The Dominican Republic is a North American country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and a land border with Haiti to the west, occupying the eastern five-eighths of Hispaniola which, along with Saint Martin, is one of only two islands in the Caribbean shared by two sovereign states. In the Antilles, the country is the second-largest nation by area after Cuba at 48,671 square kilometers (18,792 sq mi) and second-largest by population after Haiti with approximately 11.4 million people in 2024, of whom 3.6 million reside in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo, the capital city.
Santo Domingo, once known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, known as Ciudad Trujillo between 1936 and 1961, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. As of 2022, the city and immediate surrounding area had a population of 1,029,110 while the total population is 3,798,699 when including Greater Santo Domingo. The city is coterminous with the boundaries of the Distrito Nacional, itself bordered on three sides by Santo Domingo Province.
The Distrito Nacional is a subdivision of the Dominican Republic enclosing the capital Santo Domingo. It is not in any of the provinces, but in practice, it acts as a province on its own. Before October 16, 2001, the Distrito Nacional was much larger, including what is now known as Santo Domingo Province. Published statistics and maps generally show the former, larger, Distrito Nacional. The Distrito Nacional has no rural or underdeveloped areas.
Teatro La Perla is a historic theater in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Inaugurated in 1864, it is the second oldest theater of its kind in Puerto Rico, but "the largest and most historic in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean." The theater was named La Perla in honor of the Virgin of Montserrat, known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean." It is located in barrio Tercero, in the Ponce Historic Zone.
Félix Sánchez Olympic Stadium is an open-air multi-purpose stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Opened in 1974 for the XII Central American & Caribbean Games and renovated 2003 Pan American Games is the largest stadium in the Dominican Republic used mostly for football and track and field and as a music venue. The stadium has a sporting events' capacity of 27,000 people, though it has seen crowds of 35,000. For concerts, its stated capacity is 50,000 people.
The National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic is the leading classical orchestra of the Dominican Republic; it was founded in 1941.
Edward Telleria is an artist from the Dominican Republic. He is known for his paintings of eyes, horses and roses.
Melliangee Pérez-Maldonado is a Puerto Rican lyric soprano singer of classical music and opera as well as other music genres.
Omar Franco, Dominican singer and composer, was born on June 11 in the town of Castañuelas, in the province of Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic. He spent most of his childhood, reaching adulthood, in the city of La Vega.
Luis Rodolfo Abinader Corona is a Dominican economist, businessman, and politician who has served as the 54th president of the Dominican Republic since 2020. He was the Modern Revolutionary Party candidate for President of the Dominican Republic in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 general elections.
José Rafael Abinader Wasaf was a politician, lawyer and writer from the Dominican Republic and Vice-President of the Dominican Revolutionary Party. He founded the Universidad Dominicana O&M, in which he was rector. Abinader as a businessman was president of Grupo Abicor, and at the time of his death he was worth US$600 million.
Sara María Ivonne Haza del Castillo was an operatic soprano from the Dominican Republic. In a career of more than 50 years, she appeared at the National Theatre, and also in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Cuba. She also worked as a voice teacher, director of the National Opera, and speech therapist. She received honours from her home country and Italy, and an honorary doctorate from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo
Rosa Carolina Mejía Gómez de Garrigó is a Dominican politician, economist, and businesswoman. She is the current mayor of Distrito Nacional, the first woman to assume the position.
Eduardo José Lorenzo Casasnova is a sports shooter who competed for the Dominican Republic in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal in the 2014 Pan American Championship in trap and the silver in trap team. He is also multimedalist in the Central American and Caribbean Games having won the gold medal in trap team in 2010 and 2014, silver in trap team in Trap Team and the 2014 trap competition and also the trap team bronze in 2002.
Sergia Elena de Séliman is a politician from the Dominican Republic. Since 19 November 2020 Séliman is a member of the Monetary Board of the Dominican Republic, the entity that oversees the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic and the Superintendency of Banks.
Miguel David Collado Morales is a Dominican businessman, communicator and politician. He was Deputy for the National District from 2010 to 2016, mayor of the National District from 2016 to 2020, and currently holds the position of Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic.
José Antonio Molina Miniño is a Dominican conductor, pianist and composer.
Raquel Patricia Arbaje Soneh is a Dominican businesswoman and children's literature writer. She has served as the First Lady of the Dominican Republic, since August 2020 as the wife of President, Luis Abinader.
Germana Quintana is a Venezuelan-born theatrical and television director and producer, a pioneer of independent and musical theater in the Dominican Republic, where she is known as la señora teatro. She is the founder of several theater groups in Spain and Latin America.
Roberto Álvarez Gil is a Dominican lawyer and diplomat. He became Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic, in the government of President Luis Abinader in August 16, 2020. He is also a researcher and author of publications on human rights and international relations. In 2005, he was Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the Organization of American States.
