View source for Dominican Republic

{{Short description|Country in the Caribbean}}
{{Distinguish|Dominica}}
{{Redirect|Dominicana|the airline|Dominicana de Aviación|the novel|Dominicana (novel)}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Dominican Republic
| common_name            = the Dominican Republic
| native_name            = {{native name|es|República Dominicana}}
| image_flag             = Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic.svg
| national_motto         = {{native phrase|es|"Dios, Patria, Libertad"|italics=off|nolink=yes}}<br />"God, Homeland, Freedom"<!--<ref name=embassy/><ref name="CIADemo"/>-->
| national_anthem        = ''[[National Anthem of the Dominican Republic|Quisqueyanos valientes]]''<br />{{raise|0.2em|''Valiant Quisqueyans''&nbsp;{{lower|0.2em|<!--end lower:-->}}<!--end raise:-->}}<div style="padding-top:0.5em;">{{center|[[File:Dominican Republic National Anthem.ogg]]}}</div>
| image_map              = Dominican Republic (orthographic projection).svg
| image_map2             = 
| capital                = [[Santo Domingo]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|18|27|N|69|56|W|type:city}}
| largest_city           = capital
| official_languages     = [[Dominican Spanish|Spanish]]
| languages2             = ''[[#Languages|See below]]''
| languages2_type        = Other languages
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2022
| ethnic_groups          = {{vunblist
| 71.72% [[Mixed Dominicans|Mixed]]
| 18.70% [[White Dominicans|White]]
| 7.45% [[Afro-Dominicans|Black]]
| 0.33% [[East Asian people|East Asian]]
| 0.37% Other 
| 1.43% No answer
}}
| ethnic_groups_ref      = <ref name="one.gob.do">{{cite web|url= https://www.one.gob.do/media/rmfhr5tj/cuadro-12-volumen-iii.xlsx|title= REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA: Población de 12 años y más, por percepción del informante acerca de las facciones, color de piel y otras características culturales de los miembros del hogar, según región, provincia y grupos de edades|website=one.gob.do|date= September 30, 2024|accessdate= October 19, 2024}}</ref>
| religion               = {{unbulleted list | 
{{Tree list}}
*74.6% [[Christianity]]
**52.5% [[Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic|Catholicism]] 
**21.0% [[Protestantism]]
**1.1% other [[Christians|Christian]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| 22.0% [[Irreligion in Latin America|no religion]]
| 1.4% [[Religion in the Dominican Republic|other]]
| 2.0% unspecified
}}
| religion_ref           = <ref name=":usirf">''[https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/dominican-republic/ International Religious Freedom Report 2022 Dominican Republic]'', US State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.</ref>
| religion_year          = 2020
| demonym                = [[People of the Dominican Republic|Dominican]]<br />Quisqueyan (colloquial)<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AozPCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA239 |title=Historical Dictionary of the Dominican Republic |first=Eric Paul |last=Roorda |date=April 28, 2016 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |via=Google Books |isbn=9780810879065 |access-date=December 20, 2017 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005659/https://books.google.com/books?id=AozPCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA239#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
| government_type        = Unitary [[presidential system|presidential republic]]<ref name="CIADemo"/>
| leader_title1          = [[President of the Dominican Republic|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Luis Abinader]]
| leader_title2          = [[Vice President of the Dominican Republic|Vice President]]
| leader_name2           = [[Raquel Peña de Antuña|Raquel Peña]]
| legislature            = [[Congress of the Dominican Republic|Congress]]
| upper_house            = [[Senate of the Dominican Republic|Senate]]
| lower_house            = [[Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic|Chamber of Deputies]]
| sovereignty_type       = [[History of the Dominican Republic|Formation]]
| established_event1     = [[Republic of Spanish Haiti|Ephemeral Independence]]
| established_date1      = 1821–1822
| established_event2     = [[First Republic (Dominican Republic)|First Republic]]
| established_date2      = 1844–1861<ref name=MoyaPons-18AGO1863>{{cite book |title=Historia de la República Dominicana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wor3UqsHkToC&q=Espa%C3%B1a |publisher=Ediciones Doce Calles, S.L. |year=2010 |isbn=978-84-00-09240-5 |access-date=July 1, 2013 |page=409 |ref=En este ambiente de agravios, lpa revolución para restaurar la República estalló el 16 de agosto de 1863 en un poblado de la frontera norte con Haití y recibió amplio apoyo en toda la región del Cibao, como era conocida el norte del país, desafecto a Santana por muchas razones. Campesinos y comerciantes tenían sobrados motivos para aborrecerlo y España no había cumplido con las expectativas soñadas por los dominicanos. En poco No, el país se dividió en dos: los españoles sostenían las regiones sur y este con Santo Domingo de capital, y todo el norte defendía la restauración, con Santiago a la cabeza. |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005659/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wor3UqsHkToC&q=Espa%C3%B1a#v=snippet&q=Espa%C3%B1a&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
| established_event3     = [[Second Republic (Dominican Republic)|Second Republic]]
| established_date3      = 1865–1916<ref>{{cite news|title=II República Dominicana|url=https://html.rincondelvago.com/ii-republica-dominicana.html|publisher=Rincon del Vago|date=January 20, 2013|access-date=January 20, 2013|archive-date=December 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204032047/http://html.rincondelvago.com/ii-republica-dominicana.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| established_event4     = [[Third Republic (Dominican Republic)|Third Republic]]
| established_date4      = 1924–1965<ref>{{cite news|title=12 de julio de 1924, una fecha relegada al olvido|url=http://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/lecturas/12-de-julio-de-1924-una-fecha-relegada-al-olvido-APDL348392|publisher=Diario Libre|date=August 18, 2012|access-date=September 24, 2014|archive-date=October 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015215308/http://www.diariolibre.com/opinion/lecturas/12-de-julio-de-1924-una-fecha-relegada-al-olvido-APDL348392|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=La Tercera República: La fragua de nuestra contemporaneidad|url=https://hoy.com.do/la-tercera-republica-la-fragua-de-nuestra-contemporaneidad/|publisher=Hoy|date=May 11, 2013|access-date=May 11, 2013|archive-date=December 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204024853/http://hoy.com.do/la-tercera-republica-la-fragua-de-nuestra-contemporaneidad/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| established_event5     = Fourth Republic
| established_date5      = 1966–present<ref>{{cite book|first=|last=|title=Cuarta República (1966-presente)|url=http://hechoshistoricosrd.blogspot.com/2015/07/cuarta-republica-1966-presente.html?m=1|publisher=Hechos Históricos Republica Dominicana|date=2015|access-date=July 13, 2015|archive-date=December 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221181856/http://hechoshistoricosrd.blogspot.com/2015/07/cuarta-republica-1966-presente.html?m=1|url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_km2               = 48,671
| area_rank              = 128th
| area_sq_mi             = <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| percent_water          = 0.7<ref name="CIADemo"/>
| population_estimate    = {{increase}} 11,532,151<ref name="Dominican Republic Macrotrends">{{cite web |url=https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/DOM/dominican-republic/population/ |title=Macrotrends Historical Population Database, 2025. (DO) |website=macrotrends.net |date=January 1, 2025 |access-date=January 7, 2025 |archive-date=January 20, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120092428/https://macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/DOM/dominican-republic/population |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2025
| population_estimate_rank = 88th
| population_density_km2 = 220
| population_density_sq_mi = 501.5 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| population_density_rank = 65th
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $334.292 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.DO">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/October/weo-report?c=243,&s=NGDP_RPCH,NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,PCPIPCH,PCPIEPCH,LUR,GGXWDN_NGDP,GGXWDG_NGDP,&sy=1980&ey=2029&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (DO) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=IMF.org |date=October 10, 2024 |access-date=October 12, 2024 }}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2025
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 64th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $30,710<ref name="IMFWEO.DO" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 67th
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $135.545 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.DO" />
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2025
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 64th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $12,452<ref name="IMFWEO.DO" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 74th
| Gini                   = 37 <!--number only-->
| Gini_year              = 2022
| Gini_change            = decrease <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini_ref               = <ref name="WBgini">{{cite web | url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=DO | title=World Bank Open Data }}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.776
| HDI_year               = 2023 <!--Please use the year in which the HDI data refers to and not the publication year-->
| HDI_change             = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=May 6, 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=May 6, 2025 |access-date=May 6, 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 89th
| currency               = [[Dominican peso]]<ref name="embassy">{{cite web |url=http://www.domrep.org/gen_info.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626100357/http://www.domrep.org/gen_info.html |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |title=Embassy of the Dominican Republic, in the United States |access-date=February 27, 2009}}</ref>
| currency_code          = DOP
| time_zone              = [[Atlantic Standard Time|AST]]
| utc_offset             = [[UTC-04:00|-04:00]]
| date_format            = {{nowrap|dd/mm/yyyy}} or {{nowrap|dd-mm-yyyy}}
| drives_on              = Right
| calling_code           = [[Telephone numbers in the Dominican Republic|+1]]
| cctld                  = [[.do]]<ref name="CIADemo"/>
| footnote_a             = 
| footnotes              = Sources for area, capital, coat of arms, coordinates, flag, language, motto and names:&nbsp;{{lower|0.4em|<ref name=embassy/>}}<br />For an alternate area figure of {{cvt|48,730|km2}}, calling code 809 and Internet TLD:&nbsp;{{lower|0.4em|<ref name="CIADemo"/>}}
| today                  = 
}}

The '''Dominican Republic'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|d|ə|ˈ|m|ɪ|n|ᵻ|k|ən}} {{Respell|də|MIN|ik|ən}}; {{langx|es|República Dominicana}}, {{IPA|es|reˈpuβlika ðominiˈkana|pron|ES-pe - República Dominicana.ogg}}}} is a country in the [[Caribbean]] located on the island of [[Hispaniola]] in the [[Greater Antilles]] of the [[Caribbean Sea]] in the [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic Ocean]]. It shares a [[Maritime boundary|maritime border]] with [[Puerto Rico]] to the east and a [[Dominican Republic–Haiti border|land border]] with [[Haiti]] to the west, occupying the [[Geography of the Dominican Republic|eastern five-eighths]] of Hispaniola which, along with [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint Martin]], is one of only two islands in the Caribbean shared by two [[sovereign state]]s.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=de9NDQAAQBAJ |title=Vascular Surgery: A Global Perspective |editor=Dardik, Alan |page=341 |year=2016 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-33745-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5wBsDQAAQBAJ |title=Current Affairs November 2016 eBook |editor=Josh, Jagran |page=93 |year=2016}}</ref> In the [[Antilles]], the country is the [[List of Caribbean islands by area|second-largest]] nation by area after [[Cuba]] at {{convert|48671 |km2|sqmi|sp=us}} and [[List of Caribbean countries by population|second-largest]] by population after Haiti with approximately 11.4 million people in 2024, of whom 3.6 million reside in the [[Greater Santo Domingo|metropolitan area]] of [[Santo Domingo]], the capital city.<ref name="CIADemo"/>

The native [[Taíno]] people had inhabited Hispaniola prior to [[European colonization of the Americas|European contact]], dividing it into [[Chiefdoms of Hispaniola|five chiefdoms]]. [[Christopher Columbus]] claimed the island for [[Crown of Castile|Castile]], landing there on his [[Voyages of Christopher Columbus#First voyage|first voyage in 1492]]. The [[Captaincy General of Santo Domingo|colony of Santo Domingo]] became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the [[Americas]]. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which became the independent [[First Empire of Haiti]] in 1804. A group of Dominicans deposed the Spanish governor and declared independence from Spain in November 1821, but were annexed by Haiti in February 1822. Independence came 22 years later in 1844, after victory in the [[Dominican War of Independence]]. The next 72 years saw several civil wars, failed invasions by Haiti, and a brief return to Spanish colonial status, before permanently ousting the Spanish during the [[Dominican Restoration War]] of 1863–1865. From 1930, the dictatorship of [[Rafael Trujillo]] ruled until his assassination in 1961. [[Juan Bosch (politician)|Juan Bosch]] was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a [[1963 Dominican coup d'état|military coup in 1963]]. The [[Dominican Civil War of 1965]] preceded the authoritarian rule of [[Joaquín Balaguer]] (1966–1978 and 1986–1996). Since 1978, the Dominican Republic has moved towards [[representative democracy]].

The Dominican Republic has the [[Economy of the Dominican Republic|largest economy]] in the Caribbean and the [[List of Latin American and Caribbean countries by GDP (PPP)|seventh-largest]] in [[Latin America]].<ref name="gdp rank">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html |title=CIA&nbsp;– The World Factbook&nbsp;– Rank Order&nbsp;– GDP (purchasing power parity) |access-date=February 27, 2009 |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604195034/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="worldbank.org">{{cite news|url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/dominicanrepublic|title=Dominican Republic|newspaper=World Bank|access-date=April 28, 2016|archive-date=May 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507043743/http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/dominicanrepublic|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the last 25 years, the Dominican Republic has had the fastest-growing economy in the [[Western Hemisphere]] – with an average [[List of countries by real GDP growth rate|real GDP growth rate]] of 5.3% between 1992 and 2018.<ref name=":0"/> GDP growth in 2014 and 2015 reached 7.3 and 7.0%, respectively, the highest in the Western Hemisphere.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/dominicanrepublic/overview |title=Dominican Republic Overview |publisher=[[World Bank]] |access-date=April 29, 2016 |archive-date=May 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502175746/http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/dominicanrepublic/overview |url-status=live }}</ref> Recent growth has been driven by construction, manufacturing, tourism, and mining. The country is the site of the third largest (in terms of production) [[gold mine]] in the world, the [[Pueblo Viejo mine]].<ref name="investingnews.com">{{Cite web|url=https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/precious-metals-investing/gold-investing/largest-gold-mines/|title=World's 10 Largest Gold Mines by Production &#124; INN|date=July 31, 2019|access-date=September 27, 2017|archive-date=September 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926144158/https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/precious-metals-investing/gold-investing/largest-gold-mines/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="lawrieongold.com">{{cite web|title=World Top 20 Gold: Countries, Companies and Mines|url=https://lawrieongold.com/2017/04/02/world-top-20-gold-countries-companies-and-mines/|access-date=September 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926190819/https://lawrieongold.com/2017/04/02/world-top-20-gold-countries-companies-and-mines/|archive-date=September 26, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The gold production of the country was 31 metric tonnes in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gold production |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gold-production?tab=table |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129233804/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gold-production?tab=table |archive-date=November 29, 2023 |access-date=December 18, 2024 |website=Our World in Data |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Dominican Republic is the [[World Tourism rankings|most visited destination]] in the Caribbean.<ref name="WTO Tourism Highlights 2018 Edition">{{Cite book|title=UNWTO Tourism Highlights: 2018 Edition |publisher=World Tourism Organization|doi=10.18111/9789284419876|year=2018|isbn=9789284419876|s2cid=240334031}}</ref> A geographically diverse nation, the Dominican Republic is home to both the Caribbean's tallest mountain peak, [[Pico Duarte]], and the Caribbean's largest lake and lowest point, [[Lake Enriquillo]].<ref name="Baker 2008 190">{{cite book |last=Baker |first=Christopher P. |author2=Mingasson, Gilles |title=Dominican Republic |publisher=National Geographic Books |year=2008 |page=190 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toEFe48MD1IC&pg=PA190 |isbn=978-1-4262-0232-2 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005803/https://books.google.com/books?id=toEFe48MD1IC&pg=PA190#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The island has an average temperature of {{convert|26|°C|°F|1}} and great climatic and biological diversity.<ref name=consulate>{{cite web |url=http://www.dominicanconsulate.org/gralinfo.htm |title=Consulate-General of the Dominican Republic Bangkok Thailand |access-date=February 27, 2009 |archive-date=September 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909021203/http://www.dominicanconsulate.org/gralinfo.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The country is also the site of the first [[Cathedral of Santo Domingo|cathedral]], [[Alcázar de Colón|palace]], [[Monastery of San Francisco, Santo Domingo|monastery]], and [[Fortaleza Ozama|fortress]] built in the Americas, located in Santo Domingo's [[Ciudad Colonial (Santo Domingo)|Colonial Zone]], a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name="Colonial City of Santo Domingo">{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/526|title=Colonial City of Santo Domingo|work=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=August 24, 2016|archive-date=January 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104142249/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/526|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="unesco.org">[http://www.unesco.org/nac/geoportal.php?country=DO&language=S UNESCO around the World | República Dominicana] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208195531/http://www.unesco.org/nac/geoportal.php?country=DO&language=S |date=December 8, 2013 }}. Unesco.org (November 14, 1957). Retrieved on April 2, 2014.</ref>

==Etymology==
The name Dominican originates from [[Saint Dominic]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rey |first1=Terry |title=Toward an Ethnohistory of Haitian Pilgrimage |journal=Journal de la Société des américanistes |date=2005 |volume=91 |issue=1 |page=163 |doi=10.4000/jsa.2889 |jstor=24606008 |issn=0037-9174|doi-access=free }}</ref> the patron saint of [[astronomer]]s, and founder of the [[Dominican Order]]. The Dominican Order established what is now known as the [[Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino|Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo]], the first university in the New World.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.laromanabayahibenews.com/2012/06/gentilicio-dominicano-origen-etimologico-motivaciones-historicas-por-giancarlo-d%E2%80%99alessandro-i-bandera-es-tu-bandera-proyecto-de-exposiciones-fotograficas-itinerantes-por-frank-luna/ |title=Gentilicio Dominicano: Origen Etimológico & Motivaciones Históricas. Por Giancarlo D'Alessandro. Mi Bandera es Tu Bandera: Proyecto de Exposiciones Fotográficas Itinerantes por Frank Luna |access-date=September 13, 2015 |work=www.laromanabayahibenews.com |archive-date=July 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714154435/http://www.laromanabayahibenews.com/2012/06/gentilicio-dominicano-origen-etimologico-motivaciones-historicas-por-giancarlo-d%E2%80%99alessandro-i-bandera-es-tu-bandera-proyecto-de-exposiciones-fotograficas-itinerantes-por-frank-luna/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

For most of its history, up until independence, the colony was known simply as ''{{lang|es|Santo Domingo}}''<ref name=firstcolony>{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/3.htm|title=Dominican Republic – THE FIRST COLONY|access-date=August 16, 2016|archive-date=December 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213213711/http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/3.htm|url-status=live|work=Country Studies|publisher=[[Library of Congress]]}}
</ref> and continued to be commonly known as such in English until the early 20th century.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=CLpoeD3cbBkC&pg=PA1 Hand Book of Santo Domingo:] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005804/https://books.google.com/books?id=CLpoeD3cbBkC&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=January 11, 2024 }} Bulletin, Issue 52. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1892. Digitized August 14, 2012. p. 3. ''"...the Republic of Santo Domingo or {{lang|es|República Dominicana}} (Dominican Republic) as it is officially designated."''</ref> The residents were called "Dominicans" ({{lang|es|Dominicanos}}), the adjectival form of "Domingo", and as such, the revolutionaries named their newly independent country the "Dominican Republic" ({{lang|es|la República Dominicana}}).

In the [[National Anthem of the Dominican Republic|national anthem of the Dominican Republic]] ({{lang|es|himno nacional de la República Dominicana}}), the poetic term "Quisqueyans" ({{lang|es|Quisqueyanos}}) is used instead of "Dominicans". The word "Quisqueya" derives from the [[Ciguayo language]], and means "mother of the lands". It is often used in songs as another name for the country. The name of the country in English is often shortened to "the D.R." ({{lang|es|la R.D.}}), but this is rare in Spanish.<ref name="Kraft">{{cite news |title=Paradise on the Beach: Resorts Are Beautiful in Caribbean's Punta Cana, But Poverty Is Outside the Gates |first=Randy |last=Kraft |url=https://www.mcall.com/2000/08/27/paradise-on-the-beach-resorst-are-beautiful-in-caribbeans-punta-cana-but-poverty-is-outside-the-gates/ |newspaper=[[The Morning Call]] |date=August 27, 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921174246/http://articles.mcall.com/2000-08-27/entertainment/3318706_1_punta-cana-caribbean-sea-white-beach |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of the Dominican Republic}}

===Pre-Columbian era===
{{Main|Chiefdoms of Hispaniola}}
{{stack|
[[File:Copia de Cacicazgos de la Hispaniola.png|thumb|upright=1.0|The five [[Cacicazgo |caciquedom]]s of Hispaniola ({{ca|1492}}).]]
{{multiple image
| perrow            = 2
| total_width       = 265
| image1            = Pictografia igneri.jpg
| image2            = Taíno pictographs Cuevas de las Maravillas.jpg
| image3            = LosTresOjos.JPG
| footer            = The [[Pomier Caves]] are a series of 55 caves located north of San Cristóbal. They contain the largest collection of 2,000-year-old rock art in the Caribbean.
| align             = right
}}
}}
The islands of the Caribbean were first settled around 6,000 years ago by hunter-gatherer peoples originating from Central America or northern South America. The [[Arawakan languages|Arawakan-speaking]] ancestors of the [[Taíno]] moved into the Caribbean from South America during the 1st millennium BCE, reaching Hispaniola by around 600 CE.<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal |last1=Fernandes |first1=Daniel M. |last2=Sirak |first2=Kendra A. |last3=Ringbauer |first3=Harald |last4=Sedig |first4=Jakob |last5=Rohland |first5=Nadin |last6=Cheronet |first6=Olivia |last7=Mah |first7=Matthew |last8=Mallick |first8=Swapan |last9=Olalde |first9=Iñigo |last10=Culleton |first10=Brendan J. |last11=Adamski |first11=Nicole |last12=Bernardos |first12=Rebecca |last13=Bravo |first13=Guillermo |last14=Broomandkhoshbacht |first14=Nasreen |last15=Callan |first15=Kimberly |date=February 4, 2021 |title=A genetic history of the pre-contact Caribbean |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=590 |issue=7844 |pages=103–110 |bibcode=2021Natur.590..103F |doi=10.1038/s41586-020-03053-2 |issn=0028-0836 |pmc=7864882 |pmid=33361817}}</ref> These Arawakan peoples engaged in farming, fishing,<ref name=Encarta>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563569_7/Dominican_Republic.html |title=Dominican Republic |encyclopedia=Encarta |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |access-date=June 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114170306/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563569_7/Dominican_Republic.html |archive-date=November 14, 2007 }}</ref> hunting and gathering,<ref name=LunaC/> and the widespread production of [[ceramic]] goods.<ref name=":13" />

The estimates of Hispaniola's population in 1492 vary widely, ranging from tens of thousands<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lawler |first1=Andrew |title=Invaders nearly wiped out Caribbean's first people long before Spanish came, DNA reveals |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/12/invaders-nearly-wiped-out-caribbeans-first-people-long-before-spanish-came-dna-reveals/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223160603/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/12/invaders-nearly-wiped-out-caribbeans-first-people-long-before-spanish-came-dna-reveals/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |work=National Geographic |date=December 23, 2020 }}</ref> to 2 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/ant/KEEGAN08.ANT |title=Death Toll |last=Keegan |first=William |access-date=June 19, 2008 |publisher=[[Millersville University]], from [[Archaeology (magazine)|Archaeology]] (January/February 1992, p. 55)| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080321191857/http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/ant/KEEGAN08.ANT| archive-date = March 21, 2008 }}</ref>

By 1492, the island was divided into five Taíno chiefdoms.<ref>{{cite book|author=Roberto Cassá|title=Los Indios de Las Antillas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oJ-wJ49cNwAC&pg=PA126|access-date=August 15, 2012 |year=1992|publisher=Editorial Abya Yala|isbn=978-84-7100-375-1|pages=126–|archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111004223/https://books.google.com/books?id=oJ-wJ49cNwAC&pg=PA126#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Samuel M.|last=Wilson|year=1990|title=Hispaniola: Caribbean Chiefdoms in the Age of Columbus|publisher=Univ. of Alabama Press|page=110|isbn=978-0-8173-0462-1}}</ref> The Taíno name for the entire island was either ''Ayiti'' or ''Quisqueya''.<ref name="anghiera">{{cite book| last = Anglería| first   =Pedro Mártir de| title = Décadas del Nuevo Mundo, Tercera Década, Libro&nbsp;VII| publisher = Editorial Bajel| year = 1949| location = Buenos Aires| language = es }}</ref>

===European colonization===
[[File:Basílica Menor de Santa María SD RD 02 2017 1947.jpg|thumb|[[Catedral Santa María La Menor]] is the oldest cathedral built in the Americas]]
[[Christopher Columbus]] arrived on the island on December 5, 1492, during the first of his [[Voyages of Christopher Columbus|four voyages]] to the Americas. He claimed the land for Spain and named it ''La Española'', due to its diverse climate and terrain, which reminded him of the [[Spain|Spanish]] landscape.<ref>[http://www.catholictradition.org/Tradition/christopher-columbus.htm Christopher Columbus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016024039/http://www.catholictradition.org/Tradition/christopher-columbus.htm |date=October 16, 2014 }}. Catholictradition.org. Retrieved on April 2, 2014.</ref> In 1496, [[Bartholomew Columbus]], Christopher's brother, built the city of [[Ciudad Colonial (Santo Domingo)|Santo Domingo]], Western Europe's first permanent settlement in the "[[New World]]". The Spaniards created a [[plantation economy]].<ref name=transat>{{cite book |last=Rawley |first=James A. |author2=Behrendt, Stephen D. |author2-link=Stephen D. Behrendt |title=The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A History |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2005 |page=49 |isbn=978-0-8032-3961-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sn5pK8rbR5MC&pg=PA49 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005716/https://books.google.com/books?id=Sn5pK8rbR5MC&pg=PA49#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

Initially, after friendly relationships, the Taínos resisted the conquest, led by female Chief [[Anacaona]] of Xaragua and her ex-husband Chief [[Caonabo]] of Maguana, as well as Chiefs [[Guacanagaríx]], [[Guamá]], [[Hatuey]], and [[Enriquillo]]. The latter's successes gained his people an autonomous enclave on the island. Within a few years after 1492, the population of Taínos had declined drastically due to [[smallpox]],<ref>"[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/what-became-of-the-taino-73824867/ What Became of the Taíno?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011062036/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/what-became-of-the-taino-73824867/|date=October 11, 2016}}". ''[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]'' October 2011</ref> measles, and other diseases that arrived with the Europeans.<ref name="history">[http://www.dshs.texas.gov/preparedness/bt_public_history_smallpox.shtm "History of Smallpox&nbsp;– Smallpox Through the Ages"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106211915/http://www.dshs.texas.gov/preparedness/bt_public_history_smallpox.shtm|date=November 6, 2016}}. ''Texas Department of State Health Services.''</ref> African slaves were imported to replace the dwindling Taínos.

