2. History ~ The Dominican Republic was explored by Columbus in 1492. ~ He named it La Espanola. ~ The capital, Santo Domingo, is the oldest European settlement in the Western Hemisphere.

3. Geography ~ Occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. ~ Its area equals that of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. ~ Duarte Peak, 10,417 ft, is the highest point in the West Indies.

4. Economy ~The Dominican Republic has the second largest economy in the Caribbean. ~ The Dominican Republic’s most important trading partner is the U.S. ~ Main industries are tourism, sugar processing, gold mining, textiles, cement and tobacco.

5. Government ~ The Dominican Republic government is divided into 3 branches like the U.S. ~ Executive ~ Legislative ~ Judicial ~ Senators are elected to a 4 year term and there are 30 states in the senate. ~ President is Leonel Fernandez.