The Dominican Republic: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

The Dominican Republic is a country in the Caribbean that covers the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. Its capital is Santo Domingo, the oldest European-founded city still standing in the Americas, and about 11 million people live in the country. It is known for its beaches, mountains, merengue and bachata music, baseball players and historic colonial buildings.

On My Earth Toy you can visit the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor, the oldest cathedral in the Americas, and Fortaleza Ozama, a stone fortress from the early 1500s. Look for the Hispaniolan solenodon too, a rare shrew-like mammal with a venomous bite.

Geography and nature

The country has the highest and the lowest points in the Caribbean. Pico Duarte, in the Cordillera Central, rises to about 3,100 metres, while Lake Enriquillo, a salty lake in the southwest, lies more than 40 metres below sea level and is home to American crocodiles and rhinoceros iguanas. The coasts have long sandy beaches and coral reefs. Each winter, thousands of humpback whales come to Samaná Bay and nearby waters to mate and give birth.

People, languages and culture

Spanish is the official language. Dominicans have Spanish, African and Taíno roots. Music and dance are central to life: merengue and bachata, both born here, are recognised by UNESCO. Baseball is the national passion, and many top Major League players come from the country. A typical lunch, called 'la bandera' (the flag), is rice, red beans and meat. Carnival in February brings parades of colourful masks.

History in a nutshell

The Taíno people lived on the island when Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. Santo Domingo was founded in the 1490s and became Spain's first capital in the Americas. Later the island was divided between Spain and France, whose colony became Haiti. The Dominican Republic declared independence from Haiti on 27 February 1844. It went through periods of Spanish rule, US occupation and dictatorship before becoming a democracy.