The last record of pure Taínos in the country was from 1864. Still, Taíno biological heritage survived due to intermixing. Census records from 1514 reveal that 40% of Spanish men in Santo Domingo were married to Taíno women,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ferbel Azcarate |first=Pedro J. |date=December 2002 |title=Not Everyone Who Speaks Spanish is from Spain: Taíno Survival in the 21st Century Dominican Republic |url=http://www.kacike.org/FerbelEnglish.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=KACIKE: The Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology |issue=Special |issn=1562-5028 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040617195321/http://www.kacike.org/FerbelEnglish.pdf |archive-date=June 17, 2004 |access-date=September 24, 2009}}</ref> and some present-day Dominicans have Taíno ancestry.<ref name="Guitar" /><ref name="Martinez" />

[[File:Treaty of Aranjuez English.svg|thumb|Map showing the border situation on Hispaniola following the [[Treaty of Aranjuez (1777)]]]]
By the time of the [[Treaty of Ryswick]] in 1697, which ceded the western one-third of the island to France, the population of Santo Domingo consisted of a few thousand whites, approximately 30,000 black slaves, and a few Taínos.{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=341}} By 1789, the population had grown to 125,000, but Santo Domingo remained one of Spain's less wealthy and strategically important colonies in the New World.{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=341}} The population composition of Santo Domingo sharply contrasted with that of the neighboring French colony of [[Saint-Domingue]]—the wealthiest colony in the Caribbean and whose population of half a million was 90% enslaved and four times as numerous as Santo Domingo.<ref name="google48">{{cite book |editor-last=Knight |editor-first=Franklin W. |title=General history of the Caribbean |date=1997 |publisher=Unesco |location=London |isbn=978-92-3-103146-5 |page=48 |edition=1. publ. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ppGJBmQVJjEC&pg=PR2 |access-date=April 30, 2015 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111004217/https://books.google.com/books?id=ppGJBmQVJjEC&pg=PR2#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=firstcolony></ref>

In 1795, Spain ceded Santo Domingo to France by the [[Peace of Basel|Treaty of Basel]] as a result of its defeat in the [[War of the Pyrenees]]. Saint-Domingue achieved independence as Haiti from France on January 1, 1804. In 1809, the French were expelled from the island and Santo Domingo returned to [[España Boba|Spanish rule]].{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=342}}

===Ephemeral independence and Haitian occupation===
{{Main|Republic of Spanish Haiti|Haitian occupation of Santo Domingo}}
[[File:LaTrinitaria.jpg|thumb|In 1838, [[Juan Pablo Duarte]] and others established a secret patriotic society called ''[[La Trinitaria (Dominican Republic)|La Trinitaria]]'', which helped undermine Haitian occupation.]]
After a dozen years of discontent and failed independence plots by various opposing groups, including a [[1812 Mendoza and Mojarra conspiracy|failed 1812 revolt]] led by [[Freedman|freedmen]], Santo Domingo's former Lieutenant-Governor (top administrator), [[José Núñez de Cáceres]], declared the colony's independence from the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish crown]] as [[Republic of Spanish Haiti|Spanish Haiti]], on November 30, 1821. This period is also known as the Ephemeral independence.<ref name="Bethell1986">{{cite book|author=H. Hoetink|editor=Leslie Bethell|title=The Cambridge History of Latin America|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X4axAmBS-7wC&pg=PA287|volume=V, Circa 1870 to 1930|date=May 29, 1986|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-24517-3|page=287|chapter=The Dominican Republic c. 1870–930|access-date=October 27, 2016|archive-date=January 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111004150/https://books.google.com/books?id=X4axAmBS-7wC&pg=PA287#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

The newly independent republic ended two months later, when it was occupied and annexed by Haiti, then under the leadership of [[Jean-Pierre Boyer]].<ref name="guitar">{{cite web |last = Guitar |first = Lynne |title = History of the Dominican Republic |publisher = Hola.com |url = http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/history.php |access-date = May 29, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070601040005/http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/info/history.php |archive-date = June 1, 2007 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> For twenty-two years, Haiti controlled Santo Domingo, which it called ''Partie de l'Est'', treating it as a colonial territory. The unpaid Haitian army sustained itself by taking resources from the Dominican people and land without compensation.{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=343}}

===First Republic (1844–1861)===
[[File:Flag of the Dominican Republic (up to 1844).svg|thumb|Original [[flag of the Dominican Republic]] (up to 1849)]]
In 1838, [[Juan Pablo Duarte]] founded a secret society called [[La Trinitaria (Dominican Republic)|La Trinitaria]], which sought the complete independence of Santo Domingo without any foreign intervention.<ref name="pons">{{cite book |first=Frank |last =Moya Pons| author-link =Frank Moya Pons | title = The Dominican Republic: A National History|edition= August 1, 1998|page= 543 |publisher = Markus Wiener Publishers; 2nd edition| isbn= 978-1-55876-191-9|year =1998}}</ref>{{rp|p147–149}} Also [[Francisco del Rosario Sánchez]] and [[Ramon Matias Mella]], despite not being among the founding members of La Trinitaria, were decisive in the fight for independence. Duarte, Mella, and Sánchez are considered the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic.<ref>[http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/people_history-sanchez.html Francisco del Rosario Sánchez One of the Padres de la Patria / Fathers of the Patriotism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024184605/http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/people_history-sanchez.html |date=October 24, 2012 }}&nbsp;– Colonial Zone-Dominican Republic (DR)&nbsp;– Retrieved November 3, 2012.</ref>

On February 27, 1844, the members of ''La Trinitaria'' declared independence from Haiti. They were backed by [[Pedro Santana]], a wealthy cattle rancher, who became general of the army of the nascent republic. The decades that followed were filled with tyranny, factionalism, economic difficulties, rapid changes of government, and exile for political opponents. Archrivals Santana and [[Buenaventura Báez]] held power most of the time, both ruling arbitrarily. They promoted competing plans to annex the new nation to a major power. The Dominican Republic's first [[Constitution of the Dominican Republic|constitution]] was adopted on November 6, 1844, and its population  in 1845 was approximately 230,000 people (100,000 whites; 40,000 blacks; and 90,000 mulattoes).{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=343}}
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| image1            = Santana.gif
| width1            = 150
| alt1              = 
| caption1          = 
| image2            = Buenaventura Baéz.gif
| width2            = 134
| alt2              = 
| caption2          = 
| footer            = [[Pedro Santana]] and [[Buenaventura Báez]], the ''[[caudillo]]s'' who led the Dominican Republic during its first republican period
}}

In March 1844, Haiti invaded but the Dominicans put up stiff opposition and inflicted heavy casualties on the Haitians.<ref name=Bethell>{{cite book|last1=Bethell|first1=Leslie|title=The Cambridge History of Latin America: Volume 3|url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgehistory0000beth|url-access=registration|date=1984|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/cambridgehistory0000beth/page/267 267]}}</ref> By April 15, Dominican forces had defeated the Haitian forces on both land and sea.{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=344}} In early July 1844, Duarte was urged by his followers to take the title of President of the Republic. Duarte agreed, but only if free elections were arranged. However, Santana's forces took Santo Domingo on July 12, and they declared Santana ruler of the Dominican Republic. Santana then put Mella, Duarte, and Sánchez in jail. On February 27, 1845, Santana executed [[María Trinidad Sánchez]], heroine of La Trinitaria, and others for conspiracy.

After defeating a third Haitian invasion in April 1849 at the [[Battle of Las Carreras]], Santana marched on Santo Domingo and deposed president [[Manuel Jimenes]] (who had ousted Santana as president) in a [[coup d'état]]. At his behest, Congress elected Buenaventura Báez as president, but Báez was unwilling to serve as Santana's puppet. In November–December 1849, Dominican seamen raided the Haitian coasts, plundered seaside villages, as far as [[Dame-Marie, Grand'Anse|Dame Marie]], and butchered crews of captured enemy ships.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Baur|first1=John E.|title=Faustin Soulouque, Emperor of Haiti His Character and His Reign |journal=The Americas |volume=6 |issue=2 |date=October 1949 |page=143 |doi=10.2307/978436|jstor=978436 |s2cid=210429049 | issn = 0003-1615}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A1dIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA127|title=Littell's Living Age|first1=Eliakim|last1=Littell|first2=Robert S.|last2=Littell|date=September 4, 1850|publisher=T. H. Carter & Company|via=Google Books|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=January 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111010516/https://books.google.com/books?id=A1dIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA127#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> A fourth and final invasion by Haiti in November 1855 was defeated by Dominican forces by January 27, 1856, resulting in thousands of Haitian casualties.{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=347}} Again Santana and Báez plotted against each other for political dominance, with Báez winning the first encounter and expelling Santana in 1857, and Santana winning the second and expelling Báez in 1859.

===Restoration republic===
[[File:Jura del gobernador y capitán general de Santo Domingo, don Pedro Santana (Museo del Prado).jpg|thumb|Pedro Santana is sworn in as governor-general of the new Spanish province.]]
In 1861, after imprisoning, exiling, and executing many of his opponents and due to political and economic reasons, Santana asked Queen [[Isabella II of Spain]] to retake control of the Dominican Republic. Spain, which had not come to terms with the loss of its mainland American colonies 40 years earlier, [[Annexation of the Dominican Republic to Spain|annexed the country]].<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Bulmer|editor1-first=Martin|editor2-last=Solomos|editor2-first=John|title=Gender, Race and Religion: Intersections and Challenges|date=2014|publisher=Routledge}}</ref> The island was occupied by 30,000 Spanish troops bolstered by battalions of Cuban and Puerto Rican volunteers and 12,000 Dominicans who aligned themselves with the Spanish forces.{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=347}} The Haitian rebel [[Sylvain Salnave]], fearful of the reestablishment of Spain as colonial power, gave refuge and logistics to revolutionaries seeking to reestablish the independent nation. The ensuing civil war, known as the ''War of Restoration'', killed more than 50,000.<ref>{{cite book |author=Charles Nach Mback |title=Haïti République Dominicaine-Une Île pour deux (1804–1916) |date=March 26, 2003 |publisher=KARTHALA Editions |isbn=9782811137113 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XuWdtKnKz4gC |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111010142/https://books.google.com/books?id=XuWdtKnKz4gC |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:665 of 'Anexion_y_guerra_de_Santo_Domingo ... Con un prólogo de D. C. Màrtos' (11167317435).jpg|thumb|Map of the capture of the trenches and camps held by the rebels in Puerto Plata on August 31, 1864, by the forces of [[José de la Gándara y Navarro]]]]
The war began on August 16, 1863. The Spanish garrison of Santiago was forced to abandon its fort and retreat to [[Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic|Puerto Plata]] by mid-September. The Dominicans bombarded the port of Puerto Plata and destroyed much of the town, including [[St. Philip the Apostle Cathedral, Puerto Plata|St. Philip the Apostle Cathedral]].<ref>{{cite news|title=THE INSURRECTION IN HAYTI.; Translation of the Declaration of Independence.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1863/11/28/news/the-insurrection-in-hayti-translation-of-the-declaration-of-independence.html|work=The New York Times|date=November 28, 1863|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=January 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111173614/http://www.nytimes.com/1863/11/28/news/the-insurrection-in-hayti-translation-of-the-declaration-of-independence.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Santo Domingo Rebellion: Full Details of the Insurrection{{snd}}The Burning and Sacking of Puerto Plate. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1863/11/02/archives/the-santo-domingo-rebellion-full-details-of-the-insurrectionthe.html |work=The New York Times |date=November 2, 1863 |access-date=July 5, 2020 |archive-date=July 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706183846/https://www.nytimes.com/1863/11/02/archives/the-santo-domingo-rebellion-full-details-of-the-insurrectionthe.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the south, Spanish forces were successful in driving the rebels out of several towns and into Haiti. However, the capture of [[Azua, Dominican Republic|Azua]] proved to be a costly endeavor, with two months of fighting and a significant loss of lives for the Spanish.<ref name="Jan">{{cite news |title=From St. Domingo; The Capture of Azua – Operations of the Dominican Guerrillas – The Spaniards Defeated in two Battles – The Spanish Prospect Unfavorable. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1864/01/20/archives/from-st-domingo-the-capture-of-azuaoperations-of-the-dominican.html |work=The New York Times |date=January 20, 1864}}</ref> Spanish forces from Cuba attacked and captured [[Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic|Monte Cristi]] on the north coast, but sustained heavy casualties.{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=348}}
[[File:Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración 2013.jpg|thumb|upright|"Monument to the Heroes of the Restoration"]]
By 1865, the Dominican forces had confined the Spanish troops to Santo Domingo, and the Spaniards were afraid to venture outside the capital.{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=349}} After nearly two years of fighting, Spain abandoned the island in July 1865. One military historian estimates Spanish casualties at 10,888 killed or wounded in action and thousands dead from [[yellow fever]], while the Dominican forces fighting for Spain suffered 10,000 casualties.{{sfn|Clodfelter|2017|p=306}} Another military historian estimates that Spain lost 18,000 dead, a figure that does not include the Dominicans, Cubans, and Puerto Ricans fighting alongside them.{{sfn|Scheina|2003|p=349}} The Dominicans fighting for independence against Spain suffered more than 4,000 dead.

Political strife again prevailed in the following years; warlords ruled, military revolts were extremely common, and the nation amassed debt. It was now Báez's turn to act on his [[Proposed annexation of Santo Domingo|plan of annexing the country to the United States]], where two successive presidents were supportive. U.S. President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] desired a naval base at [[Samaná Bay|Samaná]] and also a place for resettling newly freed African Americans.<ref>{{cite book |title=U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth |last=Waugh |first=Joan |page=137 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AnH6-AlKACUC&pg=PA137 |publisher=[[UNC Press]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8078-3317-9 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005233/https://books.google.com/books?id=AnH6-AlKACUC&pg=PA137#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The treaty was defeated in the [[United States Senate]] in 1870.<ref name="guitar"/><ref>{{cite journal |last=Hidalgo |first=Dennis |title=Charles Sumner and the Annexation of the Dominican Republic |journal=Itinerario |volume=21 |issue=2 |doi=10.1017/S0165115300022841 |url=https://www.academia.edu/277925 |year=1997 |pages=51–66 |s2cid=163872610 |access-date=December 19, 2017 |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816001342/https://www.academia.edu/277925 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Treaties.htm#5 |title=U.S. Senate: Art & History Home > Origins & Development > Powers & Procedures > Treaties |access-date=October 17, 2008 |publisher=[[United States Senate]] |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107073857/http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Treaties.htm#5 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Atkins |first=G. Pope |author2=Larman Curtis Wilson |title=The Dominican Republic and the United States: From Imperialism to Transnationalism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MkBlfCf8I-YC&pg=PA27 |publisher=University of Georgia Press |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-8203-1931-5 |page=27 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005233/https://books.google.com/books?id=MkBlfCf8I-YC&pg=PA27#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Báez was toppled in 1874, returned, and was toppled for good in 1878.

Relative peace came to the country in the 1880s, which saw the coming to power of General [[Ulises Heureaux]].<ref name=countrystudies>{{cite web |title=Dominican Republic&nbsp;– Ulises Heureaux, 1882–99 |publisher=[[Library of Congress]]; Federal Research Division |url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/8.htm |access-date=December 23, 2007 |archive-date=September 23, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923042018/http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/8.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> "Lilís", as the new president was nicknamed, put the nation deep into debt while using much of the proceeds for his personal use and to maintain his police state.<ref name=countrystudies/><ref>{{cite book |last=Langley |first=Lester D. |title=The Banana Wars |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-8420-5047-0 |page=20 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xc1RBfZd3pcC&pg=PA20 |year=2002 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005339/https://books.google.com/books?id=Xc1RBfZd3pcC&pg=PA20#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1899, he was assassinated. However, the relative calm over which he presided allowed improvement in the Dominican economy. The sugar industry was modernized,<ref name=Hall>{{cite book |last=Hall |first=Michael R. |title=Sugar and Power in the Dominican Republic |publisher=[[Greenwood Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-313-31127-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/sugarpowerindo00mich}}</ref>{{rp|p10}} and the country attracted foreign workers and immigrants. Lebanese, Syrians, Turks, and Palestinians began to arrive in the country during the latter part of the 19th century.<ref name=Brown>{{cite book|last=Brown, Isabel Zakrzewski |url=https://archive.org/details/culturecustomsof00brow |title=Culture and customs of the Dominican Republic |date=1999 |publisher=Greenwood Press |isbn=0-313-30314-2 |location=Westport, CT |oclc=41256263 |url-access=registration}}</ref> During the U.S. occupation of 1916–24, peasants from the countryside, called Gavilleros, would not only kill U.S. Marines, but would also attack and kill Arab vendors traveling through the countryside.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Dominican Republic and its Arab Assimilation |url=http://www.abreureport.com/2015/08/the-dominican-republic-and-its-arab.html |access-date=September 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928033911/http://www.abreureport.com/2015/08/the-dominican-republic-and-its-arab.html |archive-date=September 28, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===20th century (1900–1930)===
[[File:Alejandro Woss y Gil.jpg|thumb|right|President [[Alejandro Woss y Gil]] taking office in 1903]]
From 1902 on, short-lived governments were again the norm, with their power usurped by caudillos in parts of the country. Furthermore, the national government was bankrupt and, unable to pay its debts to European creditors, faced the threat of military intervention by France, [[German Empire|Germany]], and [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]].<ref name=cs9>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/9.htm |title=Dominican Republic&nbsp;– Renewed conflict, 1899–1916 |access-date=October 19, 2008 |work=Country Studies |publisher=[[Library of Congress]]; Federal Research Division |archive-date=July 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090706222617/http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/9.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> United States President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] sought to prevent European intervention, largely to protect the routes to the future [[Panama Canal]]. He made a small military intervention to ward off European powers, to proclaim his famous [[Roosevelt Corollary]] to the [[Monroe Doctrine]], and also to obtain his 1905 Dominican agreement for U.S. administration of Dominican customs, which was the chief source of income for the Dominican government. A 1906 agreement provided for the arrangement to last 50 years. The United States agreed to use part of the customs proceeds to reduce the immense foreign debt of the Dominican Republic and assumed responsibility for said debt.<ref name=Encarta/><ref name=cs9/>

After six years in power, President [[Ramón Cáceres]] (who had himself assassinated Heureaux)<ref name=countrystudies/> was assassinated in 1911. The result was several years of great political instability and [[Dominican Civil War (1911–1912)|civil war]]. U.S. mediation by the [[William Howard Taft]] and [[Woodrow Wilson]] administrations achieved only a short respite each time. A political deadlock in 1914 was broken after an ultimatum by Wilson telling the Dominicans to choose a president or see the U.S. impose one. A provisional president was chosen, and later the same year relatively free elections put former president (1899–1902) [[Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra]] back in power. With his former [[Secretary of War]] [[Desiderio Arias]] maneuvering to depose him and despite a U.S. offer of military aid against Arias, Jimenes resigned on May 7, 1916.<ref name="congress">{{cite web| title=Dominican Republic: Occupation by the United States, 1916–1924| work=Country Studies| publisher=[[Library of Congress]]; Federal Research Division| url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/10.htm| access-date=May 29, 2007| archive-date=December 13, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213215941/http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/10.htm| url-status=live}}</ref> Wilson thus ordered the U.S. occupation of the Dominican Republic.
[[File:Ocupacion-1916.jpg|thumb|The [[United States Marine Corps]] landing on Dominican soil in 1916]]
[[File:FortalezaPOP.jpg|thumb|[[Fortaleza San Felipe|Fort San Felipe]] was captured on June 1, 1916, by 133 U.S. Marines after a battle against 500 Dominican rebels, resulting in several U.S. casualties.{{sfn|Musicant|1990|p=249}}]]
[[File:USMC Fortaleza Ozama from river 1922 restored.jpg|thumb|The flag of the [[United States]] waving over [[Fortaleza Ozama|Ozama Fortress]] during the U.S. occupation of the Dominican Republic, {{Circa|1922}}]]
U.S. Marines landed on May 16, 1916, and seized the capital and other ports, while General Arias fell back to his inland Santiago stronghold.{{sfn|Scheina|2003b|p=49}} A significant weaponry disparity led to Arias's defeat as his forces tried to block the Marines' advance on Santiago with trenches and black-powder rifles.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rhodes|first1=Edward|title=Presence, Prevention, and Persuasion: A Historical Analysis of Military Force and Political Influence|date=2004|publisher=Lexington Books|page=163}}</ref> The clashes with the U.S. Marines marked the first time the Dominicans had ever encountered a machine gun.{{sfn|Musicant|1990|p=252}} A peace delegation from Santiago surrendered the city on July 5, coinciding with General Arias' surrender to the Dominican governor. The military government established by the U.S. under the Navy and Marine Corps on November 29, led by Vice Admiral [[Harry Shepard Knapp]], was widely repudiated by the Dominicans, but organized resistance ceased.{{sfn|Scheina|2003b|p=52}}

The occupation regime kept most Dominican laws and institutions and largely pacified the general population. The occupying government also revived the Dominican economy, reduced the nation's debt, built a road network that at last interconnected all regions of the country, and created a professional National Guard to replace the warring partisan units.<ref name="congress"/> Additionally, with grass-roots support from local communities and assistance from both Dominican and US officials, the Dominican education system expanded significantly during US occupation. Between 1918 and 1920, more than three hundred schools were established nationwide.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rodríguez |first1=Alexa |title=A Narrative from the Margins: Community and Agency during the US Occupation of the Dominican Republic, 1916-1924 |journal=History of Education Quarterly |date=2022 |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=179–197 |doi=10.1017/heq.2022.38|s2cid=254350899 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The system of forced labour used by the [[United States occupation of Haiti|Marines in Haiti]] was largely absent in the Dominican Republic.{{sfn|Gleijeses|1978|p=17}}

The U.S. government's rule ended in October 1922, and elections were held in March 1924.<ref name="congress"/> The victor was former president (1902–03) [[Horacio Vásquez]]. He was inaugurated on July 13, 1924, and the last U.S. forces left in September.{{sfn|Musicant|1990|p=284}} In 1930, General [[Rafael Trujillo]], who was trained by the U.S. Marines during the occupation,<ref name=nyt/> seized power following a military revolt against the government of Vásquez.

Trujillo consolidated his power after [[Hurricane San Zenón]] devastated Santo Domingo in September 1930, killing 8,000 people. A few of the former caudillos initially opposed the new dictator. General Cipriano Bencosme led an uprising but was defeated and killed in November 1930 during a confrontation with the army near Puerto Plata. General Desiderio Arias was also unsuccessful, dying in combat near [[Mao, Dominican Republic|Mao]] in June of the following year.{{sfn|Gleijeses|1978|p=22}}

===Trujillo Era (1930–1961)===
[[File:Rafael L. Trujillo en la silla presidencial (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Rafael Trujillo]] imposed a dictatorship of 31 years (1930–1961).]]
There was considerable economic growth during [[Rafael Trujillo]]'s long and iron-fisted regime, although a great deal of the wealth was taken by the dictator and other regime elements. There was progress in healthcare, education, and transportation, with the building of hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and harbors. Trujillo also carried out an important housing construction program and instituted a pension plan. He finally negotiated an undisputed border with Haiti in 1935, and achieved the end of the 50-year customs agreement in 1941, well before it would have expired in 1956. He made the country debt-free in 1947.<ref name=Encarta/><ref name=Galvan>{{cite book |author=Javier A. Galván |title=Latin American Dictators of the 20th Century: The Lives and Regimes of 15 Rulers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6AdAEQi2WZwC&pg=PA49 |year=2012 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-0016-1 |page=49 |access-date=February 13, 2018 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005250/https://books.google.com/books?id=6AdAEQi2WZwC&pg=PA49#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> This was accompanied most noticeably by absolute repression and the copious use of murder, torture, and terrorist methods against the opposition.

Several Dominicans were assassinated in [[New York City]] after taking part in anti-Trujillo activities.<ref name=nyt>{{cite news |title=TRUJILLO REGIME CRUEL, RUTHLESS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/13/archives/trujillo-regime-cruel-ruthless-dominican-dictator-ruled-30-years.html |work=The New York Times |date=June 13, 1975 |access-date=June 2, 2023 |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602135023/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/06/13/archives/trujillo-regime-cruel-ruthless-dominican-dictator-ruled-30-years.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 1937, Dominican troops murdered 10,000 to 15,000 Haitian men, women, and children—mostly with machetes—along the Haitian-Dominican border under the orders of Trujillo.<ref name=nyt/>

During [[World War II]], Trujillo symbolically sided with the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]. During the course of the war, German U-boats torpedoed and sank two Dominican merchant vessels—the ''San Rafael'' off the coast of Jamaica, and the ''[[SS Presidente Trujillo|Presidente Trujillo]]'' off [[Fort-de-France]]—along with four other Dominican-manned ships in the Caribbean. The country did not make a military contribution to the war, but Dominican sugar and other agricultural products supported the Allied war effort, and the Dominican Republic also accepted Jewish refugees [[Évian Conference|fleeing Nazi persecution]].

