24 Interesting Dominican Republic Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published February 6, 2024

The national sport of the Dominican Republic is baseball._[3]
The Dominican Republic is colloquially known as "the DR."_[5]
The Dominican Republic city of Santo Domingo is the oldest continuously inhabited, European-established city in the Americas._[3]
The indigenous name of the Dominican Republic is Quisqueya._[3]
The Dominican Republic is one of the top producers of cocoa in the world._[3]
The palmchat is the national bird of the Dominican Republic. The birds are only found on Hispaniola._[12]

Christopher Columbus explored and colonized the Dominican Republic

Christopher Columbus first landed on the Dominican Republic in 1492 and established the La Isabela settlement, which is the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Americas._[3]
The national dance of the Dominican Republic is the merengue. Known for its lively music, merengue is a combination of two dances, the African and French minuet adopted by enslaved Africans who wanted to mimic the "master's dance."_[13]
The Dominican Republic is the only country with a flag featuring a Bible._[11]
The Dominican Republic is the only country in the world where blue Larimar, a popular jewelry stone, is mined._[1]
Before Columbus arrived at the Dominican Republic, the island was home to over 500,000 indigenous peoples, predominately the Taino. When they died en masse from disease, the Europeans imported enslaved Africans to work._[5]
The name Dominican is from Santo Domingo de Guzman (St. Dominic), who is the patron saint of astronomers. He is also the founder of the Dominican Order._[3]
The highest peak in the Caribbean is the Dominican Republic's Duarte Peak, at 10, 417 feet (3,175 m)._[6]
The Mama Juana is a drink unique to the Dominican Republic. Made from bark and herbs, it is considered an aphrodisiac._[14]
The Dominican Republic has over 800 miles of coastline and 200 beaches. The island has more Blue Flag beaches than any other country in Latin America._[5]

The Dominican Republic has more direct flights from the U.S. than any other Caribbean Island. What are you waiting for?!?

The Dominican Republic is the most visited Caribbean Island. It is also a top-five tourist spot in North, Central, and South America._[2]
The Dominican Republic has the lowest point in the Caribbean. Lake Enriquillo sits 151 feet (46 meters) below sea level._[3]
Famous people from the Dominican Republic include Manny Ramirez, Sammy Sosa, Oscar de la Renta, and Dania Ramierez._[7]
Cabarete, Dominican Republic, is known as the kiteboarding capital of the world._[8]
Many Dominicans point with their lips rather than fingers when indicating direction._[4]
The Dominican Republic was the first place to import enslaved Africans to the New World._[3]

Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor in the Dominican Republic was the first Catholic cathedral in the New World

Built in 1550, the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor in the Dominican Republic is the first and oldest cathedral in the Americas. The church once held the remains of Christopher Columbus._[9]
The ethnicity of the DR is 73% mixed, 16% White, 10% Black, and 1% Asian/other._[5]
Dominican Republicans speak Dominicanese or Dominican Spanish. This is similar to Spanish, but it is spoken much more quickly and with slight vocabulary differences._[10]