Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic - Location, scenery and population

The Dominican Republic is located in the east of Central America, occupying the majority of the island of Hispania, which is part of the paradisiac islands of the Antilles, surrounded by the Caribbean sea. The Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean country with approximately 50,000 km² and the most inhabited with an estimated population of 9,500,000.

The interior of the country presents a rather mountainous scenery with numerous valleys. The highest peak of the archipelago is Duarte with more than 3,000 meters located in Santo Domingo. Close to the coast visitors will find plain extensions with paradisiacal beaches.

The climate is tropical with torrential rains in May, August and September. Because of its location it is often affected by floods and hurricanes. The annual temperature is around 25°C.

Today the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic are mainly European and African descent. The official language is Spanish, but a high number of the population speaks also English which is in part due to the immigration of North American people.