The arsenal at [[San Cristóbal Province|San Cristóbal]], operated under Trujillo's regime, produced rifles, machine guns, and ammunition.{{sfn|Scheina|2003b|p=175}} Trujillo also formed a Foreign Legion of 3,000 mercenaries to attempt to overthrow [[Fidel Castro]] in Cuba. Major [[William Alexander Morgan|William Morgan]] agreed to lead the attack for $1 million, but Castro learned of the plot and instructed Morgan to go along with it and report back. Trujillo was tricked into believing that Morgan had captured [[Trinidad, Cuba|Trinidad]]. On August 13, 1959, a [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|C-47]] transport flying from the Dominican Republic carrying military advisors and supplies landed at Trinidad airport. Castro seized the aircraft and the ten occupants and arrested some 4,000 suspects throughout Cuba.{{sfn|Scheina|2003b|p=240}} Earlier in June, Cuban soldiers and Cuban-trained Dominican guerrillas attempted an unsuccessful invasion of the Dominican Republic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Foreign Intervention by Cuba |url=https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP77M00144R000400100003-7.pdf |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)}}</ref> Between 1946 and 1949, the Dominican government purchased military aircraft and warships from the British government,<ref>{{cite web |title=Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, The United Nations; The Western Hemisphere, Volume II |url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1951v02/d786? |publisher=Office of the Historian}}</ref> which were used to defeat the invasion by air and sea.

On November 25, 1960, Trujillo's henchmen killed three of the four [[Mirabal sisters]], nicknamed ''Las Mariposas'' (The Butterflies). Along with their husbands, the sisters were conspiring to overthrow Trujillo in a violent revolt. The [[International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women]] is observed on the anniversary of their deaths.

[[File:1960. Junio, 24. Atentado a Rómulo Betancourt en Los Próceres.jpg|thumb|Aftermath of the June 24, 1960, assassination attempt.]]
For a long time, the U.S. and the Dominican elite supported the Trujillo government. This support persisted despite the assassinations of political opposition, the [[parsley massacre|massacre of Haitians]], and Trujillo's plots against other countries.<ref name="Wucker">{{cite web |last=Wucker |first=Michele |title=Why the Cocks Fight: Dominicans, Haitians and the Struggle for Hispaniola |work=Windows on Haiti |url=http://www.ling.upenn.edu/courses/Fall_2003/ling001/wucker.html |access-date=December 26, 2007 |archive-date=August 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180831131817/http://www.ling.upenn.edu/courses/Fall_2003/ling001/wucker.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The U.S. finally broke with Trujillo in 1960, after Trujillo's agents attempted to assassinate the Venezuelan president [[Rómulo Betancourt]] with a car bomb, as he was a fierce critic of Trujillo.<ref name=locdr11>{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/11.htm|title=Dominican Republic&nbsp;– The era of Trujillo|work=Country Studies|publisher=[[Library of Congress]]; Federal Research Division|access-date=June 9, 2007|archive-date=June 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623160133/http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/11.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826562,00.html |title=Trying to Topple Trujillo |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=September 5, 1960 |access-date=December 26, 2007 |archive-date=November 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106155313/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826562,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The assassination attempt in [[Caracas]] wounded the Venezuelan president and his Minister of Defense, and killed an air force colonel and a policeman. During Betancourt's earlier exile in Cuba, Trujillo's agents attempted to inject poison into him on a Havana street in broad daylight.<ref name=Sifakis>{{cite book |last1=Carl Sifakis |title=Encyclopedia of assassinations: more than 400 infamous attacks that changed the course of history |date=2013 |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. |pages=105–106}}</ref>

[[File:KMO 157030 03580 1 t236 204404.jpg|thumb|Trujillo's car following the May 30, 1961, assassination.]]
After its representatives confirmed Trujillo's complicity in the nearly successful assassination attempt, the [[Organization of American States]] (OAS), for the first time in its history, decreed sanctions against a member state.{{sfn|Gleijeses|1978|p=28}} The OAS voted unanimously to condemn the Dominican Republic for its aggression and imposed an arms embargo.{{sfn|Scheina|2003b|p=256}} The United States severed diplomatic relations with the Dominican Republic on August 26, 1960, and in January 1961 suspended the export of trucks, parts, crude oil, gasoline and other petroleum products. U.S. President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] also took advantage of OAS sanctions to drastically cut purchases of Dominican sugar, the country's major export. This action ultimately cost the Dominican Republic almost $22,000,000 in lost revenues at a time when its economy was in a rapid decline. Trujillo had become expendable, and dissidents inside the Dominican Republic argued that assassination was the only certain way to remove him.<ref name="Cord Meyer">{{cite book |url=http://www.umsl.edu/~thomaskp/plwordab.htm |last=Ameringer |first=Charles D. |title=U.S. Foreign Intelligence: The Secret Side of American history |edition=1990 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0669217803 |date=January 1, 1990 |access-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-date=June 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610085607/http://www.umsl.edu/~thomaskp/plwordab.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="CIA">{{cite web |date=November 24, 1972 |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP84-00499R001000100003-2.pdf |title=The Kaplans of the CIA – Approved For Release 2001/03/06 CIA-RDP84-00499R001000100003-2 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=January 17, 2019 |pages=3–6 |archive-date=April 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412055748/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP84-00499R001000100003-2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On May 30, 1961, Trujillo was shot and killed by Dominican dissidents during a car chase.<ref name=nyt/>

On May 31, 1961, the following day, Venezuela arrested several individuals plotting to overthrow the government, armed with weapons traced to the Dominican Republic.{{sfn|Scheina|2003b|p=257}}

===Post-Trujillo (1961–1996)===
[[File:Juan Bosch (1963).jpg|thumb|upright=.7|[[Juan Bosch (politician)|Juan Bosch]], the first democratically elected president after Trujillo]] After the assassination, [[Ramfis Trujillo]], the dictator's son, remained in de facto control of the government for the next 6 months, as commander of the armed forces. Trujillo's brothers, Hector Bienvenido and Jose Arismendi Trujillo, returned to the country and plotted against President Balaguer. On November 18, 1961, as a planned coup became more evident, U.S. Secretary of State [[Dean Rusk]] issued a warning that the US would not "remain idle" if the Trujillos attempted to "reassert dictatorial domination". Following this warning, and the arrival of a 14-vessel U.S. naval task force within sight of Santo Domingo, Ramfis and his uncles fled the country on November 19. The OAS lifted its sanctions on January 4, 1962.{{sfn|Gleijeses|1978|p=62}}

In February 1963, a democratically elected government under leftist [[Juan Bosch (politician)|Juan Bosch]] took office but it was overthrown by a military coup in September. On April 24, 1965, a second military coup ousted the military-installed president [[Donald Reid Cabral]].{{sfn|Musicant|1990|p=363}} Despite tank assaults, [[strafing]], and aerial bombardment by the opposing Loyalists, the pro-Bosch Constitutionalists maintained control of most of the capital. By April 26, 5,000 armed civilians outnumbered the 1,500 original rebel military regulars. Radio Santo Domingo, now fully under rebel control, began to call for more violent actions and the killing of all police officers.

On April 28, U.S. President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] deployed U.S. Marines from [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base]] to Santo Domingo to protect American citizens, with U.S. forces subsequently expanded to 24,000 troops.<ref name=nyt/> On April 30, two battalions of the [[82nd Airborne Division]] landed at [[San Isidro Air Base|San Isidro airfield]]. Hours later, U.S. troops crossed the Duarte Bridge to link up with Loyalists, who were to secure a corridor for the Marines guarding the U.S. Embassy. However, the Loyalists withdrew to San Isidro airfield instead.{{sfn|Scheina|2003b|p=276}} On May 2, U.S. forces were authorized to link up, and the outgunned Constitutionalists retreated to the southeastern part of the city. A ceasefire was declared on May 5. The following day, U.S. diplomats persuaded the OAS to establish an [[Inter-American Peace Force]] to support American troops. The following countries volunteered: Brazil (1,250 soldiers), Costa Rica (25 police), Honduras (250 soldiers), Nicaragua (164 soldiers), and Paraguay (286 soldiers).{{sfn|Scheina|2003b|p=277}}

U.S. and OAS peacekeeping troops remained in the country for over a year and left after supervising elections in 1966 won by [[Joaquín Balaguer]]. He had been Trujillo's last puppet-president.<ref name=Encarta/><ref name="civil war">{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/13.htm |title=Dominican Republic&nbsp;– Civil War and United States Intervention, 1965 |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-date=September 23, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923042607/http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/13.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Balaguer remained in power as president for 12 years. His tenure was a period of repression of human rights and civil liberties.<ref name="govinfo">{{cite web |title=Congressional Bills 117th Congress |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-117hr2725ih/html/BILLS-117hr2725ih.htm |website=[[GovInfo]] |access-date=December 22, 2022 |archive-date=January 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120200122/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-117hr2725ih/html/BILLS-117hr2725ih.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> His rule was criticized for a growing disparity between rich and poor. It was, however, praised for an ambitious infrastructure program, which included construction of large housing projects, sports complexes, theaters, museums, aqueducts, roads, highways, and the massive [[Columbus Lighthouse]], completed in 1992 during a later tenure.

In 1978, Balaguer was succeeded to the presidency by opposition candidate [[Antonio Guzmán Fernández]], of the [[Dominican Revolutionary Party]] (PRD). [[Hurricane David]] hit the Dominican Republic in August 1979, which left upwards of 2,000 people dead and 200,000 homeless. The hurricane caused over $1 billion in damage. Another PRD win in 1982 followed, under [[Salvador Jorge Blanco]]. Balaguer regained the presidency in 1986 and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994, in the latter defeating PRD candidate [[José Francisco Peña Gómez]], a former mayor of Santo Domingo.<!--some info needs to be added about Balaguer's performance 1986-96--> The 1994 elections were flawed, bringing international pressure, to which Balaguer responded by scheduling another presidential contest in 1996. Balaguer was not a candidate. The PSRC candidate was his Vice President [[Jacinto Peynado Garrigosa]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/28/world/longtime-ruler-overshadows-dominican-republic-election.html |title=Longtime Ruler Overshadows Dominican Republic Election |last=Rohter |first=Larry |date=March 28, 1996 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 21, 2018 |archive-date=November 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121161810/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/28/world/longtime-ruler-overshadows-dominican-republic-election.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===1996–present===
In 1996, with the support of Joaquín Balaguer and the Social Christian Reform Party in a coalition called the Patriotic Front, [[Leonel Fernández]] achieved the first-ever win for the [[Dominican Liberation Party]] (PLD),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/02/world/lawyer-raised-in-new-york-to-lead-dominican-republic.html |title=Lawyer Raised in New York to Lead Dominican Republic |last=Rohter |first=Larry |date=July 2, 1996 |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 21, 2018 |archive-date=November 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121161715/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/02/world/lawyer-raised-in-new-york-to-lead-dominican-republic.html |url-status=live }}</ref> which Bosch had founded in 1973 after leaving the PRD. Fernández oversaw a fast-growing economy: growth averaged 7.7% per year, unemployment fell, and exchange and inflation rates were stable.<ref name=coha/>

[[File:Protestas dominicanas en Santo Domingo 2020.jpg|thumb|[[2020 Dominican Republic protests]] in Plaza de La Bandera, Santo Domingo]]
In 2000, the PRD's [[Hipólito Mejía]] won the election. This was a time of economic troubles.<ref name=coha/> Under Mejía, the Dominican Republic participated in the US-led coalition, as part of the Multinational [[Plus Ultra Brigade]], during the 2003 [[Iraq War|invasion of Iraq]], suffering no casualties. In 2008, Fernández was elected for a third term.<ref name="ussdnote" /> Fernández and the PLD are credited with initiatives that moved the country forward technologically. His administrations were accused of corruption.<ref name="coha" />

[[Danilo Medina]] of the PLD was elected president in 2012 and re-elected in 2016. A significant increase in crime, government corruption and a weak justice system threatened to overshadow their administrative period.<ref>{{cite web|last=Corcino|first=Panky|title=Suicidio en OISOE destapa gran escándalo de corrupción gestión Medina|url=http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/2015/10/02/i197751_suicidio-oisoe-destapa-gran-escandalo-corrupcion-gestion-medina.html|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-date=April 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404134459/http://www.7dias.com.do/portada/2015/10/02/i197751_suicidio-oisoe-destapa-gran-escandalo-corrupcion-gestion-medina.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Redacción|title=Súper Tucanos y Sobornos – Cronología del Proceso de Adquisición DJ4658885|url=https://m.diariolibre.com/noticias/justicia/super-tucano-y-soborno-cronologia-del-proceso-de-adquisicion-DJ4658885|access-date=January 23, 2017|archive-date=April 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414234205/https://m.diariolibre.com/noticias/justicia/super-tucano-y-soborno-cronologia-del-proceso-de-adquisicion-DJ4658885|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was succeeded by the opposition candidate [[Luis Abinader]] in the [[2020 Dominican Republic general election|2020 election]] (weeks after [[2020 Dominican Republic protests|protests erupted in the country]] against Medina's government), marking the end to 16 years in power of the centre-left Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-53268860|title=Change in Dominican Republic as opposition wins presidency|work=BBC News|date=July 6, 2020|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=July 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705210130/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-53268860|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Dominican Republic's new president takes office warning of tough recovery |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-dominicanrepublic-politics-idUSKCN25D04W |work=Reuters |date=August 17, 2020 |language=en |access-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-date=February 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222205457/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-dominicanrepublic-politics-idUSKCN25D04W |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2024, President Luis Abinader won a second term in the [[2024 Dominican Republic general election|elections]]. His tough policies towards migration from neighbouring Haiti was popular among voters.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dominican Republic President Abinader wins second term |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/20/dominican-republic-president-abinader-wins-second-term |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{main|Geography of the Dominican Republic|List of islands of the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Dominican Republic relief location map.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Topographical map of Dominican Republic]]
The Dominican Republic comprises the eastern five-eighths of [[Hispaniola]], the second-largest island in the [[Greater Antilles]], with the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the north and the [[Caribbean Sea]] to the south. It shares the island roughly at a 2:1 ratio with [[Haiti]], the north-to-south (though somewhat irregular) border between the two countries being {{convert|376|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="CIADemo" /> To the north and north-west lie [[The Bahamas]] and the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], and to the east, across the [[Mona Passage]], the US Commonwealth of [[Puerto Rico]]. The country's area is reported variously as {{convert|48442|km²|0|abbr=on}} (by the embassy in the United States)<ref name="embassy" /> and {{convert|48670|km²|0|abbr=on}},<ref name="CIADemo" /> making it the second largest country in the [[Antilles]], after [[Cuba]]. The Dominican Republic's capital and largest city [[Santo Domingo]] is on the southern coast.<ref name="CIADemo" /> The Dominican Republic is located near fault action in the Caribbean.

[[File:Monte Cristi, Coastline.JPG|thumb|[[Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic|Monte Cristi]] coastline]]
The Dominican Republic has four important mountain ranges. The most northerly is the ''[[Cordillera Septentrional]]'' ("Northern Mountain Range"), which extends from the northwestern coastal town of [[San Fernando de Monte Cristi|Monte Cristi]], near the Haitian border, to the [[Samaná Peninsula]] in the east, running parallel to the Atlantic coast. The highest range in the Dominican Republic&nbsp;– indeed, in the whole of the West Indies&nbsp;– is the ''[[Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic|Cordillera Central]]'' ("Central Mountain Range"). In the Cordillera Central are the four highest peaks in the Caribbean: [[Pico Duarte]] ({{convert|3098|m|ft|0|disp=or}} above sea level),<ref name="CIADemo" /> La Pelona ({{convert|3094|m|ft|0|disp=or}}), La Rucilla ({{convert|3049|m|ft|0|disp=or}}), and Pico Yaque ({{convert|2760|m|ft|0|disp=or}}). In the southwest corner of the country, south of the Cordillera Central, there are two other ranges: the more northerly of the two is the ''[[Sierra de Neiba]]'', while in the south the ''[[Sierra de Bahoruco]]'' is a continuation of the [[Massif de la Selle]] in Haiti. There are other, minor mountain ranges, such as the ''Cordillera Oriental'' ("Eastern Mountain Range"), ''Sierra Martín García'', ''Sierra de Yamasá'', and ''Sierra de Samaná''.

Between the Central and Northern mountain ranges lies the rich and fertile [[Cibao]] valley. This major valley is home to the cities of [[Santiago de los Caballeros|Santiago]] and [[Concepción de La Vega|La Vega]] and most of the farming areas of the nation. Rather less productive are the semi-arid San Juan Valley, south of the Central Cordillera, and the Neiba Valley, tucked between the Sierra de Neiba and the Sierra de Bahoruco. Much of the land around the [[Lake Enriquillo|Enriquillo]] Basin is below sea level, with a hot, arid, desert-like environment. There are other smaller valleys in the mountains, such as the [[Constanza, Dominican Republic|Constanza]], [[Jarabacoa]], [[Villa Altagracia]], and [[Bonao]] valleys.
The ''Llano Costero del Caribe'' ("Caribbean Coastal Plain") is the largest of the plains in the Dominican Republic. Stretching north and east of Santo Domingo, it contains many sugar plantations in the [[savannah]]s that are common there. West of Santo Domingo its width is reduced to {{convert|10|km|mi}} as it hugs the coast, finishing at the mouth of the Ocoa River. Another large plain is the ''Plena de Azua'' ("Azua Plain"), a very arid region in [[Azua Province]]. A few other small coastal plains are on the northern coast and in the [[Pedernales Province|Pedernales]] Peninsula.
[[File:Salto el Limón (14688207924).jpg|thumb|upright|Salto del Limón, one of many waterfalls across the Dominican Republic]]
Four major rivers drain the numerous mountains of the Dominican Republic. The [[Yaque del Norte River|Yaque del Norte]] is the longest and most important Dominican river. It carries excess water down from the Cibao Valley and empties into Monte Cristi Bay, in the northwest. Likewise, the [[Yuna River]] serves the Vega Real and empties into Samaná Bay, in the northeast. Drainage of the San Juan Valley is provided by the San Juan River, [[tributary]] of the [[Yaque del Sur]], which empties into the Caribbean, in the south. The [[Artibonite River|Artibonito]] is the longest river of Hispaniola and flows westward into Haiti. There are many lakes and coastal lagoons. The largest lake is [[Lake Enriquillo|Enriquillo]], a [[salt lake]] at {{convert|45|m|ft|0}} below sea level, the lowest elevation in the Caribbean.<ref name="CIADemo" />

There are many small offshore islands and [[cay]]s that form part of the Dominican territory. The two largest islands near shore are [[Saona Island|Saona]], in the southeast, and [[Beata]], in the southwest. Smaller islands include the [[Cayos Siete Hermanos]], [[Isla Cabra]], [[Cayo Jackson]], [[Cayo Limón]], [[Cayo Levantado]], [[Cayo la Bocaina]], [[Catalina Island (Dominican Republic)|Catalanita]], [[Cayo Pisaje]] and [[Isla Alto Velo]]. To the north, at distances of {{convert|100|-|200|km|mi|0}}, are three extensive, largely submerged [[Bank (topography)|banks]], which geographically are a southeast continuation of [[the Bahamas]]: [[Navidad Bank]], [[Silver Bank]], and [[Mouchoir Bank]]. Navidad Bank and Silver Bank have been officially claimed by the Dominican Republic.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}} [[Isla Cabritos]] lies within [[Lago Enriquillo]].

The country is home to five terrestrial ecoregions: [[Hispaniolan moist forests]], [[Hispaniolan dry forests]], [[Hispaniolan pine forests]], [[Enriquillo wetlands]], and [[Greater Antilles mangroves]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|author-link1=:de:Eric Dinerstein|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|author-link6=Eric Wikramanayake|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|author-link10=Reed Noss|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|author-link12=Harvey Locke|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C.|author-link13=Erle Ellis|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|author-link18=Vance Martin|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Secrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|author-link24=Kieran Suckling|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|author-link39=Shahina A. Ghazanfar|last40=Timberlate|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=3|date=April 5, 2017|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=[[BioScience]]|volume=67|issue=6|pages=534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|doi-access=free|pmc=5451287|pmid=28608869|issn=0006-3568}}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of the Dominican Republic}}
<!--[[File:Los Haitises Park.jpeg|thumb|Los Haitises Park National Park]]-->
The Dominican Republic has a [[tropical rainforest climate]]<ref name="researchgate.net">{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/250004144 |title=A New Climatic Map of the Dominican Republic Based on the Thornthwaite Classification |last1=Isso |first1=Michela |last2=Aucelli |first2=Pietro |last3=Maratea |first3=Antonio |last4=Rosskopf |first4=Carmen |last5=Mendez-Tejada |first5=Rafael |last6=Pérez |first6=Carlos |last7=Segura |first7=Hugo |date=September 2010 |journal=Physical Geography |volume=31 |number=5 |pages=455–472 |doi=10.2747/0272-3646.31.5.455|bibcode=2010PhGeo..31..455I |s2cid=129484907 }}</ref> in the coastal and lowland areas. Some areas, such as most of the [[Cibao]] region, have a [[tropical savanna climate]].<ref name="researchgate.net"/> Due to its diverse topography, Dominican Republic's climate shows considerable variation over short distances and is the most varied of all the Antilles. The annual average temperature is {{convert|25|C|F}}. At higher elevations the temperature averages {{convert|18|C|F|1}} while near sea level the average temperature is {{convert|28|C|F|1}}. Low temperatures of {{convert|0|C|F}} are possible in the mountains while high temperatures of {{convert|40|C|F}} are possible in protected valleys. January and February are the coolest months of the year while August is the hottest month. Snowfall can be seen on rare occasions on the summit of [[Pico Duarte]].<ref name="DRcli" />

The [[wet season]] along the northern coast lasts from November through January. Elsewhere the wet season stretches from May through November, with May being the wettest month. Average annual rainfall is {{convert|1500|mm|in|1}} countrywide, with individual locations in the Valle de Neiba seeing averages as low as {{convert|350|mm|in|1}} while the Cordillera Oriental averages {{convert|2740|mm|in|1}}. The driest part of the country lies in the west.<ref name="DRcli" />

[[Tropical cyclones]] strike the Dominican Republic every couple of years, with 65% of the impacts along the southern coast. Hurricanes are most likely between June and October.<ref name="DRcli">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/19.htm|title=Dominican Republic&nbsp;– Climate|author=United States Library of Congress|publisher=Country Studies US|date=May 24, 2007|access-date=October 27, 2009|author-link=United States Library of Congress|archive-date=July 6, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090706224436/http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/19.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CIADemo" /> The last major hurricane that struck the country was [[Hurricane Georges]] in 1998.{{Atlantic hurricane best track}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="122px">
File:Constanza, valle nuevo, clima invierno..jpg|Frosted alpine forest in [[Constanza, Dominican Republic]]
File:Cabo Cabrón, (Rincón Beach) Samaná, DR.JPG|Tropical rainforest climate in [[Samaná Province|Samana]], Dominican Republic
File:Jaragua National Park (Road2).JPG|Semi-arid climate in [[Pedernales Province|Pedernales]], Dominican Republic
File:Dunas de Baní 1.jpg|Desert sand dunes of [[Baní]], Dominican Republic
</gallery>

===Fauna===
[[Bat]]s make up 90% of the native terrestrial mammal species residing in the Dominican Republic.<ref>Burton K Lim and others, Phylogeography of Dominican Republic bats and implications for systematic relationships in the Neotropics, Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 98, Issue 4, August 1, 2017, Pages 986–993</ref> Lake Enriquillo, located in the Dominican Republic's southwest, is home to the largest population of [[American crocodile]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schipper |first=Joe |date=August 4, 2023 |title=Enriquillo Wetlands |url=https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/enriquillo-wetlands/ |access-date=June 20, 2025 |website=One Earth |language=en}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of the Dominican Republic}}
{{Update|section|date=February 2021}}
{{Multiple image
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| image1            = Luis Abinader 2022 (cropped).jpg
| caption1          = [[Luis Abinader]]<br />[[President of the Dominican Republic|President]]
| image2            = 20250524 Quito posesion del presidente Daniel Noboa-Ovidio González2497 (cropped).jpg
| caption2          = [[Raquel Peña (politician)|Raquel Peña]]<br />[[Vice President of the Dominican Republic|Vice President]]
}}
The Dominican Republic is a [[representative democracy]] or [[Democracy|democratic republic]],<ref name="embassy" /><ref name="CIADemo" /><ref name="ussdnote" /> with three branches of power: executive, [[Legislature|legislative]], and [[Judiciary|judicial]]. The [[president of the Dominican Republic]] heads the executive branch and executes laws passed by the [[Congress of the Dominican Republic|congress]], appoints the cabinet, and is commander in chief of the [[Military of the Dominican Republic|armed forces]]. The president and vice-president run for office on the same ticket and are elected by direct vote for four-year terms. The national legislature is bicameral, composed of a [[Senate of the Dominican Republic|senate]], which has 32 members, and the [[Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic|Chamber of Deputies]], with 190 members.<ref name="ussdnote" />

Judicial authority rests with the [[Government of the Dominican Republic#Judicial branch|Supreme Court of Justice]]'s 16 members. The court "alone hears actions against the president, designated members of his Cabinet, and members of Congress when the legislature is in session."<ref name="ussdnote" /> The court is appointed by a council known as the [[National Council of the Magistracy (Dominican Republic)|National Council of the Magistracy]] which is composed of the president, the leaders of both houses of Congress, the President of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non–governing-party member.

