7 Fun Facts about the Dominican Republic

1. In December 1492, Christopher Columbus landed

in the Dominican Republic!

After two brief stops at Waitling Island (British Bahamas) and Cuba, in December 1942 Christopher Columbus and his crew landed on an island that he named “La Isla Española”, (“The Spanish Island” in English), which was eventually anglicized to “Hispaniola”.

After two years of traveling, the brother of Christopher, Bartholomew Columbus, founded the first permanent settlement in the Americas here on Hispaniola island and named it “La Nueva Isabela” (the new Isabel), after the Queen of Spain Isabella I.

Just a year later in 1945, the same settlement was then renamed as “Santo Domingo”, in honor of Saint Dominic, and that is how the capital of the Dominican Republic was born.

Walking through the city today, you might have the chance to still visit the first cathedral, university, and hospital built in the new world.

The Faro a Colón in Santo Domingo is a massive cross-shaped structure built to honor Christopher Columbus. It supposedly houses his remains (although still some experts disagree), and is also a museum and cultural center.

As of today, Haiti now occupies the western third of the Hispaniola island, and the remaining eastern two-thirds of the island make up the Dominican Republic: the two countries are a result of Spanish and French dominions over two territories within the same island.

2. Merengue and Bachata

were both born in the Dominican Republic! 

3. Dominican Roads are a Jungle,

and Taxis are awfully expensive!

Moving around the Dominican Republic is not like everywhere else.  

The roads here are surely quite good, at least within large cities and main resort areas.

In construction zones, unexpected potholes can appear due to heavy truck traffic (so puddles can be deep!), but that is fine too.

What I believe to be truly surprising about the Dominican roads though, is the kind of vehicles (and beasts!) you might encounter your way: modern cars, 60’s cars, carriages with horses, scooters with a family of 5 on top, donkeys, cows wandering around, buses stopping at every corner…

I would call it an “organized jungle”, because in the mess, still, everything seems to find its logic and surprisingly work out well! Of course, the further you move from cities, the slower and more rural the traffic gets.

Driving here isn’t exactly easy, but if you can drive, it is a memorable experience I would surely recommend it to everyone!

Self-driving around the island is also the best option to save money on transportation costs, as renting for example a tiny Kia Picanto (a very common car on the island), only consumes about 5 liters of gas (just over 1 gallon) per 100 kilometers, making it practically free (1.20Euro/liter in 2024).

On the other side, taxis are awfully expensive: a 15-minute trip from the airport to a hotel could cost up to 40$ – which is almost the daily rental price of a car or a night in a hotel).

For car rentals, we can highly recommend Vroom.Do, a local car rental in Punta Cana, which offers great prices (also insurance that is a must-have in DR!), superior customer service (they gave us so many tips to get around safely!), and a selection of cars (from cheap Kia Picantos to SUV to climb the steepest and remote countryside areas).

4. Cigars and Rum are as popular

in the Dominican Republic, as they are in Cuba!

The Dominican Republic is known for producing some of the finest rum in the world and it’s a global hub for the production of sigars.

Like otherCaribbeann countries such as Cuba and Barbados, also the Dominican Republic has a long-standing history of rum production, which dates back to the 16th century when sugarcane was introduced to the island by the Spanish colonizers.

Early rum production was tied to the sugar trade, with distilleries emerging around sugar mills. The process evolved over centuries, and by the 19th century, rum became a significant part of the country’s economy and culture.

As of today, the most renowned Rum Brands from the DR are the Brugal (founded in 1888, it’s possible to visit the facility in Puerto Plata), the Ron Barcelò, and the Ron Bermúdez. 

Moving now to the Dominican passion for Cigars, it is a love that grew rapidly in the 1960s when following the Cuban revolution, many Cuban cigar makers migrated to the Dominican Republic, bringing their expertise in cigar manufacturing to the country.

This influx of skilled artisans helped establish the country as a leader in the global cigar industry, and develop what is now one of the national prides.

The Dominican Republic’s cigar industry focuses on premium handmade cigars, made with the finest tobacco leaves grown in regions like La Vega, Cibao Valley, and Santiago.

