Official Name: República Dominicana (Dominican Republic)

Area: Caribbean

Size: 48,442 km² 

Coastline: 1,288 km

Independence: from Haiti 27 February, 1844 

Form of Govt.: Multiparty republic

Head of Govt.: President

Capital: Santo Domingo

Largest City: Santo Domingo

Demographics (2005): 9,183,984,    182 /km²

Mixed 73%, White 16%, Black 11%,

GDP per Capita (2005): $7,611

Languages: Spanish (official); Haitian Creole spoken by Haitians

Geography: The country can be divided into two main topographical regions. (1.) The highlands which consist of four parallel mountain ranges, the Cordillera Central which is a heavily wooded mountain range, the Cordillera Septentrional, the Sierra de Neiba and the Sierra de Baoruco. (2.) The lowlands which consist of long parallel valleys which lie in a northwest direction. The most extensive valley is the Cibao with another being the Neiba Valley while there are also other numerous small valleys each with its own drainage system. The largest lake on the island is Lake Enriquillo.

Climate: The Dominican Republic has a tropical maritime climate with trade winds moderating the heat. The wet or rainy season is from May to November in the south and from December to April in the north. Hurricanes can also occur between June and November. In general, rainfall is heaviest in the north and diminishes towards the south and west. Average annual precipitation varies between 1,390 mm and 1,520 mm. Average temperature ranges in Santo Domingo are from 19 to 29 degrees in January to 23 to 31 degrees in August.