The Dominican Republic is a sovereign state located in the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that are shared by two sovereign states. The Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean nation by area (after Cuba) at 48,671 square kilometers (18,792 sq mi), and third by population with 10 million people, of which approximately three million live in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo, the capital city.

The Dominican Republic’s location on the island of Hispaniola is strategic. The country is situated near the center of the Caribbean Sea, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. It is also located on the Windward Passage, a major shipping route between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The Dominican Republic is bounded by Haiti to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the north, and the Caribbean Sea to the south. The nation’s capital, Santo Domingo, is located on the southeastern coast.

The Dominican Republic has several neighboring countries, including Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Puerto Rico. The country shares maritime borders with all of these nations, except for the Bahamas.