Theme Week Dominican Republic – Santo Domingo

Tuesday, 26 November 2024 - 12:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  4 minutes

Calle Arzobispo Meriño © Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz/cc-by-sa-4.0

Calle Arzobispo Meriño © Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz/cc-by-sa-4.0

Santo Domingo (meaning “Saint Dominic” but verbatim “Holy Sunday”), once known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, known as Ciudad Trujillo between 1936 and 1961, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. As of 2022, the city and immediate surrounding area (the Distrito Nacional) had a population of 1,029,110 while the total population is 3,798,699 when including Greater Santo Domingo (the “metropolitan area“). The city is coterminous with the boundaries of the Distrito Nacional (“D.N.”, “National District”), itself bordered on three sides by Santo Domingo Province.

Founded by the Spanish in 1496, on the east bank of the Ozama River and then moved by Nicolás de Ovando in 1502 to the west bank of the river, the city is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas, and was the first seat of the Spanish colonial rule in the New World, the Captaincy General of Santo Domingo. It is the site of the first university, cathedral, castle, monastery, and fortress in the New World. The city’s Colonial Zone was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Santo Domingo was called Ciudad Trujillo, from 1936 to 1961, after the Dominican Republic’s dictator, Rafael Trujillo, named the capital after himself. Following his assassination, the city resumed its original designation.

Puerta del Conde © Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz/cc-by-sa-4.0 Catedral Primada (Basílica Menor de Santa María) © Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz/cc-by-sa-4.0 Santo Domingo Fortress (Fortaleza Ozama) © Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz/cc-by-sa-4.0 Calle Arzobispo Meriño © Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz/cc-by-sa-4.0 National Botanical Garden © AFI/cc-by-sa-3.0 Parque Colón © Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz/cc-by-sa-4.0
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Catedral Primada (Basílica Menor de Santa María) © Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz/cc-by-sa-4.0
The Ozama River flows 148 kilometers (92 miles) before emptying into the Caribbean Sea. Santo Domingo’s position on its banks was of great importance to the city’s economic development and the growth of trade during colonial times. The Ozama River is where the country’s busiest port is located.

Santo Domingo is the cultural, financial, political, commercial and industrial center of the Dominican Republic, with the vast majority of the country’s most important industries being located within the city. Santo Domingo also serves as the chief seaport of the country. The city’s harbor at the mouth of the Ozama River accommodates the largest vessels, and the port handles both heavy passenger and freight traffic.

Here you can find the complete Overview of all Theme Weeks.

Read more on Wikivoyage Santo Domingo and Wikipedia Santo Domingo. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.



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