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The country is the second-largest island in the Caribbean and shares two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Republic of Haiti to the West. It has a surface area of just under 50,000 square kilometers and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. What you may not know is that Santo Domingo is not just the capital of the Dominican Republic, it is also a world heritage site as its the oldest city in the New World having been discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
Situated in the heart of the Caribbean the official language of the island is Spanish but you will also find that English, German, French and Italian are fairly prolific in the tourist spots. In the more remote spots it will be handy to have a few Spanish phrases well rehearsed or a phrase book to hand.
The Dominican Republic has a amazing topography, with mountains, lush valleys and glorious beaches make up this diverse & photogenic land. There's three large mountain ranges running through the island, including the nearly two-mile high peak of Antilles. In fact, nearly half of the island is taken up by the large mountain ranges that run through it.