[[File:Santo Domingo National Palace.jpg|thumb|The [[National Palace (Dominican Republic)|National Palace]] in Santo Domingo]]
The Dominican Republic has a [[multi-party system|multi-party political system]]. Elections are held every two years, alternating between the [[Elections in the Dominican Republic|presidential elections]], which are held in years evenly divisible by four, and the congressional and municipal elections, which are held in even-numbered years not divisible by four. "International observers have found that presidential and congressional elections since 1996 have been generally free and fair."<ref name="ussdnote" /> Starting in 2016, elections are held jointly, after a constitutional reform.<ref>{{cite web|title=FEDOMU aclara confusión sobre elecciones para el año 2016|url=http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=289411|website=El Nuevo Diario|access-date=July 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719002254/http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=289411|archive-date=July 19, 2014|language=es|date=June 8, 2012}}</ref>

The three major parties are the conservative [[Social Christian Reformist Party]] ({{langx|es|Partido Reformista Social Cristiano (PRSC)}}), in power 1966–78 and 1986–96; and the [[Social democracy|social democratic]] [[Dominican Revolutionary Party]] ({{langx|es|Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD)}}), in power in 1963, 1978–86, and 2000–04; and the [[Dominican Liberation Party]] ({{langx|es|Partido de la Liberación Dominicana (PLD)}}), in power 1996–2000 and 2004–2020. In 2020, [[2020 Dominican Republic protests|protests erupted]] against the PLD's rule. The presidential candidate for the opposition Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), [[Luis Abinader]], won the [[2020 Dominican Republic general election|election]], defeating the PLD.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/world/americas/Dominican-Republic-presidential-election.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706161558/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/world/americas/Dominican-Republic-presidential-election.html |archive-date=July 6, 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Opposition Candidate Wins Dominican Republic Presidential Vote|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=The New York Times|date=July 6, 2020}}</ref>

According to [[International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance|International IDEA]]’s Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices and Democracy Tracker, the Dominican Republic performs in the mid-range on overall democratic measures, with particular strengths in civil society, inclusive suffrage, and free political parties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dominican Republic {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/country/dominican-republic |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.idea.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global State of Democracy Indices {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/gsod-indices |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/ |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
{{Main|Provinces of the Dominican Republic|Municipalities of the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Dominican Republic, administrative divisions - de - monochrome.svg|thumb|right|Provinces of the Dominican Republic]]
The Dominican Republic is divided into 31 [[Provinces of the Dominican Republic|provinces]]. Santo Domingo, the capital, is designated [[Distrito Nacional]] (National District). The provinces are divided into municipalities (''[[municipio]]s''; singular ''municipio''). They are the second-level political and [[Administrative division|administrative subdivisions]] of the country. The president appoints the governors of the 31 provinces. Mayors and municipal councils administer the 124 municipal districts and the National District (Santo Domingo). They are elected at the same time as congressional representatives.<ref name="ussdnote" />

The provinces are the first–level administrative subdivisions of the country. The headquarters of the central government's regional offices are normally found in the capital cities of provinces. The president appoints an administrative governor (''Gobernador Civil'') for each province but not for the Distrito Nacional (Title IX of the constitution).<ref name="Constitution">{{cite web |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Dominican_Republic_2015.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101102800/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Dominican_Republic_2015.pdf |archive-date=November 1, 2016 |url-status=live |title=Dominican Republic's Constitution of 2015 |website=constitute.org |access-date=December 28, 2020}}</ref>
The Distrito Nacional was created in 1936. Prior to this, the Distrito National was the old Santo Domingo Province, in existence since the country's independence in 1844. It is not to be confused with the new Santo Domingo Province split off from it in 2001. While it is similar to a province in many ways, the Distrito Nacional differs in its lack of an administrative governor and consisting only of one municipality, [[Santo Domingo]], the city council (''[[ayuntamiento]]'') and mayor (''síndico'') which are in charge of its administration.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.informejudicial.com/leyes/Division%20Territorial/Ley%20163-01,%20crea%20Provincia%20Santo%20Domingo%20y%20Modifica%20Articulos%201%20y%202%20Ley%205220.htm|title=Ley No. 163-01 que crea la provincia de Santo Domingo, y modifica los Artículos 1 y 2 de la Ley No. 5220, sobre División Territorial de la República Dominicana.|author=EL CONGRESO NACIONAL|language=es|access-date=March 8, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070518042944/http://www.informejudicial.com/leyes/Division+Territorial/Ley+163-01,+crea+Provincia+Santo+Domingo+y+Modifica+Articulos+1+y+2+Ley+5220.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = May 18, 2007}}</ref>

{|
|- valign="top"
|<!--First column:-->
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! || Province || Capital city
|-
| [[File:Escudo_del_Municipio_Azua_de_Compostela.png|center|50px|Azua Coat of Arms]] || [[Azua Province|Azua]] || [[Azua de Compostela]]
|-
| ||[[Baoruco Province|Baoruco]] || [[Neiba]]
|-
|||[[Barahona Province|Barahona]] || [[Santa Cruz de Barahona]]
|-
| ||[[Dajabón Province|Dajabón]] || [[Dajabón]]
|-
| [[File:Escudo_del_Municipio_Santo_Domingo.svg|center|50px|Distrito Nacional Coat of Arms]] || [[Distrito Nacional]] || [[Santo Domingo]]
|-
| ||[[Duarte Province|Duarte]] || [[San Francisco de Macorís]]
|-
| ||[[Elías Piña Province|Elías Piña]] || [[Comendador, Elías Piña|Comendador]]
|-
| ||[[El Seibo Province|El Seibo]] || [[Santa Cruz de El Seibo]]
|-
| || [[Espaillat Province|Espaillat]]{{Spaces|2}}|| [[Moca, Espaillat|Moca]]
|-
| ||[[Hato Mayor Province|Hato Mayor]] || [[Hato Mayor del Rey]]
|-
| ||[[Hermanas Mirabal Province|Hermanas Mirabal]] || [[Salcedo, Hermanas Mirabal|Salcedo]]{{nbsp|6}}
|-
| ||[[Independencia Province|Independencia]] || [[Jimaní]]
|-
| ||[[La Altagracia Province|La Altagracia]] || [[Salvaleón de Higüey]]
|-
| ||[[La Romana Province|La Romana]] || [[La Romana, La Romana|La Romana]]
|-
| [[File:La Vega Old Shield.svg|center|50px|La Vega Coat of Arms]] || [[La Vega Province|La Vega]] || [[Concepción de La Vega]]
|-
| ||[[María Trinidad Sánchez Province|María Trinidad Sánchez]] || [[Nagua]]
|}
|<!--Second column:-->
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! || Province || Capital city
|-
| ||[[Monseñor Nouel Province|Monseñor Nouel]] || [[Bonao]]
|-
| ||[[Monte Cristi Province|Monte Cristi]]{{nbsp|2}}|| [[San Fernando de Monte Cristi]]
|-
| ||[[Monte Plata Province|Monte Plata]] || [[Monte Plata]]
|-
| [[File:BayajaOldshield.svg|center|50px|Pedernales Coat of Arms]] || [[Pedernales Province|Pedernales]] || [[Pedernales, Dominican Republic|Pedernales]]
|-
| ||[[Peravia Province|Peravia]] || [[Baní]]
|-
| [[File:Puerto Plata Old Shield.svg|center|50px|Puerto Plata Coat of Arms]] || [[Puerto Plata Province|Puerto Plata]] || [[San Felipe de Puerto Plata]]
|-
| [[File:Coat of arms of the Samana province.png|center|50px|Samaná Coat of Arms]] || [[Samaná Province|Samaná]] || [[Samaná (town)|Samaná]]
|-
| ||[[San Cristóbal Province|San Cristóbal]] || [[San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic|San Cristóbal]]
|-
| ||[[San José de Ocoa Province|San José de Ocoa]] || [[San José de Ocoa]]
|-
| [[File:San Juan Old Shield.svg|center|50px|San Juan Coat of Arms]] || [[San Juan de la Maguana Province|San Juan]] || [[San Juan de la Maguana]]
|-
| [[File:Escudo de San Pedro de Macoris (En cuadrilongo).svg|center|50px|San Pedro de Macoris Coat of Arms]] || [[San Pedro de Macorís Province|San Pedro de Macorís]] || [[San Pedro de Macorís]]
|-
| [[File:Seal of the Sanchez Ramirez province.png|center|50px|Seal of Sánchez Ramírez]] || [[Sánchez Ramírez Province|Sánchez Ramírez]] || [[Cotuí]]
|-
| ||[[Santiago de los Caballeros Province|Santiago]] || [[Santiago de los Caballeros]]
|-
| ||[[Santiago Rodríguez Province|Santiago Rodríguez]] || [[San Ignacio de Sabaneta]]
|-
| ||[[Santo Domingo Province|Santo Domingo]] || [[Santo Domingo Este]]
|-
| [[File:Escudo del Municipio Mao.svg|50px|center|Valverde Coat of Arms]] ||[[Valverde Province|Valverde]] || [[Santa Cruz de Mao]]
|}
|}

===Foreign relations===
{{Further|Foreign relations of the Dominican Republic}}

The Dominican Republic has a close relationship with the [[Dominican Republic-United States relations|United States]], and has close cultural ties with the [[Commonwealth of Puerto Rico]], and other states and jurisdictions of the United States.

The Dominican Republic's [[Dominican Republic–Haiti relations|relationship with neighbouring Haiti]] is strained over mass Haitian migration to the Dominican Republic, with citizens of the Dominican Republic blaming the Haitians for increased crime and other social problems.<ref>{{cite news|first=Sarah|last=Childress|url=http://www.pri.org/stories/2011-08-31/dr-haitians-get-lost|title=DR to Haitians: get lost|publisher=pri.org|agency=Global Post|date=August 31, 2011|access-date=August 24, 2016|archive-date=September 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921072045/http://www.pri.org/stories/2011-08-31/dr-haitians-get-lost|url-status=live}}</ref> The Dominican Republic is an observer member of the {{lang|fr|[[Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie]]}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Global Affairs |date=July 23, 2021 |title=Canada-Dominican Republic relations |url=https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/dominican_republic-republique_dominicaine/relations.aspx?lang=eng |access-date=June 20, 2025 |website=GAC}}</ref>

The Dominican Republic has a [[Free-trade area|free trade agreement]] with the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua via the [[Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement|Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/cafta-dr-dominican-republic-central-america-fta|title=CAFTA-DR (Dominican Republic-Central America FTA) {{!}} United States Trade Representative|website=ustr.gov|language=en|access-date=February 8, 2017|archive-date=January 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127154739/https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/cafta-dr-dominican-republic-central-america-fta|url-status=live}}</ref> and an [[Economic Partnership Agreements|economic partnership agreement]] with the [[European Union]] and the [[Caribbean Community]] via the [[CARIFORUM|Caribbean Forum.]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/regions/caribbean/|title=Caribbean – Trade – European Commission|website=ec.europa.eu|language=en|access-date=February 8, 2017|archive-date=January 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113012335/http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/regions/caribbean/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Dominican Republic is the 97th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024 [[Global Peace Index]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf|title=2024 Global Peace Index|accessdate=November 20, 2025}}</ref>

===Military===
[[File:Two Commando soldiers of the MEFA provide security.jpg|thumb|right|Dominican soldiers training in Santo Domingo]]
{{Main|Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic}}

The Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic are the military forces of the Dominican Republic. They consist of approximately 56,000 active duty personnel.<ref name=IISS409>{{cite book |title=The Military Balance 2021 |author1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |author-link1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |date=February 25, 2021 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |location=[[London]] |page= 409 |isbn=9781032012278}}</ref> The President of the Dominican Republic is the [[commander in chief]] of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic and the Ministry of Defense is the chief managing body of the armed forces.

The [[Dominican Army|Army]], with 28,750 active duty personnel,<ref name=IISS409/> consists of six [[infantry]] brigades, an air cavalry squadron and a combat service support brigade. The [[Dominican Air Force|Air Force]] operates two main bases, one in the southern region near [[Santo Domingo]] and one in the northern region of the country, the air force operates approximately 75 aircraft including helicopters. The [[Dominican Navy|Navy]] operates two major naval bases, one in Santo Domingo and one in Las Calderas on the southwestern coast.

The armed forces have organized a Specialized Airport Security Corps (CESA) and a Specialized Port Security Corps (CESEP) to meet international security needs in these areas. The secretary of the armed forces has also announced plans to form a specialized border corps (CESEF). The armed forces provide 75% of personnel to the National Investigations Directorate (DNI) and the Counter-Drug Directorate (DNCD).<ref name="ussdnote" />

In 2018, Dominican Republic signed the UN [[treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament&nbsp;– No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |date=July 7, 2017 |access-date=August 20, 2019 |archive-date=August 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of the Dominican Republic}}
<!--The Dominican Republic is the largest economy<ref name="gdp rank" /> (according to the U.S. State Department and the World Bank)<ref name="ussdnote" /><ref name="Dominican Republic">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/dominicanrepublic|title=Dominican Republic|publisher=[[World Bank]]|access-date=April 29, 2016}}</ref> in the Caribbean and Central American region. It is an upper middle-income [[developing country]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318125456/http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups|archive-date=March 18, 2011|title=Data&nbsp;– Country Groups |access-date=October 20, 2008 |publisher=[[World Bank]]}}</ref> with a 2020 GDP per capita of [[US$]]20,625, in [[Purchasing power parity|PPP]] terms. Over the last 25 years, the Dominican Republic has had the fastest-growing economy in the Americas – with an average real GDP growth rate of 5.53% between 1992 and 2018.<ref name="Dominican Republic" /> GDP growth in 2014 and 2015 reached 7.3 and 7.0%, respectively, the highest in the Western Hemisphere.<ref name=":0" /> In the first half of 2016, the Dominican economy grew 7.4%.<ref name=":1" /> {{As of|2015}}, the average wage in nominal terms is US$392 per month (RD$17,829).<ref name="Average2">{{cite web|url=http://www.ilo.org/ilostat/faces/home/statisticaldata/ContryProfileId?_afrLoop=391426682824720#%40%3F_afrLoop%3D391426682824720%26_adf.ctrl-state%3Dt2bvk9hac_171|title=Average Wage|access-date=July 24, 2016|author=International Labour Organization|at=Exchange rate: [https://www.dgii.gov.do/informacionTributaria/publicaciones/avisosInformativos/Documents/03-16.pdf 45.4691 DOP per USD]|author-link=International Labour Organization}}</ref> The country is the site of the second largest [[gold mine]] in the world, the [[Pueblo Viejo mine]].<ref name="investingnews.com" /><ref name="lawrieongold.com" />-->
[[File:SantoDomingoedit.JPG|thumb|right|View of [[Santo Domingo]], the Dominican Republic's capital city]]
During the last three decades, the Dominican economy, formerly dependent on the export of agricultural commodities (mainly sugar, cocoa and coffee), has transitioned to a diversified mix of services, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and trade. The service sector accounts for almost 60% of GDP; manufacturing, for 22%; tourism, telecommunications and finance are the main components of the service sector; however, none of them accounts for more than 10% of the whole.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bancentral.gov.do/estadisticas_economicas/real/|title=Sector Real|publisher=[[Central Bank of the Dominican Republic]] (Banco Central de la República Dominicana)|access-date=April 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416153819/http://www.bancentral.gov.do/estadisticas_economicas/real/|archive-date=April 16, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Dominican Republic has a stock market, [[Bolsa de Valores de la República Dominicana]] (BVRD).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bvrd.com.do/quienes-somos|title=¿Quiénes Somos?|publisher=[[Bolsa de Valores de la República Dominicana]]|access-date=March 3, 2016|archive-date=March 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307204956/http://www.bvrd.com.do/quienes-somos|url-status=live}}</ref> and advanced telecommunication system and transportation infrastructure.<ref name="consulate" /> High unemployment and income inequality are long-term challenges.<ref name="CIADemo">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/dominican-republic/|title=Central America :: Dominican Republic|website=[[CIA World Factbook]]|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=July 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730042746/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/dominican-republic/|url-status=live}}</ref> International migration affects the Dominican Republic greatly, as it receives and sends large flows of migrants. Mass illegal Haitian immigration and the integration of Dominicans of Haitian descent are major issues.<ref name="pinadep" /> A large Dominican diaspora exists, mostly [[Dominican Americans (Dominican Republic)|in the United States]],<ref name="s0201">{{cite web
 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-reg=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201:405;ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201PR:405;ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201T:405;ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201TPR:405&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_&-TABLE_NAMEX=&-ci_type=R&-redoLog=true&-charIterations=541&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-format=&-_lang=en
 |title=United States&nbsp;– Selected Population Profile in the United States (Dominican (Dominican Republic))
 |access-date=January 10, 2010
|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau
 |work=2008 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212035022/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-reg=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201:405;ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201PR:405;ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201T:405;ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201TPR:405&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2008_1YR_G00_&-TABLE_NAMEX=&-ci_type=R&-redoLog=true&-charIterations=541&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-format=&-_lang=en
 |archive-date=February 12, 2020
}}</ref> contributes to development, sending billions of dollars to Dominican families in remittances.<ref name="CIADemo" /><ref name="ussdnote">{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35639.htm |title=U.S. Relations With the Dominican Republic |date=October 22, 2012 |publisher=[[United States Department of State]] |access-date=May 21, 2019 |archive-date=June 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604183842/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35639.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Remittance]]s in Dominican Republic increased to US$4571.30 million in 2014 from US$3333 million in 2013 (according to data reported by the Inter-American Development Bank). Economic growth takes place in spite of a chronic energy shortage,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cne.gov.do/Page.asp?key=89 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116034631/http://www.cne.gov.do/Page.asp?key=89 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 16, 2009 |title=Fernández Zucco anuncia celebración Semana Internacional de la Energía |access-date=October 20, 2008 |language=es }}</ref> which causes frequent blackouts and very high prices. Despite a widening merchandise [[Balance of trade|trade deficit]], tourism earnings and remittances have helped build [[foreign exchange reserves]]. Following economic turmoil in the late 1980s and 1990, during which the gross domestic product (GDP) fell by up to 5% and consumer price inflation reached an unprecedented 100%, the Dominican Republic entered a period of growth and declining inflation until 2002, after which the economy entered a [[recession]].<ref name="ussdnote" />

This recession followed the collapse of the second-largest [[commercial bank]] in the country, [[Banco Intercontinental|Baninter]], linked to a major incident of fraud valued at US$3.5 billion. The Baninter fraud had a devastating effect on the Dominican economy, with GDP dropping by 1% in 2003 as inflation ballooned by over 27%. All defendants, including the star of the trial, [[Ramón Báez Figueroa]] (the great-grandson of President [[Buenaventura Báez]]),<ref name="NYTimes_TonySmith">{{cite news|author=Tony Smith|title=Fallen Banker Courted in Jail Cell|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/27/business/worldbusiness/27DOMI.html|access-date=May 11, 2014|date=May 23, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422121502/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/27/business/worldbusiness/27DOMI.html|archive-date=April 22, 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|location=Santo Domingo}}</ref> were convicted.

According to the 2005 Annual Report of the United Nations Subcommittee on Human Development in the Dominican Republic, the country is ranked No. 71 in the world for resource availability, No. 79 for human development, and No. 14 in the world for resource mismanagement. These statistics emphasize national government corruption, foreign economic interference in the country, and the rift between the rich and poor.

The Dominican Republic has a noted problem of [[child labor]] in its coffee, rice, sugarcane, and tomato industries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/PDF/2011TVPRA.pdf|title=List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor|publisher=U.S. Department of Labor|year=2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115034958/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/PDF/2011TVPRA.pdf|archive-date=January 15, 2014}}</ref> The labor injustices in the sugarcane industry extend to forced labor according to the [[United States Department of Labor|U.S. Department of Labor]]. Three large groups own 75% of the land: the State Sugar Council (Consejo Estatal del Azúcar, CEA), [[Vicini|Grupo Vicini]], and Central Romana Corporation.<ref name="Country Studies-Library Congress">{{cite book|title=Dominican Republic and Haiti : country studies|date=December 1999|publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress|location=Washington, DC|isbn=978-0-8444-1044-9 |editor=Helen Chapin Metz |editor-link=Helen Chapin Metz |url=https://archive.org/details/dominicanrepubli00libr}}{{dead link|date=October 2016}}
*{{cite book |title=Dominican Republic - A Country Study |publisher=Library of Congress |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/dotoc.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991111062126/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/dotoc.html |archive-date=November 11, 1999}}</ref>

According to the 2016 [[Global Slavery Index]], an estimated 104,800 people are enslaved in the modern day Dominican Republic, or 1% of the population.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kevin Bales|display-authors=etal|title=Dominican Republic|url=https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/country/dominican-republic/|website=The Global Slavery Index 2016|publisher=The Minderoo Foundation Pty Ltd|access-date=March 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314001134/https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/country/dominican-republic/|archive-date=March 14, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dominican Republic sugar cane slave ring exposed by priest|url=http://video.foxnews.com/v/5456337243001/?#sp=show-clips|access-date=March 14, 2018|agency=Fox News|date=June 1, 2017|archive-date=March 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314042839/http://video.foxnews.com/v/5456337243001/#sp=show-clips|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Turnham|first1=Steve|title=Is sugar production modern day slavery?|url=http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/12/is-sugar-production-modern-day-slavery.html|website=CNN|access-date=March 14, 2018|archive-date=March 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313214127/http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2006/12/is-sugar-production-modern-day-slavery.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Currency===
{{Main|Dominican peso}}
The Dominican peso (abbreviated $ or RD$; [[ISO 4217]] code is "DOP")<ref name="XE">{{cite web|url=http://www.xe.com/currency/dop-dominican-peso|title=(DOP/USD) Dominican Republic Pesos to United States Dollars Rate|publisher=XE.com|access-date=November 28, 2010|archive-date=December 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201172420/http://www.xe.com/currency/dop-dominican-peso|url-status=live}}, {{cite web|url=http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=DOP&To=JPY&image.x=39&image.y=9&image=Submit|title=Peso to Yen|publisher=XE.com|access-date=October 15, 2015|archive-date=September 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903220409/http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=DOP&To=JPY&image.x=39&image.y=9&image=Submit|url-status=live}} and {{cite web|url=http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi?Amount=1&From=DOP&To=EUR&image.x=18&image.y=6&image=Submit|title=Peso to Euro|publisher=XE.com}}{{Dead link|date=February 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> is the national currency, with the [[United States dollar]], the [[Euro]], the [[Canadian dollar]] and the [[Swiss franc]] also accepted at most tourist sites. The exchange rate to the U.S. dollar, liberalized by 1985, stood at 2.70 pesos per dollar in August 1986,<ref name="pons" />{{rp|p417, 428}} 14.00 pesos in 1993, and 16.00 pesos in 2000. {{as of|2018|September}} the rate was 50.08 pesos per dollar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=DOP|title=XE: Convert USD/DOP. United States Dollar to Dominican Republic Peso|access-date=September 14, 2019|archive-date=September 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902220903/https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=1&From=USD&To=DOP|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Punta Cana Beach Cabeza De Toro 1.jpg|thumb|Cabeza de Toro beach, [[Punta Cana]]]]
<!--The Dominican Republic is the [[world Tourism rankings|most visited destination]] in the Caribbean. The year-round golf courses are major attractions.<ref name="consulate" /> A geographically diverse nation, the Dominican Republic is home to both the Caribbean's tallest mountain peak, [[Pico Duarte]], and the Caribbean's largest lake and point of lowest elevation, [[Lake Enriquillo]].<ref name="Baker 2008 190" /> The island has an average temperature of {{convert|26|°C|°F|1}} and great climatic and biological diversity.<ref name="consulate" /> The country is also the site of the first cathedral, castle, monastery, and fortress built in the Americas, located in Santo Domingo's [[Ciudad Colonial (Santo Domingo)|Colonial Zone]], a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name="Colonial City of Santo Domingo" /><ref name="unesco.org" />-->

Tourism is one of the fueling factors in the Dominican Republic's economic growth. The Dominican Republic is the most popular tourist destination in the [[Caribbean]]. With the construction of projects like [[Cap Cana]], San Souci Port in Santo Domingo, [[Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic|Casa De Campo]] and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (ancient Moon Palace Resort) in [[Punta Cana]], the Dominican Republic expects increased tourism activity in the upcoming years.

[[Ecotourism]] has also been a topic increasingly important, with towns like [[Jarabacoa]] and neighboring [[Constanza, Dominican Republic|Constanza]], and locations like the [[Pico Duarte]], [[Bahía de las Águilas]], and others becoming more significant in efforts to increase direct benefits from tourism. Most residents from other countries [[Visa policy of the Dominican Republic|are required to get a tourist card]], depending on the country they live in. In the last 10 years the Dominican Republic has become one of the world's notably progressive states in terms of recycling and waste disposal.

===Communications===
{{Main|Telecommunications in the Dominican Republic}}
The Dominican Republic has a well developed [[Telecommunications in the Dominican Republic|telecommunications]] infrastructure, with extensive mobile phone and [[landline]] services. [[Cable Internet access|Cable Internet]] and [[Digital subscriber line|DSL]] are available in most parts of the country, and many [[Internet service provider]]s offer [[3G]] wireless internet service. Projects to extend [[Wi-Fi]] hot spots have been made in Santo Domingo.

The telecommunications regulator in the country is INDOTEL (''Instituto Dominicano de Telecomunicaciones''). The largest telecommunications company is [[Claro República Dominicana|Claro]]&nbsp;– part of [[Carlos Slim]]'s [[América Móvil]]&nbsp;– which provides wireless, landline, broadband, and [[IPTV]] services. In June 2009 there were more than 8 million phone line subscribers (land and cell users) in the D.R., representing 81% of the country's population and a fivefold increase since the year 2000, when there were 1.6 million. The communications sector generates about 3.0% of the GDP.<ref name="LD2009-06-05" /> There were 2,439,997 Internet users in March 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indotel.gob.do/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/gid,110/Itemid,757 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226134642/http://www.indotel.gob.do/component/option%2Ccom_docman/task%2Ccat_view/gid%2C110/Itemid%2C757 |archive-date=February 26, 2011 |title=Indicadores Telefonicos 2009 |access-date=June 5, 2009 |work=Indotel |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In November 2009, the Dominican Republic became the first Latin American country to pledge to include a "gender perspective" in every information and communications technology (ICT) initiative and policy developed by the government.<ref>[http://elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=175919 Indotel garantiza igualdad de género en proyectos tecnológicos realiza en todo el país] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503184609/http://elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=175919 |date=May 3, 2011 }}. elnuevodiario.com.do. November 16, 2009</ref> This is part of the regional [[eLAC Action Plans|eLAC2010]] plan. The tool the Dominicans have chosen to design and evaluate all the public policies is the APC [[Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM)]].

