Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic (French: République Dominicaine, Spanish: República Dominicana; Kreyòl: Repiblik Dominikèn) is a country located on the eastern two-thirds of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola,  bordering Haiti. Hispaniola is the second-largest of the Greater Antilles islands in the Caribbean Sea, and lies west of Puerto Rico and east of Cuba and Jamaica. The shortform D.R. is also often used. The country gained independence from Haiti on February 27, 1844.

The family of the Haitian national hero, who led a revolt against an U.S. invasion, Charlemagne Masséna Péralte, emigrated to Haiti from the Dominican Republic. (Péralte is a French equivalent of the Spanish name Peralta.)

Note:In the past U.S. and British authors often referred to the French colony Saint-Domingue as St. Doming or San Domingo, which may then be confused which what is today the Dominican Republic, with it's capital Santo Domingo. Dominicanie is also used by Haitians to refer to the country to the east.

Independence from Haiti
The Dominican Republic gained it's independence from Haiti on February 27, 1844.

Border with Haiti
The Dominican Republic's border with Haiti, from the Atlantic coast to the Caribbean Sea, is 360 km (224 miles) long.

Relation of the Flag to that of Haiti
The flag of the Dominican Republic has its roots in the Haitian Flag of the early 19th century, a horizontal bicolor of blue over red. (Martucci)

Another Taíno (native) name for Hispaniola, still used in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, is Quisqueya (Kreyòl: Kiskeya) meaning: 'the cradle of life'. This name is preferred by many, since Hispaniola is the name given by the colonizers that nearly destroyed the native people and culture of the island.