Overview
The Dominican Republic is an island nation located in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the Greater Antilles. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island of Hispaniola, sharing a land border with Haiti to the west. This makes Hispaniola one of only two islands in the Caribbean divided between two sovereign nations, the other being Saint Martin. To the east, across the Mona Passage, the Dominican Republic shares a maritime border with the United States territory of Puerto Rico.
Covering approximately 48,671 square kilometers (18,792 square miles), the Dominican Republic is the second-largest country in the Antilles by land area, surpassed only by Cuba. It is also the second most populous country in the Caribbean, behind Haiti, with a population of roughly 11.4 million people as of 2024. The capital and largest city, Santo Domingo, anchors a metropolitan area home to about 3.6 million residents, making it the country's political, economic, and cultural center.
Geography
Situated in the North Atlantic Ocean within the Caribbean basin, the Dominican Republic's location gives it a varied coastline along both the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea. The shared island of Hispaniola places the country in close proximity to other Caribbean nations, with Cuba and Jamaica lying to the west and Puerto Rico just across the water to the east.
- Shares a land border exclusively with Haiti
- Maritime border with Puerto Rico (United States)
- Part of the Greater Antilles island chain
- Second-largest country in the Antilles by area, after Cuba
Population and Society
With an estimated population of 11.4 million in 2024, the Dominican Republic ranks as the second most populous country in the Caribbean region. A significant share of the population, roughly 3.6 million people, lives in the greater Santo Domingo metropolitan area, reflecting the strong pull of the capital as a hub for commerce, government, and culture.
Why Visit
As one of the larger and more populous nations in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic offers travelers a diverse blend of coastline, urban life, and cultural heritage. Its capital, Santo Domingo, is known for being one of the oldest continuously inhabited European settlements in the Americas, and the country's beaches, resorts, and natural landscapes make it a major destination within the Caribbean and North America more broadly.
- Extensive Caribbean and Atlantic coastlines