The Dominican Republic (/ˌdəˈmɪnɪkən/; Spanish: República Dominicana Spanish

pronunciation: [reˈpuβliˌka ðoˌminiˈkana]) is a country located in the island of

Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies
the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with the nation of
Haiti,[16][17] making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands, along with Saint
Martin, that are shared by two sovereign states. The Dominican Republic is the
second-largest Caribbean nation by area (after Cuba) at 48,671 square kilometers
(18,792 sq mi), and third by population with approximately 10 million people, of
which approximately three million live in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo,
the capital city.[18][19]

Christopher Columbus landed on the island on December 5, 1492, which the native
Taíno people had inhabited since the 7th century. The colony of Santo Domingo
became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, the
oldest continuously inhabited city, and the first seat of the Spanish colonial rule in
the New World. After more than three hundred years of Spanish rule the
Dominican people declared independence in November 1821. The leader of the
independence movement José Núñez de Cáceres, intended the Dominican nation to
unite with the country of Gran Colombia, but no longer under Spain's custody the
newly independent Dominicans were forcefully annexed by Haiti in February 1822.
Independence came 22 years later after victory in the Dominican War of
Independence in 1844. Over the next 72 years the Dominican Republic experienced
mostly internal conflicts and a brief return to colonial status before permanently
ousting Spanish rule during the Dominican War of Restoration of 1863–
1865.[20][21][22] A United States occupation lasted eight years between 1916 and
1924, and a subsequent calm and prosperous six-year period under Horacio Vásquez
was followed by the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo until 1961. A civil war
in 1965, the country's last, was ended by U.S. military occupation and was followed
by the authoritarian rule of Joaquín Balaguer (1966–1978 & 1986–1996), the rules
of Antonio Guzmán (1972–1978) & Salvador Jorge Blanco (1982–1986). Since 1996,
the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy[1] and has
been led by Leonel Fernández for most of the time since 1996. Danilo Medina, the
Dominican Republic's current president, succeeded Fernandez in 2012, winning
51% of the electoral vote over his opponent ex-president Hipólito Mejía.[23]

The Dominican Republic has the ninth-largest economy in Latin America and is the
largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region.[24][25] Over the
last two decades, the Dominican Republic has had one of the fastest-growing
economies in the Americas – with an average real GDP growth rate of 5.4% between
1992 and 2014.[26] GDP growth in 2014 and 2015 reached 7.3 and 7.0%,
respectively, the highest in the Western Hemisphere.[26] In the first half of 2016
the Dominican economy grew 7.4% continuing its trend of rapid economic
growth.[27] Recent growth has been driven by construction, manufacturing,
tourism, and mining. The country is the site of the second largest gold mine in the
world, the Pueblo Viejo mine.[28][29] Private consumption has been strong, as a
result of low inflation (under 1% on average in 2015), job creation, as well as a high
level of remittances.

The Dominican Republic is the most visited destination in the Caribbean. The year-
round golf courses are major attractions.[30] 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.[31] The island has an average temperature of 26 °C (78.8 °F) and great
climatic and biological diversity.[30] The country is also the site of the first
cathedral, castle, monastery, and fortress built in the Americas, located in Santo
Domingo's Colonial Zone, a World Heritage Site.[32][33] Music and sport are of
great importance in the Dominican culture, with Merengue and Bachata as the
national dance and music, and baseball as the favorite sport.[3]