The Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic República Dominicana  (Spanish)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Dios, Patria, Libertad" (Spanish) "God, Homeland, Freedom"
Anthem: Quisqueyanos Valientes Valiant Quisqueyans
Capital and largest city	Santo Domingo 19°00′N 70°40′W / 19.000°N 70.667°W / 19.000; -70.667
Official languages	Spanish
Ethnic groups (1960a)	72.9% Mixed 16.1% Whiteb 10.9% Black 0.1% Yellow
Demonym	Dominican
Government	Unitary presidential republic
• President	Danilo Medina
• Vice President	Margarita Cedeño de Fernández
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Independence
• from Spain (ephemeral)	December 1, 1821
• from Haiti (official)	February 27, 1844 (not recognized by Haiti until November 9, 1874)c
• from Spain (restoration)	August 16, 1863 (recognized on March 3, 1865)
• from the United States (occupation)	July 12, 1924
Area
• Total	48,442 km2 (18,704 sq mi) (128th)
• Water (%)	0.7
Population
• 2016 estimate	10,075,045 (88th)
• 2010 census	9,478,612
• Density	197/km2 (510.2/sq mi) (65th)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$174.180 billion (72nd)
• Per capita	$17,096 (76th)
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	$76.850 billion (67th)
• Per capita	$7,543 (74th)
Gini (2012)	47.1 high
HDI (2015)	0.722 high · 99th
Currency	Peso (DOP)
Time zone	Standard Time Caribbean (UTC  −4:00)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+1-809, +1-829, +1-849
ISO 3166 code	DO
Internet TLD	.do
Race was dropped from the census after 1960. Including Arabs as well. A covenant was signed between two commissions from both countries on July 26, 1867, but it did not enter into force because it was not approved by the Senate of Haiti.
Sources for area, capital, coat of arms, coordinates, flag, language, motto and names:  For an alternate area figure of 48,730 km2, calling code 809 and Internet TLD:

Coordinates: 19°00′N 70°40′W / 19.000°N 70.667°W / 19.000; -70.667

The Dominican Republic (Spanish: República Dominicana [reˈpuβlika ðominiˈkana]) is a sovereign state occupying the eastern five-eighths of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western three-eighths of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that are shared by two countries. The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation by area (after Cuba) at 48,445 square kilometers (18,705 sq mi), and 3rd by population with approximately 10 million people, of which approximately three million live in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo, the capital city.

Christopher Columbus landed on the Western part of Hispaniola, in what is now Haiti, on December 6, 1492. The island became the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New World. The Dominican people declared independence in November 1821 but were forcefully annexed by their more powerful neighbor Haiti in February 1822. After the 1844 victory in the Dominican War of Independence against Haitian rule the country fell again under Spanish colonial rule until the Dominican War of Restoration of 1865.