===Electricity===
{{Main|Electricity sector in the Dominican Republic}}
Electric power service has been unreliable since the Trujillo era, and as much as 75% of the equipment is that old. The country's antiquated power grid causes transmission losses that account for a large share of billed electricity from generators. The privatization of the sector started under a previous administration of Leonel Fernández.<ref name="coha">{{cite web|first=Claudia|last=Patterson|url=http://www.coha.org/2004/10/president-leonel-fernandez-friend-or-foe-of-reform/|title=President Leonel Fernández: Friend or Foe of Reform?|work=Council on Hemispheric Affairs|date=October 4, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081107015518/http://www.coha.org/2004/10/president-leonel-fernandez-friend-or-foe-of-reform/|archive-date=November 7, 2008}}</ref> The recent investment in a 345 kilovolt "Santo Domingo–Santiago Electrical Highway"<ref name="DT2009-04-29" /> with reduced [[Electric power transmission#Losses|transmission losses]], is being heralded as a major capital improvement to the national grid since the mid-1960s.

During the Trujillo regime electrical service was introduced to many cities. Almost 95% of usage was not billed at all. Around half of the Dominican Republic's 2.1 million houses have no meters and most do not pay or pay a fixed monthly rate for their electric service.<ref name="DT2006-06-01" />

Household and general electrical service is delivered at 110 [[volt]]s alternating at 60&nbsp;[[Hertz|Hz]]. Electrically powered items from the United States work with no modifications. The majority of the Dominican Republic has access to electricity. Tourist areas tend to have more reliable power, as do business, travel, healthcare, and vital infrastructure.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120117175316/http://www.cdeee.gov.do/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=791%3Aedesur-agrega-3500-familias-a-24-horas-de-luz&catid=6%3Anoticias&Itemid=2 EDESUR agrega 3,500 familias a 24 Horas de Luz]. Cdeee.gov.do. Retrieved on September 22, 2011.</ref> Concentrated efforts were announced to increase efficiency of delivery to places where the collection rate reached 70%.<ref name="LD2007-04-11" /> The electricity sector is highly politicized. Some generating companies are undercapitalized and at times unable to purchase adequate fuel supplies.<ref name="ussdnote" />

===Transportation===
{{Main|Transportation in the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Gualey Santo Domingo Dominican Republic.jpg|thumb|[[Teleférico de Santo Domingo]]]]
[[File:27 de febrero av. Santo Domingo.jpg|thumb|right|27 de Febrero Avenue in [[Santo Domingo]]]]
The country has three national trunk highways, which connect every major town. These are [[DR-1]], [[DR-2]], and [[DR-3]], which depart from Santo Domingo toward the northern (Cibao), southwestern (Sur), and eastern (El Este) parts of the country respectively. These highways have been consistently improved with the expansion and reconstruction of many sections. Two other national highways serve as spur ([[DR-5]]) or alternative routes ([[DR-4]]).

In addition to the national highways, the government has embarked on an expansive reconstruction of spur secondary routes, which connect smaller towns to the trunk routes. In the last few years the government constructed a 106-kilometer toll road that connects Santo Domingo with the country's northeastern peninsula. Travelers may now arrive in the Samaná Peninsula in less than two hours. Other additions are the reconstruction of the DR-28 (Jarabacoa&nbsp;– Constanza) and [[DR-12]] (Constanza&nbsp;– Bonao). Despite these efforts, many secondary routes still remain either unpaved or in need of maintenance. There is currently a nationwide program to pave these and other commonly used routes. Also, the [[Santiago light rail]] system is in planning stages but currently on hold.

====Bus====
There are two main bus transportation services in the Dominican Republic: one controlled by the government, through the Oficina Técnica de Transito Terrestre (OTTT) and the Oficina Metropolitana de Servicios de Autobuses (OMSA), and the other controlled by private business, among them, Federación Nacional de Transporte La Nueva Opción (FENATRANO) and the Confederacion Nacional de Transporte (CONATRA). The government transportation system covers large routes in metropolitan areas such as Santo Domingo and Santiago.

There are many privately owned bus companies, such as Metro Servicios Turísticos and Caribe Tours, that run daily routes.

====Santo Domingo Metro====
[[File:Stodgo metro.jpg|thumb|A pair of 9000 series are tested on the Santo Domingo Metro.]]
{{Main|Santo Domingo Metro}}
The Dominican Republic has a [[rapid transit]] system in [[Santo Domingo]], the country's capital. It is the most extensive metro system in the insular [[Caribbean]] and Central American region by length and number of stations. The Santo Domingo Metro is part of a major "National Master Plan" to improve transportation in Santo Domingo as well as the rest of the nation. The first line was planned to relieve traffic congestion in the [[DR-1|Máximo Gómez]] and [[DR-13|Hermanas Mirabal Avenue]]. The second line, which opened in April 2013, is meant to relieve the congestion along the [[DR-13|Duarte-Kennedy-Centenario]] Corridor in the city from west to east. The current length of the Metro, with the sections of the two lines open {{as of|2013|August|lc=y}}, is {{convert|27.35|km|mi}}. Before the opening of the second line, 30,856,515 passengers rode the Santo Domingo Metro in 2012.<ref name="SD-stats">{{cite web|url=http://opret.gob.do/Documentos/Estad%C3%ADsticas%20Institucionales/Estad%C3%ADsticas%20de%20peaje%20y%20tiempo%20de%20recorrido%20al%202013.pdf|title=Estadísticas de peaje y tiempo de recorrido al 2013|trans-title=Statistics of tolls and times of route 2013|language=es|work=opret.gob.do|page=2|date=September 2013|access-date=September 17, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023429/http://opret.gob.do/Documentos/Estad%C3%ADsticas%20Institucionales/Estad%C3%ADsticas%20de%20peaje%20y%20tiempo%20de%20recorrido%20al%202013.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> With both lines opened, ridership increased to 61,270,054 passengers in 2014.

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of the Dominican Republic}}
The Dominican Republic's population was {{UN_Population|Dominican Republic}} in {{UN Population|Year}},{{UN_Population|ref}} compared to 2,380,000 in 1950.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://population.un.org/wpp/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506065230/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm|title=World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations|archive-date=May 6, 2011|website=population.un.org}}</ref> In 2010, 31.2% of the population was under 15 years of age, with 6% of the population over 65 years of age.<ref name="WPP 2012">{{cite web|url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2012_Volume-II-Demographic-Profiles.pdf|title=World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision|volume=II: Demographic Profiles|page=254|work=United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs|date=2013|access-date=August 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105191712/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2012_Volume-II-Demographic-Profiles.pdf|archive-date=November 5, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> There were an estimated 102.3 males for every 100 females in 2020.<ref name="CIADemo" /> The annual population growth rate for 2006–2007 was 1.5%, with the projected population for the year 2015 being 10,121,000.<ref name="esa">{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2006/WPP2006_Highlights_rev.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926001505/http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2006/WPP2006_Highlights_rev.pdf |archive-date=September 26, 2007 |url-status=live |title=World Population Prospects: The 2006 Revision, Highlights, Working Paper No. ESA/P/WP.202. |access-date=January 13, 2008 |publisher=United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division |year=2007 }}</ref>

The population density in 2007 was 192 per km<sup>2</sup> (498 per sq mi), and 63% of the population lived in urban areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conapofa.gov.do/estimaciones.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808193423/http://www.conapofa.gov.do/estimaciones.asp |archive-date=August 8, 2011 |title=Población en Tiempo Real |access-date=January 13, 2008 |publisher=Consejo Nacional de Población y Familia |language=es}}</ref> The southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley are the most densely populated areas of the country. The capital city Santo Domingo had a population of 2,907,100 in 2010.

Other important cities are [[Santiago de los Caballeros]] ({{Abbr|pop.|population}} 745,293), [[La Romana, Dominican Republic|La Romana]] (pop. 214,109), [[San Pedro de Macorís]] (pop. 185,255), [[Higüey, Dominican Republic|Higüey]] (153,174), [[San Francisco de Macorís]] (pop. 132,725), [[San Felipe de Puerto Plata|Puerto Plata]] (pop. 118,282), and [[Concepción de la Vega|La Vega]] (pop. 104,536). Per the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 2.3%.

===Population centres===
{{Further|List of cities in the Dominican Republic}}
{{Largest cities
| country      = the Dominican Republic
| stat_ref     = Source: [[National Statistics Office (Dominican Republic)]]<ref>{{cite book|title=X Censo Nacional de Población & Vivienda: Informe Básico|url=https://one.gob.do/|publisher=Oficina Nacional de Estadística|date=November 30, 2023|access-date=February 1, 2024|location=Santo Domingo|language=es|isbn=|archive-date=February 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201090654/https://one.gob.do/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|The municipalities belonging to the '''Commonwealth of the Greater Santo Domingo''' (Mancomunidad del Gran Santo Domingo) have been included into Santo Domingo's population in this list. <br/> These municipalities are: [[Distrito Nacional]], [[Santo Domingo Este]], [[Santo Domingo Norte]], [[Santo Domingo Oeste]], [[Los Alcarrizos]], [[Boca Chica]], [[Pedro Brand]], [[San Antonio de Guerra]], [[San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic|San Cristóbal]], [[Bajos de Haina]], and [[San Gregorio de Nigua]] |group=note}}{{#tag:ref|[[Villa Hermosa]]'s population has been added to La Romana's population since its belongs to its Metropolitan Area.|group=note}}{{#tag:ref|Verón-Punta Cana, a township dependent of Higüey in political matters, has been segregated (alongside with coastal Las Lagunas de Nisibón township) from Higüey's population given its large size (over 100,000 inhabitants) and geographical distance from Higüey (50&nbsp;km), and listed as "Punta Cana", its English most common name. |group=note}}
| list_by_pop  = List of cities in the Dominican Republic
| kind         = cities
| div_name     = Province
| div_link     = Provinces of the Dominican Republic{{!}}Province

|city_1 = Santo Domingo{{!}}Santo Domingo
|div_1 = Distrito Nacional{{!}}Distrito Nacional
|pop_1 = 4,274,651
|city_2 = Santiago de los Caballeros{{!}}Santiago
|div_2 = Santiago Province (Dominican Republic){{!}}Santiago
|pop_2 = 771,748
|city_3 = La Vega, Dominican Republic{{!}}La Vega
|div_3 = La Vega Province{{!}}La Vega
|pop_3 = 282,055
|city_4 = La Romana, Dominican Republic{{!}}La Romana
|div_4 = La Romana Province{{!}}La Romana
|pop_4 = 270,686
|city_5 = Higüey {{!}}Higüey
|div_5 = La Altagracia Province{{!}}La Altagracia
|pop_5 = 266,091

|city_6 = San Francisco de Macorís
|div_6 = Duarte Province{{!}}Duarte
|pop_6 = 217,523

|city_7 = San Pedro de Macorís
|div_7 = San Pedro de Macorís Province{{!}}San Pedro de Macorís
|pop_7 = 202,716

|city_8 = Puerto Plata (city){{!}}Puerto Plata
|div_8 = Puerto Plata Province{{!}}Puerto Plata
|pop_8 = 162,093

|city_9 = Baní, Dominican Republic{{!}}Baní
|div_9 = Peravia Province
|pop_9 = 158,019

|city_10 = Punta Cana {{!}}Punta Cana
|div_10 = La Altagracia Province{{!}}La Altagracia
|pop_10 = 148,993
}}

==== Notes ====
{{reflist|group=note}}

===Ethnic groups===
{{Main|People of the Dominican Republic}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Racial groups in the Dominican Republic ([[2022 Dominican Republic census|2022 census]])<ref name="one.gob.do"></ref>
|label1 = [[Mixed-race Dominicans|Mixed]]
|value1 = 71.72
|color1 = #AA7E54
|label2 = [[White Dominicans|Whites]]
|value2 = 18.70
|color2 = #FBC5A7
|label3 = [[Black Dominicans|Blacks]]
|value3 = 7.45
|color3 = #62402F
|label4 = [[East Asian people|East Asians]]
|value4 = 0.33
|color4 = #E3B67F
|label5 = Others
|value5 = 1.80
|color5 = Lightgray
}}
[[File:Dominican-people-cibao-1.jpg|thumb|Dominican Republic people in the town of [[Moca, Espaillat|Moca]].]]

In a 2022 population survey, 71.7% self-identified as [[Mixed-race Dominicans|Mixed]] (Indio{{efn|The term "indio" in the Dominican Republic is not associated with people of indigenous ancestry but people of mixed ancestry or skin color between light and dark}} 34.2%, Moreno 26.1%, [[Mestizo]] 7.7%, [[Mulatto]] 3.8%), 18.7% as [[White Dominicans|White]], 7.4% as [[Afro-Dominican (Dominican Republic)|Black]], and 0.3% as "Other".<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 1, 2024 |title=En RD 2,879,388 se identificaron como negras y morenas y 1,640,095 como asiaticas o blancas |url=https://listindiario.com/la-republica/20241001/poblacion-negra-morena-mestiza-mulata-e-india-rd-6-821-359-personas_827843.html |access-date=October 19, 2024}}</ref> According to recent [[genealogical DNA test|genealogical DNA studies]] of the Dominican population, the genetic makeup is predominantly [[Ethnic groups in Europe|European]] and [[Sub-Saharan African]], with a lesser degree of [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Indigenous]] ancestry.<ref name="Supplementary Data">{{Cite journal|author1=Montinaro, Francesco |display-authors=etal |title=Unravelling the hidden ancestry of American admixed populations |journal=Nature Communications |volume=6 |pmc=4374169 |doi=10.1038/ncomms7596 |pmid=25803618 |date=March 24, 2015 |at=See [https://web.archive.org/web/20170710050729/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4374169/bin/ncomms7596-s2.xlsx Supplementary Data]|article-number=6596 |bibcode=2015NatCo...6.6596M }}</ref> The average Dominican DNA of the founder population is estimated to be 73% European, 10% Native, and 17% African. After the Haitian and Afro-Caribbean migrations the overall percentage changed to 57% European, 8% Native and 35% African.<ref>{{cite journal | pmc=4867558 | date=2016 | last1=Estrada-Veras | first1=J. I. | last2=Cabrera-Peña | first2=G. A. | last3=Pérez-Estrella De Ferrán | first3=C. | title=Medical genetics and genomic medicine in the Dominican Republic: Challenges and opportunities | journal=Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine | volume=4 | issue=3 | pages=243–256 | doi=10.1002/mgg3.224 | pmid=27247952 }}</ref> Due to mixed race Dominicans (and most Dominicans in general) being a mix of mainly European and African, with lesser amounts of Indigenous ancestry, they could be described as ''"Mulatto"'' or ''"Tri-racial"''.<ref name="thedominicans.org">{{cite web | url=https://thedominicans.org/2019/01/11/ancestry-dna-results-dominicans-are-spaniards-mixed-with-africans-and-tainos/ | title=Ancestry DNA Results: Dominicans are Spaniards Mixed with Africans and Tainos | work=The Dominicans | date=January 11, 2019 | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=November 20, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120124123/https://thedominicans.org/2019/01/11/ancestry-dna-results-dominicans-are-spaniards-mixed-with-africans-and-tainos/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2016/07/06/dominicans-are-49-black-39-white-and-4-indian/ | title=Dominicans are 49% Black, 39% White and 4% Indian | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=October 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031143015/https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2016/07/06/dominicans-are-49-black-39-white-and-4-indian/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Dominican Republic have several informal terms to loosely describe a person's degree of racial admixture, Mestizo means any type of mixed ancestry unlike in other Latin American countries it describes specifically a European/native mix,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://repositorio.unphu.edu.do/handle/123456789/881 | title=Orígenes del mestizaje y de la mulatización en Santo Domingo | date=December 13, 1995 | last1=García Arévalo | first1=Manuel A. | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=October 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031141508/https://repositorio.unphu.edu.do/handle/123456789/881 | url-status=live }}</ref> ''Indio'' describes mixed race people whose skin color is between white and black.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://losdominicanos.org/2021/09/30/evidencia-del-uso-de-indio-antes-de-establecerse-la-republica-dominicana/ | title=Evidencia del uso de "indio" antes de establecerse la República Dominicana | work=Los Dominicanos | date=September 30, 2021 | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=October 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031230843/https://losdominicanos.org/2021/09/30/evidencia-del-uso-de-indio-antes-de-establecerse-la-republica-dominicana/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

The majority of the Dominican population is tri-racial, with nearly all mixed race individuals having [[Taíno]] [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] ancestry along with [[Demographics of Europe|European]] (mainly Spanish) and [[Demographics of Africa|African]] ancestry. European ancestry in the mixed population typically ranges between 50% and 60% on average, while African ancestry ranges between 30% and 40%, and the Native ancestry usually ranges between 5% and 10%. European and Native ancestry tends to be strongest in cities and towns of the north-central [[Cibao]] region, and generally in the mountainous interior of the country. African ancestry is strongest in coastal areas, the southeast plain, and the border regions.<ref name="Supplementary Data"/> Race in Dominican Republic acts as a continuum of white—mulatto—black due to the large amounts of interracial mixing for hundreds of years in Dominican Republic and the Spanish Caribbean in general, allowing for high amounts of genetic diversity.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://aparcelofribbons.co.uk/2011/09/black-white-and-in-between-categories-of-colour/ | title=Black, White and in Between - Categories of Colour | date=September 26, 2011 | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=October 31, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031141536/https://aparcelofribbons.co.uk/2011/09/black-white-and-in-between-categories-of-colour/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1118&context=trotter_review |title=The Hypocrisy of the "Pigmentocracy" |access-date=November 30, 2023 |archive-date=December 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231209103601/https://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1118&context=trotter_review |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Dominican Republic people, San Francisco de Macoris music culture.jpg|thumb|right|Dominican Republic people in Duarte province]]
Dominican Republic's citizenship is given by ''right of blood'' ([[Jus sanguinis]]), not ''right of soil'', meaning being born in Dominican Republic does not guarantee citizenship if parents are illegal immigrants.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/dominican-republic-erased-birthright-citizenship/575527/ | title=What Happened when a Nation Erased Birthright Citizenship | website=[[The Atlantic]] | date=November 12, 2018 | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=November 27, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127220720/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/dominican-republic-erased-birthright-citizenship/575527/ | url-status=live }}</ref> One would either have to be born in Dominican Republic to parents who are legal citizens or apply for citizenship; citizenship is granted quite easily to people born abroad if they can prove Dominican ancestry.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://rosalux-geneva.org/dominican-republic-changing-the-rules/#:~:text=In%20constitutional%20law%2C%20this%20principle%20is%20called%20jus,or%20son%20of%20a%20Dominican%20mother%20or%20father | title=Dominican Republic: Changing the rules - RLS Geneva | date=January 18, 2021 | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=November 14, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114191118/https://rosalux-geneva.org/dominican-republic-changing-the-rules/#:~:text=In%20constitutional%20law%2C%20this%20principle%20is%20called%20jus,or%20son%20of%20a%20Dominican%20mother%20or%20father | url-status=live }}</ref> This means that being a ''Dominican citizen'' and being an ''ethnic Dominican'' is not always interchangeable, as the former implies citizenship that one can receive moving from any country in the world to Dominican Republic, while the latter implies a people tied by ancestry and culture. Ethnic Dominicans are people who are not only born in Dominican Republic (and have legal status) or born abroad with ancestral roots in the country, but more importantly have family roots in the country going back several generations and descend from a mix of varying degrees of Spanish, Taino, and African, the three principal foundational roots of Dominican Republic.<ref name="thedominicans.org"/><ref>{{cite journal | url=https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/black_studies_fac/22/ | title=Not Everyone Who Speaks Spanish is from Spain: Taino Survival in the 21st Century Dominican Republic | journal=Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology | date=January 2002 | last1=Ferbel-Azcarate | first1=Pedro | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=November 14, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114192000/https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/black_studies_fac/22/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Nearly all Dominicans are mixed race, with 75% being "visibly" and "evenly" [[Mixed Dominicans|mixed]], and the remaining 25% being predominantly of African or European blood but still with notable admixture.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://thedominicans.org/2022/05/11/differences-in-labels-between-the-united-states-and-the-dominican-republic/ | title=Differences in Labels between the United States and the Dominican Republic | work=The Dominicans | date=May 11, 2022 | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=November 14, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114192905/https://thedominicans.org/2022/05/11/differences-in-labels-between-the-united-states-and-the-dominican-republic/ | url-status=live }}</ref> According to a 2017 estimate from the Dominican government, Dominican Republic had a population of 10,189,895, of which 847,979 were immigrants or descendants of recent immigrants and 9,341,916 were ''ethnic Dominicans''.<ref name=ENI-2017></ref> Most Dominicans embrace all sides of their mixed race heritage, but often identify with their nationality first and foremost. Many Dominicans born in the United States now reside in the Dominican Republic, estimated at around 250,000, creating a kind of expatriate community, whom have growing influence and play a significant role in the economic growth in Dominican Republic.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aca.ch/amabroad.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225044115/http://www.aca.ch/amabroad.pdf|archive-date=February 25, 2011|title=American Citizens Living Abroad by Country |access-date=August 3, 2010 |publisher=US State Department }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://kmhub.iom.int/sites/default/files/dominica%202018.pdf |title=Diálogos Migración & Desarrollo en República Dominicana: Diáspora Dominicana Inclusión Productiva e Inversión en el Desarrollo Nacional |access-date=November 30, 2023 |archive-date=December 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223211635/https://kmhub.iom.int/sites/default/files/dominica%202018.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/politica/diaspora-dominicana-equilibro-de-aqui-y-alla-EI4965431 | title=Diáspora dominicana: El equilibrio del aquí y el allá Diáspora dominicana: Equilibro de aquí y allá | date=September 19, 2016 | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=January 11, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005235/https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/politica/diaspora-dominicana-equilibro-de-aqui-y-alla-EI4965431 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.diariolibre.com/usa/actualidad/2022/10/27/vinculos-de-la-diaspora-y-el-desarrollo-de-rd/2122099 | title=Llaman a crear vínculos "más efectivos" con la diáspora para el desarrollo de RD | date=October 27, 2022 | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=November 2, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102144325/https://www.diariolibre.com/usa/actualidad/2022/10/27/vinculos-de-la-diaspora-y-el-desarrollo-de-rd/2122099 | url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Haitians]] make up the largest ethnic immigrant group in the country, a large majority of them are illegal, in a distant second place are the [[Venezuelans]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312093852/http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37018 | archive-date=March 12, 2008 | title=DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Deport Thy (Darker-Skinned) Neighbour }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://datosmacro.expansion.com/demografia/migracion/inmigracion/republica-dominicana |title=República Dominicana - Inmigración 2017 |access-date=November 30, 2023 |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401191751/https://datosmacro.expansion.com/demografia/migracion/inmigracion/republica-dominicana |url-status=live }}</ref> Other groups in the country include the descendants of [[Western Asia|West Asia]]ns—mostly [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]], [[Demographics of Syria|Syrians]] and [[Palestinian people|Palestinians]]. A smaller, yet significant presence of [[East Asia]]ns (primarily [[Overseas Chinese|ethnic Chinese]] and [[Japanese people|Japanese]]) can also be found throughout the population. Dominicans are also composed of [[Sephardic Jews]] that were exiled from [[Spain]] and the Mediterranean area in 1492 and 1497,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Inquisition.html|title=The Exile of the Jews due to the Spanish Inquisition|access-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813044820/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Inquisition.html|archive-date=August 13, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> coupled with other migrations dating to the 1700s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05317.html|title=Jews migration in the 1700s|access-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002132606/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0005_0_05317.html|archive-date=October 2, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> and during the [[Second World War]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/sosua.html|title=Jews migration to the Dominican Republic to seek refuge from the Holocaust|access-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113041300/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/sosua.html|archive-date=January 13, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> contribute to Dominican ancestry.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geschichteinchronologie.ch/am-M/santo-domingo/EncJud_juden-in-Santo-Domingo-ENGL.html|title=A partial, brief summary of Jews in the Dominican Republic|access-date=May 15, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626162005/http://www.geschichteinchronologie.ch/am-M/santo-domingo/EncJud_juden-in-Santo-Domingo-ENGL.html|archive-date=June 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biblediscovered.com/jewish-hebrew-people-in-the-world/dominican-republic-jews-2/|title=Dominican Republic-Jews|access-date=May 5, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001221327/https://www.biblediscovered.com/jewish-hebrew-people-in-the-world/dominican-republic-jews-2/|archive-date=October 1, 2013}}</ref>

===Languages===
{{Main|Dominican Spanish}}

The population of the Dominican Republic is mostly [[Spanish language|Spanish]]-speaking, with the only people who do not speak Spanish fluently being some immigrants. The local [[Variation (linguistics)|variant]] of Spanish is called [[Dominican Spanish]], which closely resembles other Spanish [[vernacular]]s in the Caribbean and has similarities to [[Canarian Spanish]]. In addition, it has influences from African languages and borrowed words from [[Indigenous languages of the Americas#South America and the Caribbean|indigenous Caribbean languages]] particular to the island of Hispaniola.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Henríquez Ureña|first1=Pedro|author-link1=Pedro Henríquez Ureña|title=El Español en Santo Domingo|date=1940|publisher=Instituto de Filología de la Universidad de Buenos Aires|location=Buenos Aires|language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tLTyydkMtrIC&q=El%20%22Espa%C3%B1ol%20Dominicano%22&pg=PA9 | title=Diccionario de dominicanismos |publisher=Librería La Trinitaria |author=Deive, Carlos Esteban |year=2002 |location=Santo Domingo |pages=9–16 | isbn=978-9993439073 |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111010041/https://books.google.com/books?id=tLTyydkMtrIC&q=El%20%22Espa%C3%B1ol%20Dominicano%22&pg=PA9#v=snippet&q=El%20%22Espa%C3%B1ol%20Dominicano%22&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Schools are based on a Spanish educational model; English and French are mandatory foreign languages in both private and public schools,<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.see.gob.do/documentosminerd/Desarrollo%20Curricular/guia-didac-inicial.pdf|title=Guía Didáctica. Inicial|volume=I|publisher=Ministry of Education, Dominican Republic|date=2010|isbn=978-99934-43-26-1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803222706/http://www.see.gob.do/documentosminerd/Desarrollo%20Curricular/guia-didac-inicial.pdf|archive-date=August 3, 2011}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2022}} although the quality of foreign languages teaching is poor.<ref>{{cite web|first=Bethania|last=Apolinar|url=http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2015/08/02/382666/ensenanza-del-ingles-es-pobre-en-escuelas|title=Enseñanza del inglés es "pobre" en escuelas|trans-title=Teaching of English is "poor" in schools|language=es|publisher=Listin Diario|location=Santo Domingo|date=August 2, 2015|access-date=August 24, 2016|archive-date=June 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630062446/http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2015/08/02/382666/ensenanza-del-ingles-es-pobre-en-escuelas|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2022}}

