The Dominican Republic is a Spanish-speaking representative democracy located on the eastern portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of the 20th century was brought to an end in 1996 when free and open elections ushered in a new government.
The capital is Santo Domingo.
From the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the U.S. Department of State website. Not Wikified.