Dominican Republic

Where the name comes from

The country is named after its capital Santo Domingo, Spanish for “Saint Dominic”, meaning Dominic of Guzmán.

First people

Taíno communities lived here before Europeans arrived.¹

Known for

The Dominican Republic is known for merengue and bachata and for its many Major League Baseball players.²

Outside contact

Spanish settlement began in 1493, the first in the Americas; Spain gave the colony to France in 1795 and took it back in 1809.¹

The modern country

Haitian control began in 1822, and independence from Haiti was declared in 1844; after a brief return to Spanish rule, independence was restored in 1865. US troops occupied the country in 1916–1924 and 1965–1966.³