[[Haitian Creole]] is the largest minority language in the Dominican Republic and is spoken by [[Haitians|Haitian]] immigrants and their descendants.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YgtSqB9oqDIC&pg=PA389 |title=Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education |editor1-last=Baker |editor1-first=Colin |editor2-last=Prys Jones |editor2-first=Sylvia |page=389 |year=1998 |publisher=Multilingual Matters |isbn=978-1-85359-362-8 |access-date=November 20, 2015 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111010146/https://books.google.com/books?id=YgtSqB9oqDIC&pg=PA389#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> There is a community of a few thousand people whose ancestors spoke [[Samaná English]] in the [[Samaná Peninsula]]. They are the descendants of formerly enslaved African Americans who arrived in the nineteenth century, but only a few elders speak the language today.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/248798261/La-Historia-de-Los-Inmigrantes-Afro-Americanos-y-Sus-Iglesias-en-Samana-Segun-El-Reverendo-Nehemiah-Willmore | title=La Historia de Los Inmigrantes Afro-Americanos Y Sus Iglesias En Samaná Según El Reverendo Nehemiah Willmore. | author=Davis, Martha Ellen | journal=Boletín del Archivo General de la Nación | year=2011 | volume=36 | issue=129 | pages=237–45 | author-link=Martha Ellen Davis (ethnomusicologist) | access-date=November 22, 2015 | archive-date=November 23, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123032641/https://www.scribd.com/doc/248798261/La-Historia-de-Los-Inmigrantes-Afro-Americanos-y-Sus-Iglesias-en-Samana-Segun-El-Reverendo-Nehemiah-Willmore | url-status=live }}</ref> Tourism, American pop culture, the influence of [[Dominican Americans]], and the country's economic ties with the United States motivate other Dominicans to learn English. The Dominican Republic is ranked 2nd in Latin America and 23rd in the World on English [[Language proficiency|proficiency]] as a second language.<ref>[https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/which-countries-are-best-at-english-as-a-second-language-4d24c8c8-6cf6-4067-a753-4c82b4bc865b/ Which countries are best at English as a second language?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808153745/https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/11/which-countries-are-best-at-english-as-a-second-language-4d24c8c8-6cf6-4067-a753-4c82b4bc865b/ |date=August 8, 2017 }}, [[World Economic Forum]]. Retrieved on July 10, 2017.</ref><ref>[http://www.ef.com/wwpt/epi/regions/latin-america/dominican-republic/ EF English Proficiency Index – Dominican Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601204553/http://www.ef.com/wwpt/epi/regions/latin-america/dominican-republic/ |date=June 1, 2017 }}, [[EF Education First]]. Retrieved on July 10, 2017.</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+[[Mother tongue]] of the Dominican population, 1950 Census<ref name="ONE_HistoriaMetodologia">{{cite book|title=Historia, Metodología y Organización de los Censos en República Dominicana: 1920–1993|publisher=Oficinal Nacional de Estadística|last1=Nicasio Rodríguez|first1=Irma|author2=Jesús de la Rosa|location=Santo Domingo|pages=44, 131|language=es|date=1998}}</ref>
|-
! Language !! Total % !! Urban % !! Rural %
|- style="text-align:center;" || |
|[[Spanish language|Spanish]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 98.00 || style="text-align:center;" | 97.82 || style="text-align:center;" | 98.06
|-
|[[French language|French]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 1.19 || style="text-align:center;" | 0.39|| style="text-align:center;" | 1.44
|-
|[[English language|English]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 0.57 || style="text-align:center;" | 0.96|| style="text-align:center;" | 0.45
|-
|[[Arabic language|Arabic]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 0.09 || style="text-align:center;" | 0.35|| style="text-align:center;" | 0.01
|-
|[[Italian language|Italian]]|| style="text-align:center;" | 0.03 || style="text-align:center;" | 0.10|| style="text-align:center;" | 0.006
|-
| Other language || style="text-align:center;" | 0.12 || style="text-align:center;" | 0.35|| style="text-align:center;" | 0.04
|}

===Religion===
{{Main|Religion in the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Basílica Menor de Santa María SD RD 02 2017 1941.jpg|thumb|The Gothic [[Basilica Cathedral of Santa María la Menor|Cathedral of Santa María la Menor]], Santo Domingo, is the oldest cathedral in the Americas, built between 1514 and 1541.]]

'''95.0% ''' Christians <br />
'''2.6% ''' No religion <br />
'''2.2% ''' Other religions <ref>[http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_70_2.asp Dominican Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624232219/http://www.thearda.com/internationalData/countries/Country_70_2.asp |date=June 24, 2017 }}. The Association of Religion Data Archives</ref>

[[Christianity]] is the most widely professed religion in the Dominican Republic.<ref name=":usirf" /> Historically, [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] dominated the religious practices of the country, and as the [[State religion|official religion]] of the state it receives financial support from the government.<ref name=":usirf" /> {{as of|2014}}, 57% of the population (5.7 million) identified themselves as [[Roman Catholics]] and 23% (2.3 million) as [[Protestants]] (in Latin American countries, Protestants are often called ''Evangelicos'' because they emphasize personal and public evangelising and many are [[Evangelical Protestant]] or of a [[Pentecostal]] group). From 1896 to 1907 missionaries from the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]], [[Free Methodist]], [[Seventh-day Adventist]] and [[Moravians]] churches began work in the Dominican Republic.<ref name="Religious Transformations">{{cite journal|first=Daniel F. |last=Escher |url=https://depts.washington.edu/chid/intersections_Winter_2009/Daniel_F._Escher_Protestant_Movement_in_the_Dominican_Republic.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908154056/https://depts.washington.edu/chid/intersections_Winter_2009/Daniel_F._Escher_Protestant_Movement_in_the_Dominican_Republic.pdf |archive-date=September 8, 2017 |url-status=live |title=Religious Transformations: The Protestant Movement in the Dominican Republic |journal=Intersections |volume=10 |number=1 |date=2009 |pages=519–570}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSovBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA94|title=Historical Dictionary of the Seventh-Day Adventists|first=Gary|last=Land|date=October 23, 2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|via=Google Books|isbn=9781442241886|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=January 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111010041/https://books.google.com/books?id=PSovBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA94#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Three percent of the 10.63 million Dominican Republic population are Seventh-day Adventists.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adventistdirectory.org/ViewAdmField.aspx?AdmFieldID=DMUM|title=Dominican Union Conference - Adventist Organizational Directory|website=www.adventistdirectory.org|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-date=September 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908155329/http://www.adventistdirectory.org/ViewAdmField.aspx?AdmFieldID=DMUM|url-status=live}}</ref> Recent immigration as well as proselytizing efforts have brought in other religious groups, with the following shares of the population: [[Kardecist spiritism|Spiritist]]: 2.2%,<ref name="religiousfreedom" /> [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]: 1.3%,<ref>[https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/dominican-republic "Dominican Republic: Facts and Statistics"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415141012/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/dominican-republic |date=April 15, 2020 }}, ''[[Church News]]'', 2020. Retrieved on March 25, 2020.</ref> [[Buddhism|Buddhist]]: 0.1%, [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]]: 0.1%,<ref name="religiousfreedom" /> [[Chinese Folk Religion]]: 0.1%,<ref name="religiousfreedom">{{cite web|url=http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Dominican_Republic/rbodies.html|title=Religious Freedom Page |access-date=February 27, 2009|work=religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617175719/http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Dominican_Republic/rbodies.html |archive-date=June 17, 2008}}</ref> Islam: 0.02%, Judaism: 0.01%.

The Catholic Church began to lose its strong dominance in the late 19th century. This was due to a lack of funding, priests, and support programs. During the same time, [[Protestant]] Evangelicalism began to gain wider support "with their emphasis on personal responsibility and family rejuvenation, economic entrepreneurship, and biblical [[fundamentalism]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/christianity/roman-catholic-orders-and-missions/dominicans|title=Dominicans – Encyclopedia of World Cultures|website=encyclopedia.com|access-date=September 14, 2019|archive-date=April 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419175034/https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/christianity/roman-catholic-orders-and-missions/dominicans|url-status=live}}</ref> The Dominican Republic has two Catholic patroness saints: ''Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia'' (Our Lady Of High Grace) and ''Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes'' (Our Lady Of Mercy).

The Dominican Republic has historically granted extensive religious freedom. According to the [[United States Department of State]], "The constitution specifies that there is no state church and provides for freedom of religion and belief. A concordat with the Vatican designates Catholicism as the official religion and extends special privileges to the Catholic Church not granted to other religious groups. These include the legal recognition of church law, use of public funds to underwrite some church expenses, and complete exoneration from customs duties."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/502105c67d.html|title=Refworld &#124; 2011 Report on International Religious Freedom – Dominican Republic|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|last=Refugees|website=Refworld|access-date=August 4, 2020|archive-date=April 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417044431/https://www.refworld.org/docid/502105c67d.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1950s restrictions were placed upon churches by the government of Trujillo. Letters of protest were sent against the mass arrests of government adversaries. Trujillo began a campaign against the Catholic Church and planned to arrest priests and bishops who preached against the government. This campaign ended before it was put into place, with his assassination.

During World War II a group of Jews escaping [[Nazi Germany]] fled to the Dominican Republic and founded the city of [[Sosúa]]. It has remained the center of the Jewish population since.<ref>{{cite web|author=Richard Haggerty|title=Dominican Republic: A Country Study: Religion|publisher=U.S. Library of Congress|year=1989|url=http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/33.htm|access-date=May 21, 2006|archive-date=September 23, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923042535/http://countrystudies.us/dominican-republic/33.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Immigration in the 20th and 21st centuries===
{{Main|Japanese settlement in the Dominican Republic|Ethnic Chinese in the Dominican Republic|History of the Jews in the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Colonia Japonesa.jpg|thumb|Family of [[Japanese settlement in the Dominican Republic|Japanese Dominicans]] in the [[Constanza, Dominican Republic|Constanza]] neighbourhood.]]

In the 20th century, many [[Arab]]s (from [[Lebanon]], [[Syria]], and [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]]),<ref name="Lebanon-migrants-register">{{cite web|last=González Hernández|first=Julio Amable|title=Registro de Inmigrantes de El Líbano|url=http://www.idg.org.do/capsulas/agosto2012/agosto201211.htm|work=Cápsulas Genealógicas en Areíto|publisher=Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía|access-date=May 28, 2013|location=Santo Domingo|language=es|date=August 11, 2012|quote=Recientemente conocimos un trabajo que se está llevando a cabo en el Club Libanés Sirio Palestino y que consiste en la elaboración de un minucioso registro de todos los inmigrantes que llegaron a la República Dominicana procedentes de El Líbano a fines del siglo XIX y principios del XX. (...) En menor grado, también se está recabando información de los inmigrantes procedentes de Siria y Palestina. Hasta el presente, ya se tienen registros de unos 600 libaneses, 200 palestinos y 200 sirios. (...) Se calcula que en República Dominicana existen unos 80,000 descendientes de esos inmigrantes que una vez dejaron sus tierras para buscar una vida mejor.|archive-date=August 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816045056/http://www.idg.org.do/capsulas/agosto2012/agosto201211.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Japanese, and, to a lesser degree, [[Koreans]] settled in the country as agricultural laborers and merchants. The Chinese companies found business in telecom, mining, and railroads. The Arab community is rising at an increasing rate and is estimated at 80,000.<ref name="Lebanon-migrants-register" />

Immigrant groups in the country include [[Southwest Asia|West Asians]]—mostly [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]], [[Syrian people|Syrians]], and [[Palestinian people|Palestinians]]; the current president, Luis Abinader, is of Lebanese descent.<ref name="Irrizarri">{{cite web|url=http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2013/09/26/ldquo-arrepiento-del-tiempo-que-dedique-politica.-fue-esteril-frustranterdquo|title=José Rafael Abinader: "Me arrepiento del tiempo que le dediqué a la política"|last=Irrizarri|first=Evelyn|date=September 26, 2013|publisher=El Caribe|language=es|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814105936/http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2013/09/26/ldquo-arrepiento-del-tiempo-que-dedique-politica.-fue-esteril-frustranterdquo|archive-date=August 14, 2014|access-date=August 14, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Levinson" /> East Asians, [[Koreans]],<ref name=migration>[[Migration Policy Institute]]</ref> [[Ethnic Chinese in the Dominican Republic|ethnic Chinese]] and [[Japanese settlement in the Dominican Republic|Japanese]], can also be found.<ref name="Levinson" /> Europeans are represented mostly by [[Spanish people|Spanish]] whites but also with smaller populations of [[Germans]],<ref name=migration/> [[Italian people|Italians]], [[French people|French]], [[British people|British]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/brits_abroad/html/caribbean.stm |title=Brits Abroad |access-date=August 3, 2010 |work=BBC News |date=December 6, 2006 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/brits_abroad/html/caribbean.stm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=migration/> [[Dutch people|Dutch]], [[Swiss people|Swiss]],<ref name=migration/> [[Russians]],<ref name=migration/> and [[Hungarian people|Hungarians]].<ref name="Levinson">{{cite book |title=Ethnic groups worldwide: a ready reference handbook |first=David |last=Levinson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uwi-rv3VV6cC&pg=PA345 |pages=345–6 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-57356-019-1 |access-date=June 27, 2015 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111010042/https://books.google.com/books?id=uwi-rv3VV6cC&pg=PA345 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition, there are descendants of immigrants who came from other Caribbean islands, including [[St. Kitts and Nevis]], [[Antigua]], [[Saint Vincent (island)|St. Vincent]], [[Montserrat]], [[Tortola]], [[Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Croix]], [[St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Thomas]], and [[Guadeloupe]]. They are known locally as ''[[Cocolo]]s''. They worked on sugarcane plantations and docks and settled mainly in the cities of [[San Pedro de Macorís]] and [[Puerto Plata (city)|Puerto Plata]]. Puerto Rican, and to a lesser extent, Cuban immigrants fled to the Dominican Republic from the mid-1800s until about 1940 due to a poor economy and social unrest in their respective home countries.<ref>{{cite thesis | url=https://catalogo.uasd.edu.do/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=17104 | title=Inmigración de puertorriqueños en República Dominicana, período 1890 - 1920 | date=December 13, 2023 | last1=Guerrero | first1=Leovigildo Javier | last2=HernáNdez Cabreja | first2=Jorge | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=September 28, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928220025/https://catalogo.uasd.edu.do/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=17104 | url-status=live }}</ref> Many Puerto Rican immigrants settled in [[Higüey (city)|Higüey]], among other cities, and quickly assimilated due to similar culture. Before and during World War II, 800 Jewish refugees moved to the Dominican Republic.<ref name="SosuaJewishStudies">{{cite press release|title=CCNY Jewish Studies Class to Visit Dominican Village that Provided Refuge to European Jews During World War II|publisher=[[City College of New York]]|url=http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/advancement/pr/Sosua-Jewish-Studies.cfm|date=November 13, 2006|access-date=August 3, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510103344/http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/advancement/pr/Sosua-Jewish-Studies.cfm|archive-date=May 10, 2011}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2021}}

Numerous immigrants have come from other Caribbean countries, as the country has offered economic opportunities. There are many Haitians and [[Venezuelans]] living in the Dominican Republic, there are the largest immigrant groups in the country currently, and large numbers of both groups are present in the country illegally.<ref name="CIADemo"/> There is an increasing number of well-off [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]] immigrants, owning businesses and vacation homes in the country, many retiring there, they are believed to number around 10,000.<ref>{{cite news|title=Growing Puerto Rican population in the Dominican Republic1 |publisher=Universidad Central del Este |url=http://www.topix.com/forum/world/dominican-republic/T4ULLRH92RE5AQ2UL |access-date=July 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317050440/http://www.topix.com/forum/world/dominican-republic/T4ULLRH92RE5AQ2UL |archive-date=March 17, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Más de medio millón de inmigrantes residen en el país|trans-title=More than half a million immigrants living in the country|language=es|publisher=diariolibre.com|url=http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/ms-de-medio-milln-de-inmigrantes-residen-en-el-pas-EDDL381577|date=May 1, 2013|access-date=October 19, 2016|archive-date=November 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105175623/http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/ms-de-medio-milln-de-inmigrantes-residen-en-el-pas-EDDL381577|url-status=live}}</ref> Many Europeans and Americans (non-Puerto Rican) are also retiring in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/on-retirement/articles/2018-10-31/santo-domingo-an-affordable-caribbean-city-for-retirement |title=Santo Domingo: An Affordable Caribbean City for Retirement |access-date=November 30, 2023 |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210173328/https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/on-retirement/articles/2018-10-31/santo-domingo-an-affordable-caribbean-city-for-retirement |url-status=live }}</ref> About 300,000 U.S. citizens reside in Dominican Republic, of which 250,000 are [[Dominican Americans]] whom  have returned to the country, and 50,000 are Americans of non-Dominican ancestry from the mainland United States and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://do.usembassy.gov/happy-holidays-on-behalf-of-the-consular-section-of-u-s-embassy-santo-domingo/ |title=Happy Holidays on behalf of the Consular Section of U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=[[Embassy of the United States, Santo Domingo]] |date=December 25, 2023 |publisher=United States Department of State |access-date=December 25, 2023 |quote=Nearly 300,000 U.S. citizens live in the Dominican Republic, more than two million Dominicans live in the United States, and almost three million U.S. travelers visit the Dominican Republic every year. }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2024/itineraries/dominican-republic |title=Dominican Republic CDC Yellow Book 2024 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=[[Macarena García, Luis Bonilla, Bianca Alvarez]] |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=May 1, 2023 |quote=Approximately 250,000 US citizens call the Dominican Republic home. }}</ref>

The [[2010 Dominican Republic Census|2010 Census]] registered 311,969 Haitians; 24,457 Americans; 6,691 Spaniards; 5,763 Puerto Ricans; and 5,132 Venezuelans.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Oficina Nacional de Estadística|title=IX Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2010: Volumen 1 (Informe General)|url=http://censo2010.one.gob.do/volumenes_censo_2010/vol1.pdf|access-date=October 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121202090504/http://censo2010.one.gob.do/volumenes_censo_2010/vol1.pdf|archive-date=December 2, 2012|location=Santo Domingo|language=es|date=June 2012|pages=99–103}}</ref> In 2012, the Dominican government made a survey of immigrants in the country and found that there were: 329,281 [[Haitians in the Dominican Republic|Haitian-born]]; 25,814 [[Americans|U.S.]]-born (excluding Puerto Rican-born); 7,062 [[Spanish people|Spanish]]-born; 6,083 [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]]-born; 5,417 [[Venezuelan people|Venezuelan]]-born; 3,841 [[Cubans|Cuban]]-born; 3,795 [[Italians|Italian]]-born; 3,606 [[Colombian people|Colombian]]-born; 2,043 [[French people|French]]-born; 1,661 [[Germans|German]]-born; 1,484 [[Ethnic Chinese in the Dominican Republic|Chinese-born]]; among others.<ref>{{cite book | chapter-url=https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264276918-6-es.pdf?expires=1696959367&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=1865FE58D7E79131734F7D5514B898DA | doi=10.1787/9789264276918-6-es | chapter=El panorama de la migración en República Dominicana | title=Interacciones entre Políticas Públicas, Migración y Desarrollo en República Dominicana | series=Caminos de Desarrollo | date=2017 | pages=39–59 | isbn=9789264276901 | access-date=November 30, 2023 | archive-date=January 11, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111010308/https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/interacciones-entre-politicas-publicas-migracion-y-desarrollo-en-republica-dominicana/el-panorama-de-la-migracion-en-republica-dominicana_9789264276918-6-es;jsessionid=dbkz3PkEujG3nO4PWMVLjgJF6bka-RyP12gH345k.ip-10-240-5-158 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Martínez|first=Darlenny|title=Estudio: en RD viven 534,632 extranjeros|url=http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2013/05/02/estudio-viven-534632-extranjeros|access-date=May 29, 2014|newspaper=El Caribe|date=May 2, 2013|language=es|quote=Según la Primera Encuesta Nacional de Inmigrantes de la República Dominicana (ENI-2012), (...) Después de Haití, explica la investigación, las 10 naciones de donde proceden más inmigrantes son Estados Unidos, con 13,524; España, con 6,720, y Puerto Rico, con 4,416. Además Italia, con 4,040; China, con 3,643; Francia, con 3,599; Venezuela, con 3,434; Cuba con 3,145 inmigrantes; Colombia con 2,738 y Alemania con 1,792.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212011803/http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2013/05/02/estudio-viven-534632-extranjeros|archive-date=December 12, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=ONE>[http://countryoffice.unfpa.org/dominicanrepublic/drive/InformeENI-2012-General.pdf "Primera Encuesta Nacional de Inmigrantes (ENI-2012)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621051704/http://countryoffice.unfpa.org/dominicanrepublic/drive/InformeENI-2012-General.pdf |date=June 21, 2015 }} (in Spanish). Santo Domingo: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (former 'Oficina Nacional de Estadística') & [[United Nations Population Fund]]. p.&nbsp;63. 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Juan Bolívar Díaz|title=RD país de emigrantes más que de inmigrantes|url=http://hoy.com.do/rd-pais-de-emigrantes-mas-que-de-inmigrantes/|publisher=Hoy|access-date=August 20, 2014|language=es|date=May 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821134118/http://hoy.com.do/rd-pais-de-emigrantes-mas-que-de-inmigrantes/|archive-date=August 21, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In the second half of 2017, a second survey of foreign population was conducted in the Dominican Republic. The total population in the Dominican Republic was estimated at 10,189,895, of which 9,341,916 were Dominicans with no foreign background. According to the survey, the majority of the people with foreign background were of Haitian origin (751,080 out of 847,979, or 88.6%), breaking down as follows: 497,825 were Haitians born in Haiti, 171,859 Haitians born in the Dominican Republic and 81,590 Dominicans with a Haitian parent. Other main sources of foreign-born population were Venezuela (25,872), the United States (10,016), Spain (7,592), Italy (3,713), [[Two Chinas|China]] (3,069), Colombia (2,642), Puerto Rico (2,356), and Cuba (2,024).<ref name=ENI-2017>{{cite report |title=Segunda Encuesta Nacional de Inmigrantes en la República Dominicana [ENI-2017] - Versión resumida del Informe General |trans-title=Second National Survey of Immigrants in the Dominican Republic [ENI-2017] - Summary version of the General Report |url=https://dominicanrepublic.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Resumen%20Ejecutivo%20ENI-2017_FINAL.pdf#page=48 |date=June 2017 |page=48 |publisher=Oficina Nacional de Estadística |location=Santo Domingo |language=es |isbn=978-9945-015-17-1 |access-date=June 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604105824/https://dominicanrepublic.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Resumen%20Ejecutivo%20ENI-2017_FINAL.pdf#page=48 |archive-date=June 4, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Haitian immigration====
{{Main|Haitians in the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Haiti deforestation.jpg|thumb|A satellite image of the [[Dominican Republic–Haiti border|border]] between [[Haiti]] (left) and the Dominican Republic (right), highlighting the [[Deforestation in Haiti|deforestation on the Haitian side]]]]
[[File:Dominicans and Haitians Braving the Weather.jpg|thumb|Dominicans and Haitians lined up to attend medical providers from the [[U.S. Army Reserve]]]]
[[File:Haitian-Dominican border in Grand-Bois, Cornillon, Haiti, June 2017 3.jpg|thumb|View of border region between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The border runs horizontally through the middle of the picture.]]
[[File:One Too Many; 50+ Haitian Workers In Transit.jpg|thumb|Haitian workers being transported in [[Punta Cana]], the Dominican Republic]]
[[Human Rights Watch]] estimated that 70,000 documented Haitian immigrants and 1,930,000 undocumented immigrants were living in Dominican Republic.{{efn|[[Illegal immigration]] from Haiti has resulted in government action. Immigration from Haiti has increased tensions between Dominicans and Haitians.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cronkite.asu.edu/projects/buffett/dr/labor.html |title=Illegal Haitian Workers in Demand |website=cronkite.asu.edu |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105120649/https://cronkite.asu.edu/projects/buffett/dr/labor.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/3cf2429a4.html|title=Refworld &#124; "Illegal People": Haitians And Dominico-Haitians In The Dominican Republic|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|website=Refworld|access-date=November 8, 2021|archive-date=January 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120220256/https://www.refworld.org/docid/3cf2429a4.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2021/03/08/immigration-repatriates-200000-illegal-haitians-in-2-months/ |title=Immigration repatriates 200,000 illegal Haitians in 2 months |date=March 8, 2021 |website=dominicantoday.com |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108195257/https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2021/03/08/immigration-repatriates-200000-illegal-haitians-in-2-months/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.haitianinternet.com/articles/new-dominican-law-prevent-illegal-haitians-from-renting-a-pl.html |title=New Dominican law seeks to prevent illegal Haitians from renting a place to live |website=News From Haiti |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108195313/http://www.haitianinternet.com/articles/new-dominican-law-prevent-illegal-haitians-from-renting-a-pl.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theworld.org/stories/2011-05-09/dominican-republic-denies-birthright-citizenship-children-illegal-immigrants|title=Dominican Republic denies birthright citizenship to children of illegal immigrants|website=The World from PRX|date=August 2, 2016 |access-date=November 8, 2021|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104123806/https://theworld.org/stories/2011-05-09/dominican-republic-denies-birthright-citizenship-children-illegal-immigrants|url-status=live}}</ref> The Dominican Republic is also home to 114,050 illegal immigrants from [[Venezuela]].<ref name="CIADemo"/>}}

