprised of several municipalities: Santo Domingo Norte (North Santo Domingo), Santo Domingo Este (East Santo Domingo, which is the provincial capital), Santo Domingo Oeste (West Santo Domingo) and Boca Chica. The Ozama River serves a natural border between the National District and the Province of Santo Domingo. Thus the capital city of the country is the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Province of National District. The second largest city is Santiago de los Caballeros, more commonly referred to as simply Santiago.
The country has three major mountain ranges: the Central Mountains (Cordillera Central), which originate in Haiti and span the central part of the island, ending in the south. This mountain range boasts the highest peak in the Antilles, Pico Duarte (3,087 m / 10,128 ft above sea level). The Septentrional Mountains, running parallel to the Central Mountains, separate the Cibao Valley and the Atlantic coastal plains. The highest point in this range is Pico Diego de Ocampo. The lowest and shortest of the three ranges is the Eastern Mountains, in the eastern part of the country. Other mountains include the Sierra Bahoruco and the Sierra Neyba in the southwest.
The Dominican Republic has many rivers, including the navigable Soco, Higuamo, Romana (also known as 'Rio Dulce'), Yaque del Norte, Yaque del Sur, Yuna River, Yuma, and Bajabonico. Puerto Plata's Mount Isabela is infamous for the Cuban airplane that crashed there in 1992. The two largest islands, nearshore, are Saona Island in the southeast and Beata Island in the southwest. To the north, at a distance between 100 and 200 km, are three extensive, largely submerged banks, which geographically are a southeast continuation of the Bahamas.
The Dominican Republic uses its rivers and streams to create electricity, and many hydro-electric plants and dams have been created on rivers, including the Bao, Nizao, Ozama, and Higuamo. See Hydroelectricity And Dams In The Dominican Republic for more information regarding dams in the Dominican Republic..........
Adopted from and read more at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic

History
If you are interested in this country's history, please take a look here.