Population
9.2 million

Capital
Santo Domingo (second largest city is Santiago de los Caballeros)

Area
48,730 sq km/30,279 sq miles; 380km/235 miles long, 265km/165 miles wide at the extremes

Geography
The Dominican Republic is the second largest country in the Caribbean. It is divided into 6 regions - North Coast, South Central, Central, East Coast, North East Coast, & South West Coast with 31 provinces and one National District. Its terrain is mostly rugged highlands with towering peaks plunging down into lush valleys; the highest point is Pico Duarte - 3,175 metres. The country has 1,288 km of coastline of which 300 km is golden sandy beaches

Time difference
GMT -4 Hours

Language
Official language is Spanish; 1 million people are also fluent in Haitian Creole
Monetary unit Dominican Peso

Airport
There are 10 international airports in the Dominican Republic. Just 20 minutes from the Two Rivers Beach Resort is the Gregorio Luperon International Airport at Puerto Plata
Flight times 9.25 hours from London via Miami; 2 hours from Miami; 3.5 hours from New York. BA operates from London via Miami (American Airlines)

Climate
Tropical climate with little seasonal temperature variation averaging 28°c; average daily sunshine is 9 hours; seasonal rainfall between May and November

Location
The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island called Hispaniola; the remaining third of the island to the west is the Republic of Haiti. Hispaniola is the second largest of the Greater Antilles islands, and lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Government
Presidential Republic – President - Leonel Fernandez is both the chief of state and head of government

Economy
Economic reforms launched in late 1994 contributed to exchange rate stabilisation and reduced inflation. The president instituted austerity measures to rescue the country from economic crisis, and in the first half of 2006 the economy grew 11.7%

Tourism
In 2004, the Dominican Republic welcomed 3.5 million tourists (29% of the Caribbean total) who spent in excess of US$ 3.4 billion (5% more than in 2003). Tourism accounted for 24% of GDP. High season – December to April