Haiti is the neighboring nation to the Dominican Republic and is considerably poorer, less developed and is additionally the least developed country in the western hemisphere. In 2003, 80% of all Haitians were poor (54% living in abject poverty) and 47.1% were illiterate. The country of nine million people also has a fast growing population, but over two-thirds of the labor force lack formal jobs. Haiti's per capita GDP (PPP) was $1,800 in 2017, or just over one-tenth of the Dominican figure.<ref name="CIADemo" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/haiti/ |title=CIA&nbsp;– The World Factbook&nbsp;– Haiti |access-date=January 10, 2010 |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209014627/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/haiti/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

As a result, hundreds of thousands of Haitians have migrated to the Dominican Republic, with some estimates of 800,000 Haitians in the country,<ref name="pinadep">{{cite web|url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37018|title=Dominican Republic: Deport Thy (Darker-Skinned) Neighbour|date=March 21, 2007|access-date=January 14, 2008|author=Diógenes Pina|publisher=Inter Press Service (IPS)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109194929/http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37018 |archive-date=January 9, 2008}}</ref> while others put the Haitian-born population as high as one million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Illegal people|publisher=Human Rights Watch|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/domrep/domrep0402-02.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020421144908/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/domrep/domrep0402-02.htm|archive-date=April 21, 2002|access-date=May 29, 2007}}</ref> They usually work at low-paying and unskilled jobs in building construction and house cleaning and in sugar plantations.<ref name="ferguson">{{cite web|url=http://www.minorityrights.org/1038/reports/migration-in-the-caribbean-haiti-the-dominican-republic-and-beyond.html|title=Migration in the Caribbean: Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Beyond|access-date=January 14, 2008|author=James Ferguson|date=July 2003|publisher=Minority Rights Group International|format=PDF|archive-date=January 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116012247/http://www.minorityrights.org/1038/reports/migration-in-the-caribbean-haiti-the-dominican-republic-and-beyond.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There have been accusations that some Haitian immigrants work in slavery-like conditions and are severely exploited.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-morse/haitian-cane-workers-in-t_b_626610.html Richard Morse: Haitian Cane Workers in the Dominican Republic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113102412/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-morse/haitian-cane-workers-in-t_b_626610.html |date=November 13, 2012 }}. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved on September 22, 2011.</ref>

Due to the lack of basic amenities and medical facilities in Haiti a large number of Haitian women, often arriving with several health problems, cross the border to Dominican soil. They deliberately come during their last weeks of pregnancy to obtain medical attention for childbirth, since Dominican public hospitals do not refuse medical services based on nationality or legal status. Statistics from a hospital in Santo Domingo report that over 22% of childbirths are by Haitian mothers.<ref name="LD2008-01-21" />

Haiti also [[Environmental issues in Haiti|suffers from severe environmental degradation]]. Deforestation is rampant in Haiti; today less than 4 percent of Haiti's forests remain, and in many places the soil has eroded right down to the bedrock.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dirt Poor — Haiti has lost its soil and the means to feed itself|url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/bourne-text|website=nationalgeographic.com|access-date=September 14, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011141022/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/09/soil/bourne-text|archive-date=October 11, 2008}}</ref> Haitians burn wood charcoal for 60% of their domestic energy production. Because of Haiti running out of plant material to burn, some Haitian bootleggers have created an illegal market for charcoal on the Dominican side. Conservative estimates calculate the illegal movement of 115 tons of charcoal per week from the Dominican Republic to Haiti. Dominican officials estimate that at least 10 trucks per week are crossing the border loaded with charcoal.<ref>{{cite web|title=The charcoal war|url=http://latinamericanscience.org/2014/03/the-charcoal-war/|website=latinamericanscience.org|date=March 11, 2014|access-date=September 14, 2019|archive-date=May 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518135314/http://latinamericanscience.org/2014/03/the-charcoal-war/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2005, Dominican President Leonel Fernández criticized collective expulsions of Haitians as having taken place "in an abusive and inhuman way".<ref>{{cite web|title=Dominican Republic: A Life in Transit|publisher=Amnesty International|date=March 21, 2007|url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR270012007|access-date=June 3, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070422232810/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR270012007|archive-date=April 22, 2007}}</ref> After a UN delegation issued a preliminary report stating that it found a profound problem of racism and discrimination against people of Haitian origin, Dominican [[Foreign Minister]] [[Carlos Morales Troncoso]] issued a formal statement denouncing it, asserting that "our border with Haiti has its problems[;] this is our reality and it must be understood. It is important not to confuse national sovereignty with indifference, and not to confuse security with [[xenophobia]]."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39867|title=Dominican Republic: Gov't Turns Deaf Ear to UN Experts on Racism|date=October 31, 2007|access-date=January 14, 2008|author=Diógenes Pina|publisher=Inter Press Service (IPS)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109074036/http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39867 |archive-date=January 9, 2008}}</ref>

Haitian nationals send half a [[billion]] [[dollars]] total yearly in remittance from the Dominican Republic to Haiti, according to the [[World Bank]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/migrationremittancesdiasporaissues/brief/migration-remittances-data |title=Migration and Remittances Data |publisher=World Bank Group |access-date=July 20, 2020 |quote=Bilateral Remittances Matrices. |archive-date=November 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106093652/https://www.knomad.org/sites/default/files/2018-04/bilateralmigrationmatrix20170_Apr2018.xlsx |url-status=live }}</ref>

The government of the Dominican Republic invested a total of $16 billion pesos in health services offered to foreign patients in 2013–2016, according to official data, which includes medical expenses in blood transfusion, clinical analysis, surgeries and other care.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eldinero.com.do/47546/gobierno-dominicano-invierte-mas-de-rd3000-millones-en-servicios-medicos-a-extranjeros/ |title=Gobierno dominicano invierte más de RD$3,000 millones en servicios médicos a extranjeros |date=September 18, 2017 |publisher=Periódico elDinero |access-date=July 20, 2020 |quote=En 2016 el Gobierno destinó, a través del SNS, RD$3,037.7 millones para brindar servicios médicos a extranjeros a través de centros de salud del Estado, según las memorias de rendición de cuentas del Ministerio de Salud Pública. |archive-date=August 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819054018/https://eldinero.com.do/47546/gobierno-dominicano-invierte-mas-de-rd3000-millones-en-servicios-medicos-a-extranjeros/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to official reports, the country spends more than five billion Dominican pesos annually in care for pregnant women who cross the border ready to deliver.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://elnacional.com.do/5-mil-millones-gasta-rd-al-ano-en-partos-de-haitianas/ |title=$5 mil millones Gasta RD al año en partos de haitianas |date=May 18, 2017 |publisher=Periódico El Nacional |access-date=July 20, 2020 |quote=Más de cinco mil millones de pesos invierte el Gobierno anualmente en atenciones a embarazadas haitianas. |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124101011/https://elnacional.com.do/5-mil-millones-gasta-rd-al-ano-en-partos-de-haitianas/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The children of Haitian immigrants are eligible for Haitian nationality,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oas.org/juridico/MLA/en/hti/en_hti-int-const.html|title=Constitution of Haiti, 1987|access-date=October 16, 2010|quote=ARTICLE 11: Any person born of a Haitian father or Haitian mother who are themselves native-born Haitians and have never renounced their nationality possesses Haitian nationality at the time of birth.|archive-date=October 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018140315/http://www.oas.org/juridico/MLA/en/hti/en_hti-int-const.html|url-status=live}}</ref> but they may be denied it by Haiti because of a lack of proper documents or witnesses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/9770|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708224221/http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/9770|archive-date=July 8, 2008|title=Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the United States: Protect Rights, Reduce Statelessness|publisher=Refugees International|date=November 1, 2007|author=Maureen Lynch}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Andrew Grossman|title=Birthright citizenship as nationality of convenience|work=Proceedings of the Third Conference on Nationality|publisher=Council of Europe|date=October 11, 2004|url=http://www.uniset.ca/naty/maternity/|access-date=June 3, 2007|archive-date=January 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190123031843/http://uniset.ca/naty/maternity/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the United States: Protect rights, reduce statelessness|agency=Reuters|date=January 19, 2007|url=http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000052/005242.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708193320/http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000052/005242.htm|archive-date=July 8, 2008|access-date=May 29, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Michelle Garcia|title=No Papers, No Rights|publisher=Amnesty International|year=2006|url=http://www.amnestyusa.org/Fall_2006/No_Papers_No_Rights/page.do?id=1105216&n1=2&n2=19&n3=358|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807031700/http://www.amnestyusa.org/Fall_2006/No_Papers_No_Rights/page.do?id=1105216&n1=2&n2=19&n3=358|archive-date=August 7, 2007|access-date=May 29, 2007}}</ref>

===Emigration===
[[File:Dominican Day Parade 2019 (50335870922).jpg|thumb|Dominicans in the [[Dominican Day Parade]] in New York City, 2019]]
{{Main|Dominican Americans|Dominicans in Spain}}
The first of three late-20th century emigration waves began in 1961 after the assassination of dictator Trujillo,<ref name="Wilderotter" /> due to fear of retaliation by Trujillo's allies and political uncertainty in general. In 1965, the United States began a military occupation of the Dominican Republic to end a civil war. Upon this, the U.S. eased travel restrictions, making it easier for Dominicans to obtain U.S. visas.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Morrison, Thomas K. |author2=Sinkin, Richard|jstor=2546161|title=International Migration in the Dominican Republic|journal=International Migration Review|volume= 16|issue=4, Special Issue: International Migration and Development |date=Winter 1982|pages=819–836|doi=10.2307/2546161}}</ref> From 1966 to 1978, the exodus continued, fueled by high unemployment and political repression. Communities established by the first wave of immigrants to the U.S. created a network that assisted subsequent arrivals.<ref name="Annenberg Foundation">{{cite web|url=http://www.learner.org/libraries/socialstudies/9_12/weir/background.html|publisher=Annenberg Foundation|title=Migration Trends in Six Latin American Countries|access-date=October 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228035554/http://www.learner.org/libraries/socialstudies/9_12/weir/background.html|archive-date=February 28, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the early 1980s, underemployment, inflation, and the rise in value of the dollar all contributed to a third wave of emigration from the Dominican Republic. Today, emigration from the Dominican Republic remains high.<ref name="Annenberg Foundation" /> In 2012, there were approximately 1.7 million people of Dominican descent in the U.S., counting both native- and foreign-born.<ref>[https://www.census.gov US Census Bureau 2012 American Community Survey B03001 1-Year Estimates HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709054630/https://www.census.gov/ |date=July 9, 2021 }} retrieved September 20, 2013</ref> There was also a growing [[Dominican Republic immigration to Puerto Rico|Dominican immigration to Puerto Rico]], with nearly 70,000 Dominicans living there {{As of|2010|lc=y}}. Although that number is slowly decreasing and immigration trends have reversed because of Puerto Rico's economic crisis {{as of|2016|lc=y}}.

There is a significant Dominican population in Spain.<ref name="INE2018nacidos">{{cite web|url=http://www.ine.es/jaxi/Datos.htm?path=/t20/e245/p08/l0/&file=01006.px |access-date=January 26, 2019 |title=Población (españoles/extranjeros) por País de Nacimiento, sexo y año |year=2018 |publisher=[[Instituto Nacional de Estadística de España|Instituto Nacional de Estadística]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421000624/http://www.ine.es/jaxi/Datos.htm?path=%2Ft20%2Fe245%2Fp08%2Fl0%2F&file=01006.px |archive-date=April 21, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="INE2018nacionalidad">{{cite web |access-date=January 26, 2019 |title=Población extranjera por Nacionalidad, comunidades, Sexo y Año. |year=2018 |publisher=[[Instituto Nacional de Estadística de España|Instituto Nacional de Estadística]] |url=http://www.ine.es/jaxi/Datos.htm?path=/t20/e245/p08/l0/&file=02005.px |archive-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221102538/https://www.ine.es/jaxi/Datos.htm?path=/t20/e245/p08/l0/&file=02005.px |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Education===
{{Main|Education in the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Dominican kids in Santo Domingo.jpg|thumb|Kids taking classes]]
Primary education is regulated by the Ministry of Education, with education being a right of all citizens and [[youth in the Dominican Republic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oas.org/juridico/spanish/mesicic2_repdom_sc_anexo_7_sp.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806044021/http://www.oas.org/juridico/spanish/mesicic2_repdom_sc_anexo_7_sp.pdf |archive-date=August 6, 2009 |url-status=live|title=LEY 66–97 Ley General de Educación|access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref>

Preschool education is organized in different cycles and serves the 2–4 age group and the 4–6 age group. Preschool education is not mandatory except for the last year. Basic education is compulsory and serves the population of the 6–14 age group. Secondary education is not compulsory, although it is the duty of the state to offer it for free. It caters to the 14–18 age group and is organized in a common core of four years and three modes of two years of study that are offered in three different options: general or academic, vocational (industrial, agricultural, and services), and artistic.

The higher education system consists of institutes and universities. The institutes offer courses of a higher technical level. The universities offer technical careers, undergraduate and graduate; these are regulated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ley 139-01 de Educación Superior, Ciencia y Tecnología |url=http://www.seescyt.gov.do/baseconocimiento/Leyes%20y%20reglamentos/Ley139-01%20Educaci%C3%B3n%20Superior.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501035441/http://www.seescyt.gov.do/baseconocimiento/Leyes%20y%20reglamentos/Ley139-01%20Educaci%C3%B3n%20Superior.pdf |archive-date=May 1, 2015 }}</ref> The Dominican Republic was ranked 97th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025, down from 87th in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/dominican-republic |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Innovation Index 2019|url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html|access-date=September 2, 2021|website=www.wipo.int|language=en|archive-date=September 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101818/https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Health===
{{Main|Health in the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:HOMS 182.jpg|thumb|[[Hospital Metropolitano de Santiago]] is the largest hospital in the Dominican Republic]]
In 2020, the Dominican Republic had an estimated [[birth rate]] of 18.5 per 1000 and a [[death rate]] of 6.3 per 1000.<ref name="CIADemo" />

In the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), the Dominican Republic ranks 41st out of 127 countries with sufficient data. The Dominican Republic's GHI score is 7.8, which indicates a low level of hunger.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=December 14, 2024 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en}}</ref>

According to the [[World Health Organization|WHO]], the estimated incidence rate of [[tuberculosis]] (TB) in the Dominican Republic (42 cases per 100,000 people in 2023) is one of the highest in the Caribbean (after Haiti).<ref>{{cite news |title=Tuberculosis incidence (per 100 000 population) |url=https://data.who.int/indicators/i/13B4226/C288D13 |work=World Health Organization |date=January 8, 2024}}</ref>

The Dominican Republic has a 0.9% prevalence rate of [[HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic|HIV/AIDS]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Dominican Republic Country Operational Plan (COP/ROP) 2019 Strategic Direction Summary | url=https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Dominican-Republic_COP19-Strategic-Directional-Summary_public.pdf | date= April 1, 2019| publisher=[[President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief]] | access-date=July 29, 2025}}</ref> Some urban areas of the Dominican Republic experience HIV/AIDS infection rates well in excess of 10%.<ref name=Patria>{{cite journal | last1=Rojas | first1=Patria | last2=Malow | first2=Robert | last3=Ruffin | first3=Beverly | last4=Rothe | first4=Eugenio M. | last5=Rosenberg | first5=Rhonda | title=The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the Dominican Republic | journal=Journal of the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care | publisher=SAGE Publications | volume=10 | issue=5 | date=March 2, 2011 | issn=1545-1097 | doi=10.1177/1545109710397770 | doi-access=free | pages=306–315 | pmid=21368008 | pmc=5637397 }}</ref> In some parts of the Dominican Republic, HIV/AIDS has become one of the leading cause of death among teenagers and adults between 15–49 years old.<ref name=Patria/>

===Crime===
{{Main|Crime in the Dominican Republic}}
In 2012, the Dominican Republic had a [[List of countries by intentional homicide rate|murder rate]] of 22.1 per 100,000 population.<ref name="UNODC" /> There was a total of 2,268 murders in the Dominican Republic in 2012.<ref name="UNODC">{{cite web|url=https://www.unodc.org/gsh/en/index.html|title=UNODC: Global Study on Homicide|work=[[United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime]]|date=2013|access-date=August 24, 2016|archive-date=June 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602171852/http://www.unodc.org/gsh/en/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Dominican Republic has become a trans-shipment point for Colombian drugs destined for Europe as well as the United States and Canada.<ref name="CIADemo" /><ref name="NYT" /> Money-laundering via the Dominican Republic is favored by Colombian drug cartels for the ease of illicit financial transactions.<ref name="CIADemo" /> In 2004, it was estimated that 8% of all cocaine smuggled into the United States had come through the Dominican Republic.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ribando |first=Claire |title=Dominican Republic: Political and Economic Conditions and Relations with the United States. |publisher=CRS Report for Congress |date= March 5, 2005 |url=https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/46402.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050528113353/http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/46402.pdf |archive-date=May 28, 2005 |url-status=live |access-date=May 29, 2007 }}</ref> The Dominican Republic responded with increased efforts to seize drug shipments, arrest and extradite those involved, and combat money-laundering.

The often-light treatment of violent criminals has been a continuous source of local controversy. In April 2010, five teenagers, aged 15 to 17, shot and killed two taxi drivers and killed another five by forcing them to drink drain-cleaning acid. On September 24, 2010, the teens were sentenced to prison terms of three to five years, despite the protests of the taxi drivers' families.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11404313 | work=BBC News | title=Teenagers jailed for taxi drivers' murder | date=September 24, 2010 | access-date=January 11, 2024 | archive-date=November 22, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122180548/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11404313 | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Yoryi Morel 02.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Campesino cibaeño, 1941 (Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo)]]

Due to [[cultural syncretism]], the culture and customs of the Dominican people have a [[European culture|European cultural basis]], influenced by both [[African culture|African]] and native [[Taíno]] elements, although endogenous elements have emerged within Dominican culture;<ref name="EstevaFabregat" /> culturally the Dominican Republic is among the most-European countries in [[Spanish America]], alongside [[Culture of Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico]], [[Culture of Cuba|Cuba]], [[Central Chile]], [[Culture of Argentina|Argentina]], and [[Culture of Uruguay|Uruguay]].<ref name="EstevaFabregat">{{cite journal|format=PDF|last=Esteva Fabregat|first=Claudio|url=http://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/QUCE/article/download/QUCE8181120099A/1896|title=La hispanización del mestizaje cultural en América|trans-title=Hispanicization of cultural miscegenation in America|language=es|journal=Revista Complutense de Historia de América|publisher=[[Universidad Complutense de Madrid]]|volume=1|page=133|date=1981|issn=0211-6111|access-date=August 26, 2016|archive-date=November 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105172517/http://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/QUCE/article/download/QUCE8181120099A/1896|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=November 2023}} Spanish institutions in the colonial era were able to predominate in the Dominican culture's making-of as a relative success in the [[acculturation]] and [[cultural assimilation]] of African slaves slightly diminished African cultural influence in comparison to other Caribbean countries.
<!--Music and sport are of great importance in the Dominican culture, with [[Merengue music|Merengue]] and [[Bachata (music)|Bachata]] as the national dance and music, and [[baseball]] as the favorite sport.<ref name="embassy" />-->

===National symbols===
[[File:Pereskia quisqueyana.JPG|thumb|upright=0.7|Bayahibe rose]]
Some of the Dominican Republic's important symbols are the [[Flag of the Dominican Republic|flag]], [[Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic|the coat of arms]], and the national anthem, titled ''[[National Anthem of the Dominican Republic|Himno Nacional]]''. The flag has a large white cross that divides it into four quarters. Two quarters are red and two are blue. Red represents the blood shed by the liberators. Blue expresses God's protection over the nation. The white cross symbolizes the struggle of the liberators to bequeath future generations a free nation. An alternative interpretation is that blue represents the ideals of progress and liberty, whereas white symbolizes peace and unity among Dominicans.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.ejercito.mil.do/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=165&Itemid=132 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113181033/http://www.ejercito.mil.do/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=165&Itemid=132 |archive-date=January 13, 2009 |title=Ejército Nacional de la República Dominicana&nbsp;– Bandera Nacional |access-date=October 20, 2008 |publisher=National Army of the Dominican Republic |language=es}}</ref>

In the center of the cross is the Dominican coat of arms, in the same colors as the national flag. The coat of arms pictures a red, white, and blue flag-draped shield with a Bible, a gold cross, and arrows; the shield is surrounded by an olive branch (on the left) and a palm branch (on the right). The Bible traditionally represents the truth and the light. The gold cross symbolizes the redemption from slavery, and the arrows symbolize the noble soldiers and their proud military. A blue ribbon above the shield reads, "Dios, Patria, Libertad" (meaning "God, Fatherland, Liberty"). A red ribbon under the shield reads, "República Dominicana" (meaning "Dominican Republic"). Out of all the flags in the world, the depiction of a Bible is unique to the Dominican flag.

The [[Floral emblem|national flower]] is the [[endemic]] [[Pereskia quisqueyana|Bayahibe rose]] (''Leuenbergeria quisqueyana'') and the [[national tree]] is the [[Swietenia mahagoni|West Indian mahogany]] (''Swietenia mahagoni'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.listindiario.com/la-vida/2011/7/16/196080/La-rosa-de-Bayahibe-nuestra-flor-nacional |title=La rosa de Bayahíbe, nuestra flor nacional |author=López, Yaniris |work=Listin Diario |date=July 17, 2011 |access-date=July 17, 2011 |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719112914/http://www.listindiario.com/la-vida/2011/7/16/196080/La-rosa-de-Bayahibe-nuestra-flor-nacional |url-status=dead }}</ref> The national bird is the ''cigua palmera'' or [[palmchat]] (''Dulus dominicus''), another endemic species.<ref name=depaul>{{cite web|url=http://www.diariodigital.com.do/articulo,30016,html |title=El jardín Botánico Nacional |trans-title=The National Botanical Garden |language=es |last=Pérez |first=Faustino |work=DiarioDigitalRD.com |access-date=October 20, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023033403/http://www.diariodigital.com.do/articulo%2C30016%2Chtml |archive-date=October 23, 2008 }}</ref>

The Dominican Republic celebrates [[Dia de la Altagracia]] on January 21 in honor of its patroness, [[Juan Pablo Duarte|Duarte]]'s Day on January 26 in honor of one of its founding fathers, Independence Day on February 27, [[Dominican Restoration War|Restoration Day]] on August 16, ''Virgen de las Mercedes'' on September 24, and [[Constitution Day]] on November 6.

===Architecture===
[[File:Church and Convent Regina Angelorum CCSD 07 2018 0762.jpg|thumb|Church and Convent, Colonial Santo Domingo]]
[[File:Downtown Puerto Plata Dominican Republic Architecture.jpg|thumb|Late 19th-century Victorian architecture is prominent in Puerto Plata]]
The architecture in the Dominican Republic represents a complex blend of diverse cultures. The deep influence of the [[Europe]]an colonists is the most evident throughout the country. Characterized by ornate designs and [[baroque architecture|baroque]] structures, the style can best be seen in the capital city of [[Santo Domingo]], which is home to the first cathedral, palace, monastery, and fortress in all of the [[Americas]], located in the city's [[Ciudad Colonial (Santo Domingo)|Colonial Zone]], an area declared as a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]].<ref name="Colonial City of Santo Domingo"></ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/nac/geoportal.php?country=DO&language=E|title=Dominican Republic National Commission for UNESCO|work=UNESCO|date=November 14, 1957|access-date=August 24, 2016|archive-date=July 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725103339/http://www.unesco.org/nac/geoportal.php?country=DO&language=E|url-status=live}}</ref> The designs carry over into the villas and buildings throughout the country. It can also be observed on buildings that contain stucco exteriors, arched doors and windows, and red tiled roofs.

The indigenous peoples of the Dominican Republic have also had a significant influence on the architecture of the country. The [[Taíno]] people relied heavily on the mahogany and guano (dried palm tree leaf) to put together crafts, artwork, furniture, and houses. Utilizing mud, thatched roofs, and mahogany trees, they gave buildings and the furniture inside a natural look, blending in with the island's surroundings.

Lately, with the rise in tourism and increasing popularity as a Caribbean vacation destination, architects in the Dominican Republic have now begun to incorporate cutting-edge designs that emphasize luxury. In many ways an architectural playground, villas and hotels implement new styles, while offering new takes on the old. This new style is characterized by simplified, angular corners and large windows that blend outdoor and indoor spaces.

===Visual arts===
Dominican art is perhaps most commonly associated with the bright, vibrant colors and images that are sold in every tourist gift shop across the country. However, the country has a long history of [[fine art]] that goes back to the middle of the 1800s when the country became independent and the beginnings of a national art scene emerged.

Historically, the painting of this time were centered around images connected to national independence, historical scenes, portraits but also landscapes and images of still life. Styles of painting ranged between [[neoclassicism]] and [[romanticism]]. Between 1920 and 1940 the art scene was influenced by styles of [[realism (arts)|realism]] and [[impressionism]]. Dominican artists were focused on breaking from previous, academic styles in order to develop more independent and individual styles.

