República Dominicana

Official Name: República Dominicana
Capitals: Santo Domingo
Population: 10,614,000 (2021 est.)
Size: 128th largest country in the world (48,671 km2)
• Christopher Columbus’ brother, Bartholomew, founded a settlement on the island and named it after the founder of the Dominican Order, Saint Dominic – “Santo Domingo”
• Santo Domingo is the oldest city in the Americas
• Is credited with creating and developing the Merengue style of music
• Dominicans commonly point by puckering their lips in the direction or person they are referring to
• Only country in the world to produce Larimar, a rare blue variety of silicate mineral pectolite
• Car horns have their own language
• The flag’s blue represents freedom, the white represents salvation, and the red is for the blood of heroes, and is the only flag in the world with a picture of the Bible on it.