Dominican Republic: Introduction

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Great Antilles archipelago between the Caribbean region and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Haiti on the east and consists primarily of rugged mountains with fertile valleys. The government system is a democratic republic; the chief of state and head of government is the president. The Dominican Republic has a mixed economic system, which includes a variety of private freedoms combined with centralized economic planning and government regulation.