===Literature===
{{Main|Dominican Republic literature}}
The Dominican politician, rector and author [[Andrés López de Medrano]] (1780 – May 6, 1856) became the first enlightened philosopher of the Dominican Republic and supported Dominican independence.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo - 200 commemorates years of the first book of Dominican philosophy |url=https://www.intec.edu.do/en/notas-de-prensa/item/conmemoran-200-anos-del-primer-libro-de-filosofia-dominicano-2 |access-date=December 22, 2024 |website=www.intec.edu.do}}</ref> Medrano is best known for writing one of the most important [[Philosophy|philosophical]] works of the 19th century, a treaty or guide entitled ''Logic, Elements of Modern Philosophy'' (1814), which became the first book of Dominican philosophy and the first book printed in the Dominican Republic.<ref name=":1" />

The 20th century brought many prominent Dominican writers, and saw a general increase in the perception of Dominican literature. Writers such as [[Juan Bosch (politician)|Juan Bosch]], [[Pedro Mir]] (national poet of the Dominican Republic<ref>{{Cite web|title=Don Pedro Mir Valentín, Poeta Nacional Dominicano|url=http://www.educando.edu.do/articulos/estudiante/don-pedro-mir-valentn-poeta-nacional-dominicano/|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=www.educando.edu.do|archive-date=December 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220115336/http://www.educando.edu.do/articulos/estudiante/don-pedro-mir-valentn-poeta-nacional-dominicano|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=July 11, 2019|title=Pedro Mir Biografia {{!}} República Dominicana|url=https://www.conectate.com.do/articulo/pedro-mir-biografia/|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=Conectate.com.do|language=es|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213183921/https://www.conectate.com.do/articulo/pedro-mir-biografia/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=December 13, 2019|title=Pedro Mir|url=https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/m/mir_pedro.htm|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=Biografia y vidas|language=es|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213183926/https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/m/mir_pedro.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>), [[Aida Cartagena Portalatin]], Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi (the most important Dominican historian, with more than 1000 written works<ref>{{Cite web|title=Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi|url=https://www.diariolibre.com/cronologia/ver/meta/emilio-rodriguez-demorizi|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=www.diariolibre.com|language=es-ES|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213183908/https://www.diariolibre.com/cronologia/ver/meta/emilio-rodriguez-demorizi|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Clas|first=Bredi|title=Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi|url=http://academiadominicanahistoria.org.do/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/rodriguezDemorizi.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304210648/http://academiadominicanahistoria.org.do/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/rodriguezDemorizi.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2018 |url-status=live|website=Academia Dominicana de Historia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=August 31, 2018|title=¿En qué año nació Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi? (1–2) – Acento – El más ágil y moderno diario electrónico de la República Dominicana|url=https://acento.com.do/2018/opinion/8600497-ano-nacio-emilio-rodriguez-demorizi-1-2/|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=Acento|language=es|archive-date=September 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901113713/https://acento.com.do/2018/opinion/8600497-ano-nacio-emilio-rodriguez-demorizi-1-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo – INTEC – Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi|url=https://www.intec.edu.do/biblioteca/emilio-rodriguez-demorizi|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=www.intec.edu.do|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802135306/https://www.intec.edu.do/biblioteca/emilio-rodriguez-demorizi|url-status=dead}}</ref>), [[Manuel del Cabral]] (main Dominican poet featured in black poetry<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trayectorias Literarias: Manuel del Cabral|url=https://dominicanaenmiami.com/?p=3941|access-date=December 13, 2019|archive-date=April 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417062127/https://dominicanaenmiami.com/?p=3941|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Manuel del Cabral – Solo Literatura|url=https://sololiteratura.com/manuel-del-cabral/|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=sololiteratura.com|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213183920/https://sololiteratura.com/manuel-del-cabral/|url-status=live}}</ref>), Hector Inchustegui Cabral (considered one of the most prominent voices of the Caribbean social poetry of the twentieth century<ref>{{Cite web|title=Héctor Incháustegui Cabral: Introducción a "Poesía Sorprendida"|url=https://www.literatura.us/apolinar/hector.html|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=www.literatura.us|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308200607/https://www.literatura.us/apolinar/hector.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Nace Héctor Incháustegui, poeta, profesor, ensayista y animador cultural – El Nacional|url=https://elnacional.com.do/nace-hector-inchaustegui-poeta-y-profesor/|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=elnacional.com.do|date=July 25, 2018|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213183931/https://elnacional.com.do/nace-hector-inchaustegui-poeta-y-profesor/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Hector Inchaustegui Cabral|url=http://opac.pucmm.edu.do/virtuales/html/Dominicanos2/hectorinchaustegui/biografia.htm|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=opac.pucmm.edu.do|archive-date=December 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222031903/http://opac.pucmm.edu.do/virtuales/html/Dominicanos2/hectorinchaustegui/biografia.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Biografia de Héctor Incháustegui Cabral|url=https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/i/inchaustegui.htm|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=www.biografiasyvidas.com|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213183910/https://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/i/inchaustegui.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>), Miguel Alfonseca (poet belonging to Generation 60<ref>{{Cite web|title=ÁMBITO CULTURAL ::: Miguel Alfonseca|url=http://www.cielonaranja.com/torresambitoalfonseca.htm|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=www.cielonaranja.com|archive-date=December 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227055947/http://www.cielonaranja.com/torresambitoalfonseca.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=November 29, 2018|title=Miguel Alfonseca|url=https://elnuevodiario.com.do/miguel-alfonseca/|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=El Nuevo Diario (República Dominicana)|language=es|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213184038/https://elnuevodiario.com.do/miguel-alfonseca/|url-status=live}}</ref>), Rene del Risco (acclaimed poet who was a participant in the June 14 Movement<ref>{{Cite web|date=November 7, 2017|title=René del Risco, poesía y angustia de la ciudad|url=http://revista.global/rene-del-risco-poesia-y-angustia-de-la-ciudad/|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=Revista Global|language=es-ES|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213184010/http://revista.global/rene-del-risco-poesia-y-angustia-de-la-ciudad/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=BIOGRAFIA – Fundacion Rene del Risco|url=http://fundacionrenedelrisco.org/biografia/|access-date=December 13, 2019|language=es-ES|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213183933/http://fundacionrenedelrisco.org/biografia/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=December 15, 2015|title=René del Risco Bermúdez|url=http://www.educando.edu.do/portal/biografia-rene-del-risco-bermudez/|access-date=December 13, 2019|website=Educando|language=es-MX|archive-date=November 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130145044/http://www.educando.edu.do/portal/biografia-rene-del-risco-bermudez/|url-status=dead}}</ref>), [[Mateo Morrison]], among many more prolific authors, put the island in one of the most important in Literature in the twentieth century.

New Dominican writers have not yet achieved the renown of their 20th-century counterparts. However, writers such as [[Frank Báez]] (won the 2006 Santo Domingo Book Fair First Prize) <ref>{{cite web|date=December 19, 2014|title=El Hombrecito|url=http://www.elhombrecito.com/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219192846/http://www.elhombrecito.com/|archive-date=December 19, 2014|access-date=February 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Frank Baez|url=https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/contributor/frank-baez|access-date=February 14, 2020|website=Words Without Borders|archive-date=February 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214042332/https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/contributor/frank-baez|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Junot Díaz]] (2008 [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction]] for his novel ''[[The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao]])''<ref>{{cite news|last=II|first=Louis Lucero|date=May 10, 2018|title=Junot Díaz Steps Down as Pulitzer Chairman Amid Review of Misconduct Allegations|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/10/books/junot-diaz-pulitzer-prize.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/10/books/junot-diaz-pulitzer-prize.html |archive-date=January 1, 2022 |url-access=limited|access-date=February 14, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref> lead Dominican literature in the 21st century.

===Music and dance===
{{Main|Music of the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Romeo Santos y Juan Luis Guerra.jpg|thumb|[[Merengue music|Merengue]], sung by [[Juan Luis Guerra]] (left), and [[Bachata (music)|bachata]], sung by [[Romeo Santos]] (right), are two very popular music genres native to the Dominican Republic.]]

Musically, the Dominican Republic is known for the [[Popular culture|world popular]] [[musical style]] and genre called [[Merengue music|merengue]],<ref name="Harvey2006"/>{{rp|376–7}} a type of lively, fast-paced rhythm and dance music consisting of a tempo of about 120 to 160 beats per minute (though it varies) based on musical elements like drums, brass, chorded instruments, and accordion, as well as some elements unique to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, such as the ''[[tambora (Dominican drum)|tambora]]'' and ''[[güira]]''.

Its [[Syncopation|syncopated beats]] use [[Latin percussion]], [[brass instruments]], bass, and piano or keyboard. Between 1937 and 1950 merengue music was promoted internationally by Dominican groups like Billo's Caracas Boys, Chapuseaux and Damiron "Los Reyes del Merengue", Joseito Mateo, and others. Radio, television, and international media popularized it further. Some well known merengue performers are [[Wilfrido Vargas]], [[Johnny Ventura]], singer-songwriter [[Los Hermanos Rosario]], [[Juan Luis Guerra]], [[Fernando Villalona]], [[Eddy Herrera]], [[Sergio Vargas]], [[Toño Rosario]], [[Milly Quezada]], and [[Chichí Peralta]].

[[File:Dominican Republic Dance.jpg|thumb|left|Dominicans dancing in parade with traditional dress]]
[[Bachata (music)|Bachata]], a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and rural marginal neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic, has become quite popular in recent years. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, the original name for the genre was ''amargue'' ("bitterness", or "bitter music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term ''bachata'' became popular. Bachata grew out of, and is still closely related to, the [[Pan-Latinism|pan-Latin]] American romantic style called ''[[bolero]]''. Over time, it has been influenced by merengue and by a variety of Latin American guitar styles.

[[Palo music|Palo]] is an [[Afro-Dominican (Dominican Republic)|Afro-Dominican]] sacred music that can be found throughout the island. The drum and human voice are the principal instruments. Palo is played at religious ceremonies—usually coinciding with saints' religious feast days—as well as for secular parties and special occasions. Its roots are in the [[Congo region]] of central-west Africa, but it is mixed with European influences in the melodies.<ref>[http://www.iasorecords.com/music/palo-drum-afro-dominican-tradition Palo Drum: Afro-Dominican Tradition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118114239/http://www.iasorecords.com/music/palo-drum-afro-dominican-tradition |date=January 18, 2015 }}. iasorecords.com</ref>

[[Salsa music]] has had a great deal of popularity in the country. During the late 1960s Dominican musicians like [[Johnny Pacheco]], creator of the [[Fania All Stars]], played a significant role in the development and popularization of the genre.

[[Dominican rock]] and [[Reggaeton]] are also popular. Many, if not the majority, of its performers are based in Santo Domingo and Santiago.

===Fashion===
The country boasts one of the ten most important design schools in the region, La Escuela de Diseño de Altos de Chavón, which is making the country a key player in the world of fashion and design. Noted fashion designer [[Oscar de la Renta]] was born in the Dominican Republic in 1932, and became a US citizen in 1971. By 1963, he had designs bearing his own label. After establishing himself in the US, de la Renta opened boutiques across the country.{{clarify|date=September 2017}}<!-- Which country—US or DR? --> His work blends French and Spaniard fashion with American styles.<ref>[http://www.wcax.com/story/7036793/fashion-oscar-de-la-renta-dominican-republic Fashion: Oscar de la Renta (Dominican Republic)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116205803/http://www.wcax.com/story/7036793/fashion-oscar-de-la-renta-dominican-republic |date=January 16, 2013 }} WCAX.com&nbsp;– Retrieved October 31, 2012.</ref><ref name="britannica de la renta">[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/764644/Oscar-de-la-Renta Oscar de la Renta]. [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]. Retrieved October 31, 2012.</ref> Although he settled in New York, de la Renta also marketed his work in Latin America, where it became very popular, and remained active in his native Dominican Republic, where his charitable activities and personal achievements earned him the Juan Pablo Duarte Order of Merit and the Order of Cristóbal Colón.<ref name="britannica de la renta"/> De la Renta died of complications from cancer on October 20, 2014.

===Cuisine===
{{More citations needed section|date=June 2020}}
{{Main|Dominican Republic cuisine}}
[[File:ChicharronMixto.JPG|thumb|Chicharrón mixto, a common dish in the country derived from Andalusia in southern Spain]]

Dominican cuisine is predominantly [[Spanish cuisine#Spanish regional variation|Spanish]], [[Taíno#Food and agriculture|Taíno]], and [[African cuisine|African]] in origin. The typical cuisine is similar to what can be found in other Latin American countries.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/visit-dominican-republic/caribbean-culture/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/visit-dominican-republic/caribbean-culture/ |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Caribbean culture in Dominican Republic|last=Booth|first=Joanna|date=July 5, 2017|newspaper=The Telegraph|access-date=September 14, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> One breakfast dish consists of eggs and ''[[Mangú (dish)|mangú]]'' (mashed, boiled plantain). Heartier versions of ''mangú'' are accompanied by deep-fried meat (Dominican salami, typically), cheese, or both. Lunch, generally the largest and most important meal of the day, usually consists of rice, meat, beans, and salad. "La Bandera" (literally "The Flag") is the most popular lunch dish; it consists of meat and red beans on white rice. ''[[Sancocho]]'' is a stew often made with seven varieties of meat. {{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}

Meals tend to favor meats and starches over dairy products and vegetables. Many dishes are made with ''[[sofrito]]'', which is a mix of local herbs used as a wet rub for meats and sautéed to bring out all of a dish's flavors. Throughout the south-central coast, [[bulgur]], or whole wheat, is a main ingredient in [[Tabbouleh|''quipes'' or ''tipili'']] (bulgur salad). Other favorite Dominican foods include ''[[chicharrón]]'', ''[[Cassava|yuca]]'', ''[[Tapioca|casabe]]'', ''[[Cuban pastry|pastelitos]]'' ([[empanada]]s), ''[[Sweet potato|batata]]'', [[Yam (vegetable)|''ñame'']], ''[[Pasteles|pasteles en hoja]]'', ''[[chimichurris]]'', and ''[[tostones]]''.

Some treats Dominicans enjoy are ''[[Rice pudding|arroz con leche]]'' (or ''arroz con dulce''), ''[[Bizcocho Dominicano|bizcocho dominicano]]'' ({{lit|Dominican cake}}), ''[[habichuelas con dulce]]'', [[Crème caramel|flan]], ''[[Snow cone|frío frío]]'' (snow cones), [[dulce de leche]], and ''caña'' ([[sugarcane]]). The beverages Dominicans enjoy are ''[[Morir Soñando]]'', [[rum]], beer, ''[[Mama Juana]]'',<ref>[http://www.republicadominicana.net/4-bebidas-tipicas-de-republica-dominicana/ "Bebidas típicas de República Dominicana"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073748/http://www.republicadominicana.net/4-bebidas-tipicas-de-republica-dominicana/ |date=March 4, 2016 }}. ''RepublicaDominicana.net'' (in Spanish).</ref> ''batidas'' (smoothie), ''jugos naturales'' (freshly squeezed fruit juices), ''[[Mauby|mabí]]'', coffee, and ''[[chaca (dessert)|chaca]]'' (also called ''maiz caqueao/casqueado'', ''maiz con dulce'' and ''maiz con leche''), the last item being found only in the southern provinces of the country such as San Juan.

In 2018 and 2019, Santo Domingo was named a Culinary Capital of the Caribbean by the Ibero-American Academy of Gastronomy.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Santo Domingo, Gastronomic Culture Capital of the Caribbean |url=https://dominicantoday.com/dr/tourism/2019/05/13/santo-domingo-gastronomic-culture-capital-of-the-caribbean/ |access-date=June 20, 2025 |website=DominicanToday |language=en}}</ref>

===Sports===
{{Main|Sport in the Dominican Republic}}
[[File:Albert Pujols4.jpg|thumb|upright|Dominican native and [[Major League Baseball]] player [[Albert Pujols]]]]

[[Baseball]] is by far the most popular sport in the Dominican Republic.<ref name="Harvey2006"/>{{rp|59}} The [[Dominican Professional Baseball League]] consists of six teams. Its season usually begins in October and ends in January. After the United States, the Dominican Republic has the second-highest number of [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) players. [[Ozzie Virgil Sr.]] became the first Dominican-born player in MLB on September 23, 1956. As of 2024, five Dominican-born players—[[Adrián Beltré]], [[Vladimir Guerrero]], [[Juan Marichal]], [[Pedro Martínez]], and [[David Ortiz]]—have been elected to the [[National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum|Baseball Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://baseballhall.org/node/1255 |title=Marichal, Juan |work= Baseball Hall of Fame|access-date=July 29, 2010}}</ref> Other notable baseball players born in the Dominican Republic are [[José Bautista]], [[Robinson Canó]], [[Rico Carty]], [[Bartolo Colón]], [[Nelson Cruz]], [[Edwin Encarnación]], [[Cristian Javier]], [[Ubaldo Jiménez]], [[Francisco Liriano]], [[Plácido Polanco]], [[Albert Pujols]], [[Hanley Ramírez]], [[Manny Ramírez]], [[José Reyes (infielder)|José Reyes]], [[Alfonso Soriano]], [[Sammy Sosa]], [[Juan Soto]], [[Fernando Tatís Jr.]], [[Miguel Tejada]], [[Framber Valdez]], and [[Elly De La Cruz]]. [[Felipe Alou]] has also enjoyed success as a manager<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sobreeldiamante.com/dominicana-busca-corona-en-clasico-mundial.html|title=Dominicana busca corona en el clásico mundial|trans-title=Dominicans looking for world classic crown|language=es|publisher=Sobre el Diamante|last=Puesan|first=Antonio|date=March 2, 2009|access-date=October 22, 2012|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116214549/http://www.sobreeldiamante.com/dominicana-busca-corona-en-clasico-mundial.html|archive-date=January 16, 2013}}</ref> and [[Omar Minaya]] as a general manager. In 2013, the Dominican team went undefeated ''en route'' to winning the [[World Baseball Classic]].

In [[boxing]], the country has produced scores of world-class fighters and several world champions,<ref>{{cite book |title=An Illustrated History of Boxing |last=Fleischer |first=Nat |author2=Sam Andre |author3=Don Rafael |pages=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedhisto0000flei/page/324 324, 362, 428] |publisher=Citadel Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8065-2201-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedhisto0000flei/page/324 }}</ref> such as [[Carlos Cruz (boxer)|Carlos Cruz]], his brother [[Leo Cruz|Leo]], [[Juan Guzman (boxer)|Juan Guzman]], and [[Joan Guzman]].

Basketball also enjoys a relatively high level of popularity. [[Tito Horford]], his son [[Al Horford|Al]], [[Felipe López (basketball)|Felipe Lopez]], and [[Francisco García (basketball)|Francisco Garcia]] are among the Dominican-born players currently or formerly in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA).

Olympic gold medalist and world champion hurdler [[Félix Sánchez (hurdler)|Félix Sánchez]] hails from the Dominican Republic, as do former [[National Football League|NFL]] [[defensive end]] [[Luis Castillo (American football)|Luis Castillo]] and 2020 World and European Cyclo-cross champion [[Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Shanahan |first=Tom |title=San Diego Hall of Champions&nbsp;– Sports at Lunch, Luis Castillo and Felix Sanchez |publisher=San Diego Hall of Champions |date=March 24, 2007 |url=http://www.sdhoc.com/main/articles/sportsatlunch/Sportsatlunch2007/Sanchezcastillo |access-date=May 29, 2007|url-status=usurped | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070505132520/http://www.sdhoc.com/main/articles/sportsatlunch/Sportsatlunch2007/Sanchezcastillo| archive-date = May 5, 2007}}</ref>

Other important sports are [[volleyball]], introduced in 1916 by U.S. Marines and controlled by the [[Dominican Volleyball Federation]], [[taekwondo]], in which [[Gabriel Mercedes]] won an Olympic silver medal in 2008, and [[judo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fedojudo.org/fedojudo/index.cfm|title=Fedujudo comparte con dirigentes provinciales|publisher=fedojudo.org|language=es|access-date=September 15, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206101315/http://www.fedojudo.org/fedojudo/index.cfm|archive-date=December 6, 2010}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Dominican Republic}}
* [[Dominican diaspora]]
* [[List of islands of the Dominican Republic]]
* [[Outline of the Dominican Republic]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
<references>
<ref name=LunaC>{{cite journal|last=Luna Calderón|first=Fernando|url=http://www.kacike.org/CalderonEspanol.pdf|title=ADN Mitocondrial Taíno en la República Dominicana|trans-title=Taíno Mitochondrial DNA in the Dominican Republic|language=es|date=December 2002|issn=1562-5028|issue=Special|journal=Kacike|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001151311/http://www.kacike.org/CalderonEspanol.pdf|archive-date=October 1, 2008}}</ref>

<ref name=Guitar>{{cite journal|format=PDF|last=Guitar|first=Lynne|url=https://archive.org/details/KacikeJournal|title=Documenting the Myth of Taíno Extinction|date=December 2012|journal=Kacike|issn=1562-5028|issue=Special|access-date=August 24, 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=Martinez>{{cite journal|last=Martínez Cruzado|first=Juan Carlos|url=https://consortia.si.edu/sites/default/files/MartinezCruzado2002_0.pdf|title=The Use of Mitochondrial DNA to Discover Pre-Columbian Migrations to the Caribbean: Results for Puerto Rico and Expectations for the Dominican Republic|journal=Kacike|date=December 2002|issn=1562-5028|issue=Special|access-date=August 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105173555/https://consortia.si.edu/sites/default/files/MartinezCruzado2002_0.pdf|archive-date=November 5, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<!--
<ref name=Matibag>{{cite book|last=Matibag|first=Eugenio|title=Haitian-Dominican Counterpoint: Nation, State, and Race on Hispaniola|year=2003|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-29432-8}}</ref>
-->

<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|author=Michael Winerip|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/09/us/why-harlem-drug-cops-don-t-discuss-race.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090929021337/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/09/us/why-harlem-drug-cops-don-t-discuss-race.html |archive-date=September 29, 2009 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Why Harlem Drug Cops Don't Discuss Race|date=July 9, 2000|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

<ref name=LD2009-06-05>{{cite web|url=http://listindiario.com/app/article.aspx?id=103567|title=Dice el 80,6 por ciento de los dominicanos tiene teléfonos|trans-title=80.6 percent of Dominicans have phones|language=es|date=June 5, 2009|publisher=listindiario.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116214535/http://listindiario.com/la-republica/2009/6/4/103567/Dice-el-806-por-ciento-de-los-dominicanos-tiene-telefonos|archive-date=January 16, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=DT2009-04-29>{{cite news |url=http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2009/4/29/31837/Dominican-Republic-north-south-power-grid-almost-finished-Correct |title=Dominican Republic north-south power grid almost finished (Correct) |newspaper=Dominican Today |date=April 29, 2009 |access-date=October 15, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015215308/http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2009/4/29/31837/Dominican-Republic-north-south-power-grid-almost-finished-Correct |archive-date=October 15, 2015}}</ref>

<ref name=DT2006-06-01>{{cite news|url=http://www2.dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2009/6/1/32173/Dominican-Government-hints-at-blackout-to-justify-electricity-hike|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603233719/http://www2.dominicantoday.com/dr/economy/2009/6/1/32173/Dominican-Government-hints-at-blackout-to-justify-electricity-hike|archive-date=June 3, 2009|newspaper=Dominican Today|title=Dominican Government hints at blackout to justify electricity hike|date=June 1, 2006}}</ref>

<ref name=LD2007-04-11>{{cite news|title=Los apagones toman fuerza en circuitos de barrios PRA|trans-title=Blackouts are intensifying in neighborhood power sectors|language=es|date=April 11, 2007|url=http://listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=9006|access-date=May 24, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927025602/http://listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=9006|archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref>

<ref name=LD2008-01-21>{{cite news|first=Doris|last=Pantaleón|title=El 22% de los nacimientos son de madres haitianas|trans-title=22% of births are to Haitian mothers|language=es|url=http://listin.com.do/la-republica/2008/1/20/45034/El-22-de-los-nacimientos-son-de-madres-haitianas|publisher=Listin Diario|date=January 20, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013090741/http://listin.com.do/la-republica/2008/1/20/45034/El-22-de-los-nacimientos-son-de-madres-haitianas|archive-date=October 13, 2010}}</ref>

<ref name=Wilderotter>{{cite web|author=James A. Wilderotter|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB222/family_jewels_wilderotter.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070627012435/http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB222/family_jewels_wilderotter.pdf |archive-date=June 27, 2007 |url-status=live|title=Memorandum for the File, "CIA Matters"|date=January 3, 1975|publisher=[[National Security Archive]]}}</ref>

<ref name="Harvey2006">{{cite book|last=Harvey|first=Sean|title=The Rough Guide to The Dominican Republic|publisher=Rough Guides|year=2006|isbn=978-1-84353-497-6|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetodo00sean}}</ref>
</references>

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |last=Clodfelter |first=Micheal |title=Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015 |publisher=McFarland |year=2017 |edition=4th}}
* {{cite book |last=Scheina |first=Robert L. |title=Latin America's Wars Volume I: The Age of the Caudillo, 1791–1899 |publisher=Potomac Books |year=2003}}
* {{cite book |last=Scheina |first=Robert L. |title=Latin America's Wars Volume II: The Age of the Professional Soldier, 1900–2001 |publisher=Potomac Books |year=2003b}}
* {{cite book |last=Musicant |first=Ivan |title=The Banana Wars: A History of United States Military Intervention in Latin America from the Spanish-American War to the Invasion of Panama |publisher=Macmillan Publishing Company |year=1990}}
* {{cite book |last=Gleijeses |first=Piero |title=The Dominican Crisis: The 1965 Constitutional Revolt and American Intervention |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press |year=1978}}

==Further reading==
*Goff, Frederick Richmond, Michael Locker, and North American Congress on Latin America. 1967. ''The Violence of Domination : U.S. Power and the Dominican Republic.'' New York: North American Congress on Latin America.
* Wiarda, Howard J., and Michael J. Kryzanek. ''The Dominican Republic: a Caribbean Crucible'', in series, ''Nations of Contemporary Latin America'', and also ''Westview Profiles''. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1982. {{ISBN|0-86531-333-4}} pbk.
* [[Jared Diamond]], ''[[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed]]'', [[Penguin Books]], 2005 and 2011 ({{ISBN|9780241958681}}). See chapter 11 entitled "One Island, Two People, Two Histories: The Dominican Republic and Haiti".

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Dominican Republic|voy=Dominican Republic}}
* {{in lang|es}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20121001085820/http://www.presidencia.gob.do/ Presidency of the Dominican Republic] (archived October 1, 2012)
* [http://www.dominicanrepublic.com/ Official country website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701020555/http://www.dominicanrepublic.com/ |date=July 1, 2018 }}

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