Capital: Santo Domingo

Population: 9,183,984 (July 2006 est.)

Languages: Spanish

Religions: Roman Catholic 95%

Currency: Dominican peso (DOP)

Timezone: GMT -4

The Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean sea. It shares the island of Hispaniola, one of the Greater Antilles, with the Republic of Haiti, occupying two thirds of the island's area.

Its geographic position is 68 degrees 19' and 73 degrees 31' West longitude and 17 degrees 36' 19 degrees 59' North latitude. Its limits are: to the north the Atlantic Ocean, to the south the Caribbean Sea, to the east th eMona Channel, that separates it from the island of Puerto Rico, and to the west is the Republic of Haiti.

The Dominican Republic's coastline has in addition the Banco de la Plata and the Banco de la Navidad, which is visited by humpback whales in winter and sea turtles which come to lay eggs during this season in front of the coasts of Samana.

The Dominican Republic occupies a surface of 48.511,44 square kilometres on the main island, and the area of keys and adjacent islands is of 159,38 square kilometres, giving a total area of 48,670.82 square kilometres. The largest distances are: East to West 388kms (Cabo Desengaño - Las Lajas) and of North to the South 264 km. (Cabo Beata - Cabo Isabela). The country has 1.576 km. of coastline and 488 km. of land border with the Republic of Haiti.

The adjacent islands to the Dominican Republic are: Saona, Beata, Alto Velo, Catalina, Catalinita, María and Cabras. The keys are the following ones: Raton and Caballo Blanco, near the Saona island; Siete Hermanos, Las Ballenas, Limon, Jackson and Cañas in the North; Agua Dulce, Puerto Viejo, Los Frailes and Paisaje in the southwest; and Limon Levantado, Buen Hombre, La Farola, Alcatraz, Ganas, Pascual and Crenas in the northeast, in the neighborhoods of the peninsula of Samana.

72% of the surface of the Dominican Republic is occupied by mountain ranges, among which stand out three great mountainous systems: The Central Mountain range, the greatest mountainous system of the country and with the highest peak of the whole Archipelago of the Antilles: Pico Duarte, with 3.175 m over the level of the sea. The Northern mountain range in the north separates the coastal plains of the Atlantic coast from the Cibao Valley, being the Peak Diego de Ocampo its greatest elevation.

In the East Region there is the Eastern Mountain range, that puts a limit to the coastal plains of the Caribbean.

Among the most important rivers of the country they are: the Camu, San Juan, Amines, Soco, Mao, Yaque of the North, Yaque of the South, Yuna, Artibonito, Ozama, Higuamo, Nizao and the Haina.

The Enriquillo lake is greatest of the Antilles, between the Mountain ranges of Neiba and Bahoruco, and at 42mts under the level of the constitutes one of the most important ecosystems of the island. Other lakes of importance in the country are: The Lagoon of Rincon or Cabral, The lagoon of Oviedo, and the Round lagoon and Lagoon of Limon in the province of El Seibo.