The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries. Both by area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with 48,442 square kilometres (18,704 sq mi) and an estimated 10 million people.^[2][7]

The Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy,[1] and has been led by Leonel Fernández for most of the time after 1996.

The Dominican Republic has become the Caribbean's largest tourist destination; the country's year-round golf courses are among the top attractions.^[11] In this mountainous land is located the Caribbean's highest mountain, Pico Duarte, as is Lake Enriquillo, the Caribbean's largest lake and lowest elevation.^[15] Quisqueya, as Dominicans often call their country, has an average temperature of 26 °C (78.8 °F) and great biological diversity.^[11]

Music and sport are of the highest importance in Dominican culture, with merengue as the national dance and song and baseball the favorite sport.^[2]