Dominican RepublicRepública Dominicana
Dominican Republic
Flag of the Dominican Republic Coat of arms of the Dominican Republic
Flag Coat of arms
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Motto: Spanish: Dios, Patria, Libertad
(English: God, Fatherland, Liberty)
Anthem: Quisqueyanos valientes
Location of the Dominican Republic
Capital
(and largest city) Santo Domingo
18°30′N 69°59′W
Official languages Spanish
Government Republic
* President Leonel Fernández
Independence from Haiti
* Date 27 February 1844
Area
* Total 48, 442 km² (130st)
18, 810 sq mi
* Water (%) 1.6
Population
* July 2005 estimate 8, 895, 000 (87th)
* 2002 census 8, 562, 541
* Density 182/km² (58th)
474/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
* Total $67.410 billion (68th)
* Per capita $7, 611 (85th)
HDI (2006) 0.751 (medium) (94th)
Currency Peso (DOP)
Time zone (UTC-4)
Internet TLD .do
Calling code +1-809 and +1-829
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The Dominican Republic, (Spanish: República Dominicana, IPA [re'puβlika domini'kana]) is a country located on the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, bordering Haiti. Hispaniola is the second-largest of the Greater Antilles islands, and lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica.
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A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule lasted for much of the 20th century; the move towards representative democracy has improved vastly since the death of military dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1961.
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Dominicans sometimes refer to their country as Quisqueya, a name for Hispaniola used by indigenous Taíno people.
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The Dominican Republic is not to be confused with Dominica, another Caribbean country.