The Dominican Republic is a country located on the eastern side of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, which it shares with Haiti. The country has a rich and complex history that has shaped its culture, economy, and political landscape. The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean country after Cuba, with a population of over 10 million people. Santo Domingo, the country’s capital, is the largest city in the Dominican Republic and one of the oldest cities in the Americas. History The history of the Dominican Republic is long and complex, with influences from Spanish colonization, African slavery, and Haitian occupation. The Spanish colonized the country in the late 15th century, and the Dominican Republic remained a Spanish colony for over three centuries. During this time, the Spanish established a plantation-based economy, which relied heavily on the labor of enslaved Africans. This legacy of slavery and exploitation would continue to shape the Dominican Republic’s social and economic structures long after the end of Spanish rule. In the early 19th century, the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo declared independence from Spain. However, this independence was short-lived, as Haiti invaded and occupied the country for over 20 years. In 1844, a group of […]