Dominicans’ cigars are known for their smoothness and flavorful profile, attracting cigar aficionados from around the world. The most famous are the Arturo Fuente, the Montecristo, the Davidoff, and La Aurora cigars.

Extra fun fact: the Dominican Republic is the largest exporter of cigars in the world, producing around 300 million cigars annually!!

5. The Dominican Republic is home two Unique Gems:

the Blue Amber, and the Larimar 

If you like jewelry and blue is your favorite color, you will love the Dominican Republic!

The Dominican Republic is home to two of the rarest blue gems on Earth: the Larimar and the Blue Amber.

On one side, Larimar is a gemstone unique only to the Dominican Republic.

Also nicknamed “the dolphin stone“, it is a rare bright-blue gemstone, discovered in 1916 and which started to be commercially mined only recently, in the 70’s. The color ranges from sky blue to deep ocean blue, and it’s believed to have formed thanks to the ancient volcanic activity on the island combined with the warm climate of the island.

On the other side, blue amber is a highly prized, unusual, and extremely rare variant of amber that glows blue in the dark. 

While ttheamber is not exclusive to the Dominican Republic (it is mined also in Indonesia and Mexico), the country produces over 90% of the global supply of this rare gemstone.

Like all amber, blue amber is the result of a fossilization of tree resin through millions of years. 

To give you an idea about how precious those Dominican gemstones are, know that Larimar is nowadays priced around 10-20$ per gram, while the Blue Amber could be between 5-60$ (depending on the level of purity, which can change drastically from ore to ore).

6. Dominican Republic LOVES Baseball,

and it gave birth to some of the Greatest players in History!

Most Latin countries love football…but here we are in the Caribbean and we could say that baseball (or “pelota” as locals call it) here is the national pastime of the Dominican Republic, with deep roots dating back to the 1860s when it was introduced by American sailors.

The Dominican Winter League (LIDOM), running from October to January, is today one of the top professional baseball leagues in the world and it offers an incredible experience to attend for tourists visiting the country too! Baseball games on the island are loud and lively, with music, cheering, and festive energy: in two words – so Dominican! 😉

Today, the Dominican Republic consistently produces a large percentage of Major League Baseball (MLB) talent, with over 100 Dominican players on MLB rosters annually, and while driving around the country and seeing many children playing baseball with bbroomsticksaround the streets, it’s no wonder why 🙂

Baseball is a deeply ingrained part of Dominican culture and it is more than just a sport – it’s a passion that unites communities, reflects national pride, and serves as a major source of international recognition.

7. From January to March, the Dominican Republic is

one of the best places in the world to spot humpback whales!

Fan of sea life? Get ready for some epic lifetime experiences! 🙂

From January to March, the Dominican Republic becomes indeed the best place in the world to see humpback whales, which usually come to stay, mate, and give birth around the bay of the Samaná Peninsula, attracted by its warmer waters.

The number of whales crossing the Dominican waters is estimated to be in the thousands every year, and Samana Bay is a UNESCO-protected sanctuary, as well as the largest breeding and calving area in the Caribbean

Of course, humpback whales are not the only cetaceans you could spot on the Dominican waters: dolphins, sea turtles, yellowfin fish, and sword-fishes are just t few of the other species you could witness while joining a whale-watching tour in the area!

One of the best places to stop if you’re visiting the country by car, is surely the famous Montaña Redonda, offering breathtaking views of the bay (it’s also one of the most popular Instagram spots in the country! 😉 ).

Conclusion

And here we come at the end of this article 🙂

In this article, we’ve seen our 7 curiosities and fun facts about the Dominican Republic, its geography, its nature and its rich cultural heritage.

I hope that you found it interesting, that you learned something new, and to have given you a new perspective of this marvelous country 🙂

Before going, I would like to ask you:

• What do you think about the article?
• Have you had the chance to travel to Valencia?
• How was your experience?

Let us know in the comments below! (we always love to exchange couple of words with fellow travelers! :))

Hereafter I will leave you a few articles that you might also be interested in checking out:

•  Blog: Travel Curiosities, Fun Facts and Travel Tips
• Destinations of the World: Discover More Cool Destinations!
• Travel Italy: All you Need to Discover the Bel Paese!

Thank you for reading, and see you in the next article!