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 The chart and following text are from The Puerto Rico Guide and The Turks and Caicos Guide, both by Stephen J. Pavlidis

Located on the northern edge of the Caribbean Sea, the Dominican Republic (Republica Dominicana) occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, the second largest island of the Antilles.  Although it shares a border with Haiti, the two vastly different countries and cultures have little in common. While the inhabitants of Haiti have French and African cultural roots, the population of the Dominican Republic has a mixture of African, Amerindian, and Caucasian roots, and the culture and language is Hispanic.  Economically the Dominican Republic is far more developed than Haiti, with a much higher standard of living and quite free of the unrest that plagues Haiti.  The principal religion is Roman Catholic and the Church is very influential on several issues such as education, divorce, and birth control; but its overall influence has diminished over the years.

The Dominican Republic has three major metropolitan areas. Santo Domingo, with a population of over two million, is the capital and lies on the southern coast.  On the northern coast lies Puerto Plata, one of the Dominican Republic’s main tourist draws, with some 60,000 year-round residents. Santiago, located in the central highlands, is the country’s leading industrial center, with a population of over 250,000.  Sosúa, near Puerto Plata, and La Romana and Punta Cana, at the eastern end of the island, all have growing resort populations. The rest of the Dominican Republic's seven-million-plus population lives in or around a dozen or so smaller towns and villages.

The economy of the Dominican Republic is dominated by agriculture, with 56% of the country used for crops or pasture.  Small farmers produce staple foods such as plantains, beans, and sweet potatoes. Agricultural products account for two thirds of export earnings. The rest comes largely from minerals, like bauxite, nickel, and gold.  The Dominican Republic is among the top ten gold-producing countries of the world and has the largest single gold mine in the Western Hemisphere.  The income from the export of these metals is about equal to the amount spent on imported petroleum.  Most of the remaining imports are manufactured goods such as machinery, chemicals, and foodstuffs.  In recent years the government has made great efforts to improve the economy by stimulating the tourist industry and today more than 500,000 tourists visit the country each year to enjoy the climate and the beautiful beaches.  The Dominican Republic has a little bit of everything for everyone. Its main cities offer all kinds of attractions, from its breathtaking landscapes and pristine beaches, to its modern shopping malls and exciting nightlife. But by far, the most attractive feature of the Dominican Republic is the friendliness of its people.

Visitors will probably want to visit some of the better known historical sites in the Dominican Republic.  In Santo Domingo you can check out Columbus’ Castle (Alcazar), the St. Francis Monastery, the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, the Museum of Royal Houses, Columbus Square, the Ozama Fortress, El Faro a Colón (the Columbus Lighthouse), and the first street ever built in the new world, Calle Las Damas.  The Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) which dates back to 1538 is the oldest university in the Americas.  In Puerto Plata, Fort San Felipe bears witness to Nicolás de Ovando’s founding of that city in 1502.

There are 16 national parks, 9 natural monuments, and 7 reserves in the Dominican Republic, all under the control of the Dirección Nacional de Parques.  Among the most popular is Bermudez National Park at Duarte Peak.  A word of warning here; the strenuous hike up and down Duarte, the highest mountain in the Caribbean at 10,417 feet, takes at least two days.  Los Haitises National Park, located on the southern shore of Samaná Bay (Bahía de San Lorenzo), is a protected coastal region known for its mangrove swamps, its caves with Taino rock paintings, and strange rock formations called mogotes that emerge from the sea and are unmatched for their eerie beauty.  The National Park of the East, southeast of La Romana, is of great interest to those who want to explore prehistoric caves, some of which boast pre-Columbian petroglyphs.  Not far off its beautiful beaches lies Isla Saona, which has several excellent hiking trails.  The Reserva Antropológica de las Cuevas de Borbén was extended in 1996 to protect the El Pomier caves, in San Cristóbal, under threat from limestone quarrying.  The caves are of enormous archaeological value, with over 4,000 wall paintings and 5,000 rock drawings.  Cave #1 contains 590 pictograms, making it superior to any other cave painting site in the Caribbean.  Other places of interest are the Los Tres Ojos National Park, the Marine Mammals Sanctuary, the National Botanical Garden, and the Parque Zoológico Nacional.  The Reservas Científicas, the Scientific Reserves, include lakes, patches of forest and the Banco de la Plata, the enormous Silver Banks where hump-backed whales migrate from the Arctic every year to mate and give birth.  About 50 boats conduct trips to the Silver Banks out of Samaná.

Since the Dominican Republic is located just south of the Tropic of Cancer, the temperature varies little from season to season.  Average temperatures range from 80º-95º F during the day to the low 70’s at night.  Although the Dominican Republic is in the tropics, the trade winds, the surrounding ocean, and high elevations combine in some areas to produce a climate that is far from typical of the tropics.  In fact, frost is common on the highest peaks of the Cordillera Central.  In most areas, however, temperatures are moderately high and vary little from season to season.  Rainfall is normally greatest on the mountain slopes over which the easterly trade winds blow and decreases on the opposite slopes and in the major valleys.  Annual precipitation averages about 60 inches, but the mountainous areas receive considerably more moisture.  The rainy season is from June to November.

Baseball is a passion in the Dominican Republic; there are more baseball players from the Dominican Republic playing in the North American major leagues than from any other Caribbean nation.  Most major league clubs maintain small baseball camps in the Dominican Republic, and the Dominican Republic’s professional winter league draws many U.S. players. 

Divers will be happy to know that the waters surrounding the island of Hispaniola hold some 400 shipwrecks that have produced many valuable artifacts over the years.  The DR is great place for beginner divers as well as for serious underwater explorers.  Although the North coast near Puerto Plata and Sosua might prove disappointing for the experienced diver due to the extensive damage the reefs there have suffered, the southern shore and the eastern side of the island offers dive sites to satisfy the most demanding diver.  La Caleta Underwater Park is located just a short boat ride from Boca Chica and there divers will enjoy good viz and a fertile underwater life.  Divers may also visit the wreck of the Hickory, an old treasure hunting ship.  Catalina Island is a good spot for wall diving and large fish. The island of Saona is also a great spot for the larger marine creatures.  As tourism develops on the island, diving in the Dominican Republic might soon become very popular and the dive sites more crowded.