Diaspora · Greater Antilles · Hispaniola

Dominican Republic

Capital · Santo Domingo

Merengue and bachata, the oldest European city in the Americas, and an Afro-descendant majority whose identity is still argued over at home.

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo
The essentials

Dominican Republic at a glance

Capital
Santo Domingo
Region
Greater Antilles · Hispaniola
Currency
Dominican peso (DOP)
Languages
Spanish
Dialling code
+1 809
Status
Sovereign nation
The thread back

The African connection

Most Dominicans are of African descent, though census categories and a long official preference for 'indio' have obscured it. Gagá, palos drums and the Afro-Dominican brotherhoods of Villa Mella — UNESCO-listed — carry the inheritance plainly.

Plan around it

Key dates for Dominican Republic

The dates this community marks — independence, emancipation, and the festivals that fill a hall wherever its people have settled.

Feb 27Independence DayFrom Haiti, 1844
Aug 16Restoration DayFrom Spain, 1865
Jan 21Our Lady of Altagracia
One family

Diaspora meets diaspora

AfricAsia began with Africans in Asia. The same story runs through every entry in this section — people of African descent building a life a long way from where their ancestors started.

If you are from Dominican Republic and you are anywhere in Asia — studying, working, playing, passing through — there are people here who will know what you are asking before you finish the question.

Every Asian country →
Say hello

The Dominican Republic channel

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