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[[image:dominican_republic_map.jpg|right|thumb|180px|Political map of the Dominican Republic (2004).]] [[image:dominican_republic_flag.gif|right|thumb|180px|Flag of the 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, {{fn|1}}  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)

{{fnb|1}}  Another [[Taíno]] (native) name for Hispaniola, still used in the Dominican Republic and [[Haiti]], is <b>''Quisqueya''</b> ([[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.

==See also==
* [[Maps]] - includes maps of [[Quisqueya]].
* [[:Image:Hispaniola_topography_map.jpg|Hispaniola topography]] - Topography of the entire island.

==References==
* Martucci, Dave. (1999). quoted in ''Historical flags of the Dominican Republic''. [http://flagspot.net/flags/ FOTW - Flags Of The World] [Retrieved 05:40, February 7, 2006] [http://flagspot.net/flags/do_hist.html].

==External Links==
* [http://www.el-bohio.com/flag.html El Bohío Dominicano - Dominican Flag: History and Evolution] - Article on the history of the flag of the Dominican Republic.
* [http://www.presidencia.gov.do/ Presidencia de la Republica Dominicana] - Official page of the Dominican Republic Presidency
* Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic Dominican Republic]

[[Category:Places of the Haitian Revolution]]