The capital city of the Dominican Republic is Santo Domingo. It sits on the Caribbean coast of Hispaniola, the island shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Santo Domingo was founded in 1496 by Bartholomew Columbus and formally established on the island's southern coast in 1498. It is widely regarded as the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the Americas. The city's Colonial Zone preserves landmarks from the early Spanish period, including the Alcázar de Colón and the Catedral Primada de América.
The Dominican Republic occupies roughly the eastern two-thirds of Hispaniola, while Haiti occupies the western portion. A common mix-up is confusing Santo Domingo with Port-au-Prince, which is Haiti's capital. Santo Domingo is also the country's largest city and its main political, cultural, and economic center.