60 Interesting Facts About Dominican

Republic
By
Editorial Staff

Last updated on April 7th, 2018

The Dominican Republic is a country in the Caribbean that shares its land
boundary with Haiti on the west. With these interesting facts about the
Dominican Republic, let’s explore more about this Hispaniola island nation,
which was once ruled by its adjacent nation and had a turbulent time in the
past.

60 Interesting facts about the Dominican Republic

1. Before the formation of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, the island was
jointly named Hispaniola.

2. The Dominican Republic is the only country in the world to have an image
of the Holy Bible on its national flag.

3. It is also the second-largest island in the Caribbean. Wondering which

one is the largest? It is Cuba.

4. The country shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, making Hispaniola
the one island shared by two countries. The Dominican Republic occupies
the eastern five-eighths of the island of Hispaniola while the western
three-eighths of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti.

5. Street signs and restaurant menus are written in Spanish, which is the
country’s official language.

6. People of the country are very loyal to their families.

7. “Catedral de Santa Maria La Menor” in the Dominican Republic is believed

to be the oldest cathedral in the Americas. It dates back to 1540. The
cathedral can be visited in the capital city of the country – Santo Domingo.
 Catedral de Santa Maria la Menor.
Image credit – Reinhard Link
8. The island country saw difficult days of brutality, conspiracy, and downfall
during colonial times. It was affected by a poor economy and political
instability even after gaining independence. However, as of today, the
country is improving with the help of agriculture and tourism.

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9. February 27, 1844, is the official independence day of the D.R.

10. Sugar processing is one of the main industries in the country.

11. People of the island nation prefer living in joint families.

12. The Dominican Republic is a popular destination for weddings and

honeymoons.

13. The country is also known the world over for its golf courses that are
set along the breathtaking coast.

14. The people of the region are not punctual. Say, if you had a meeting
with someone at 8 pm, you could expect them to arrive by 8:45 or 9 pm.
Arriving late is a norm in D.R., so do not fret when you have to wait for
someone to arrive.

15. D.R. is also known for producing excellent rum. They are known as the
3 Bs,for Brugal, Barcelo, and Bermudez.

16. The northern west part of the island, the Bay of Samana,
sees humpback whales that visit the island every year between
December and March for mating.

17. Voting is not permitted to the members of the armed forces and the
national police.
 The Dominican Republic on the map
with bordering Haiti. (the eastern five-eighths – Dominican
Republic, the western three-eighths – Haiti)
18. Do not be surprised if you are handed a few chiclets in return when
you pay the bill and there is some change to be given to you. Businesses
generally hand over something of equal value to your change when the
situation demands.

19. Drinking during the day, at night and on Sundays is completely normal.
So, you can very much enjoy your drink at any time during your visit to the
country.

20. Honking your horn as loud as possible, in traffic jams, is considered

very normal. Though honking won’t clear the traffic, it will still keep you
busy during the trying times.

21. Coffee, sugar, and tobacco are the island’s main sources of income.
Tourism is also playing an important part in supporting the economy now.

22. Moreover, the capital of the country–Santo Domingo–is

the oldest city in the new world.

23. The country experiences warm and sunny conditions for most parts of
the year. For this reason, the climate of D.R. is also known as an “endless
summer.”

24. Coffee is their national drink, and baseball is their national sport.

25. “Dominican flag” is the name of their traditional dish. It is prepared

using chicken, beans, and rice.

26. They have a beer named “Presidente.”

27. “Merengue” is the name given to the Dominican Republic’s music. It

(Merengue) is a Spanish word for whipped egg whites in sugar.
28. The Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European
settlement in the Americas.

29. Christopher Columbus visited the island on December 5, 1492.

Actually, he founded the island (accidentally), naming it Hispaniola.

30. It is the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region,
and the tenth-largest economy in Latin America.

Caribbean Sunset, Bavaro. Image

credit – Joe deSousa
31. A large group of people from the Dominican Republic live in the U.S.,
sending billions of dollars in remittance to their families.

32. D.R. also served as headquarters for the pirates of the Caribbean
during the mid 17th century. Pirates recruited people here for raiding Spanish
treasure ships.

33. It is also the most visited destination in the Caribbean.

34. Before independence, the country was known as Santo Domingo.

35. The Colonial City of Santo Domingo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

36. The western third of the island was separated, and a new country—
Haiti—was born in 1804. The remaining island at that time was known as
Santo Domingo. Haiti ruled over Santo Domingo until 1844 when the
region became independent and was named the Dominican Republic.

37. In the area, the island nation is slightly more than twice the size of New
Hampshire. It shares a land boundary of 376 km with Haiti.

38. Pico Duarte, at 3,098 m, is the highest point in the country. SirRobert
H. Schomburgk was the first climber to the mountain, 1851.
39. More than 50% of the land of the island is used for agriculture, while
40% is covered by forests.

40. Severe storms are experienced in the country between June and
October.

41. The Dominican Republic is the oldest European settlement in the

Western Hemisphere.

42. The Dominican Republic is the only country in the world to produce
a rare bluevariety of the silicate mineral pectolite. Its color changes from
white, light-blue, green-blue to deep blue.

Lariman specimen – a rare blue variety of the

silicate mineral pectolite. Image credit – Wikipedia.org
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43. Police in the country are very polite and helpful to locals as well as
tourists. Do not be afraid to ask for help, when in need.

44. People of the country are very thankful and religious. You will often read
the statement, “God has blessed this business.” This signifies their belief
in religion.

45. Abortions are banned in the country, even in cases of rape and serious
health problems of pregnant women.

46. An estimated five million people visit the country annually. It ranks 6th
overall among the most popular tourist destinations in the Americas. The
country’s administration is expecting to reach 10 million annual visitors by
2023. Majority of the tourists come from the United States and Canada.
47. The Amber Museum in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic has an
amber stone with a prehistoric mosquito preserved inside of it.

48. The Dominican Republic is known as the “Breadbasket of the

Caribbean.”

49. D.R. has the second-largest number of Major League Baseball

players. It stands second only to the United States. They have produced
many world-famous baseball players.

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50. Juan Marichal is the only Dominican player who is a part of the Baseball
Hall of Fame.

51. On the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the island by Christopher

Columbus, a lighthouse—Faro a Colon—was erected in Santo Domingo.

52. The majority of women in the Dominican Republic have curly

hair. However, the women in the region like straight hair. Hence, they visit
salons to get the job done.

53. The Dominican Republic is also home to a threatened species of lizard

in the family of Iguanidae – the rhinoceros iguana. The lizard varies in length
from 60 to 136 centimetres while their skin color could be steely grey, dark
green or brown.

A male rhinoceros iguana, Pedernales Province,

Dominican Republic, 2007. Image credit – Wikipedia.org
54. Lake Enriquillo is the largest lake and the lowest elevation in the
Caribbean. It covers an area of 375 square km. It is the home of at
least 400 species of the American crocodile.
55. Legally, the drinking age in the country is 18. And it is illegal in the
country to kiss a woman in front of a police officer.

56. Did you know that Haiti, now the neighboring country of the Dominican
Republic, also ruled over the country for nearly 20 years?

57. Santo Domingo also had the privilege of being chosen as the cultural
capital of the Americas for 2010.

58. The Dominican Republic is Latin America’s ninth largest economy

followed by Guatemala, with Brazil leading at the top.

59. As per the UN (2014), an estimated 69,000 people living in the

Dominican Republic are affected by HIV and AIDS. And there are
almost 37 million people in the world that are affected by this deadly
condition.

60. The Dominican Restoration War led to the withdrawal of Spanish forces
from the country. The war was fought between 1863 and 1865.