The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries. Both by area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation with 18,704 sq. mi and an estimated 10 million people.
The Dominican Republic was reached by Christopher Columbus in 1492 and became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, namely Santo Domingo, the country's capital and Spain's first capital in the New World. In Santo Domingo stand, among other firsts in the Americas, the first university, cathedral, and castle.
The Dominican Republic has the second largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region. Though long known for sugar production, the economy is now dominated by services. The country also has "marked income inequality".
Music and sport are of the highest importance in Dominican culture, with merengue as the national dance and song and baseball the favorite sport. (Source Wikipedia)
