The capital city of the Dominican Republic is called Santo de Guzmán Domingo. It lies in the Province of Distrito Nacional. It is the largest city in the Dominican Republic. It was founded in the late 15th century. Santo Domingo is situated at the mouth of River Ozama, on the Caribbean coast. A major hurricane had destroyed the city in 1502 before it was re-established in a different location of the Ozama River. Santo Domingo is surrounded by the Santo Domingo Greenbelt.
According to official census records, the population of the city was standing at 965,040 with 504,137 women and 460,903 men. Most of the people live in the metropolitan urban centers with very few people living in the interiors. The capital city was founded by Bartholomew Columbus, who named it La Nueva Isabela (The New Isabela). The name changed to Santo Guzmán Domingo at the start of the Spanish expeditions in the 16th century.
The city is visited by a significant number of tourists. The old city of Santo Domingo hosts the first cathedral in the Americas known as Cathedral Santa Maria. In 1990, the Zona Colonial was honored by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. There are also several museums within the city such as National Museum of History and Geography, Museum of the Casas Reales, of the Dominican Man, Museum of Duarte, Naval Museum of the Atarazanas, and Alcázar de Colón ("Diego Columbus' Palace"). Others include World of Amber Museum, National Museum of Natural History, Museum, and Modern Art Gallery. Additionally, there are parks and recreational areas within the city such as Columbus Park (Parque Colón), Independence Park (Parque Independencia), the National Zoo, Mirador Sur Park, and the National Botanical Garden.
The capital city enjoys reasonably warm weather with average temperatures at 25.7 degrees Celsius. The coldest months are between December and January while the warm months are July and August. The city has experienced a few hurricanes over the years that affected it is that it lies within the Caribbean. Hurricanes within the Caribbean regions occur from June to November.
This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018
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