The Dominican Republic is located on the Island of Hispaniola, which it shares with it's much smaller neighbor to the east - Haiti.  The country has an area of  48,442 square kilometers, or about 18,000 square miles which take up about 2/3 of the island. 

The Dominican Republic offers some of the most beautiful and diverse topography in the Caribbean. 

The Dominican Republic offers an estimated 1,000 miles of gorgeous beaches to the beach lover.  In addition, should you like the idea of year round tropical weather, but are not a beach fan, the Dominican Republic also offers a collection of four mountain ranges.  Pico Duarte is found here and is the tallest mountain peak in the Caribbean at 10,700 feet above sea level. Snow or frosts have been reported at the highest elevations of Pico Duarte, so beach attire is out if you are heading up that way.

Santo Domingo is the capital city, situated on the southern portion of the island.  Since the city is located directly on the coast, it is a major center of seaport activity. The population of the Dominican Republic has been estimated to be about 8 million, with slightly less than four million living in the capital city of Santo Domingo. Santiago is the second largest city, and is situated closer to the mountainous areas to the north.  While Santo Domingo is the nation's capital, Santigo truly is the capital of the tobacco and cigar industry. Cigar manufacturers, such as Leon Jimenez and many others, all have their operations in or near Santiago.

Like any Caribbean island, expect warm year round weather and tropical breezes.  The average temperature is 80 degress Fahrenheit or 25 degrees Celsius.  It does cool down slightly during November to January.  While the temperature and climate is constant, May to July and September to November does experience higher levels of rainfall than the other months.  The mountainous regions located in the northern part of the country can be somewhat cooler, especially in the late evening.

The country is ideally located close to Puerto Rico and the United States.  A plane flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico takes about 40 minutes and less than 3 hours from major American cities, such as New York.  A direct flight from Miami is the quickest, with about an 1 1/2 hour flying time.

Direct flights are also available to Canada with an average flying time of 5 hours and to cities in Europe with about 8 hours flying time.