Azua, Dominican Republic Jovillos, Sabana Yegua and Puerto Viejo. Azua, Dominican Republic Azua de Compostela, also known simply as Azua, is a municipality ("municipio") and capital of Azua Province in the Dominican Republic. It is located 100 kilometres west of the national capital, Santo Domingo. Founded in 1504, Azua is one of the oldest European settlements in the Americas. As of the Dominican Republic's 2012 census, the municipality had a total population of 128,264 inhabitants, of which 92,585 resided in urban areas and 35,679 in rural areas. It includes the municipal districts ("distritos municipal") of Barreras, Barro Arriba, Clavellina, Emma Balaguer Viuda Vallejo,
Crime in the Dominican Republic Crime in the Dominican Republic Crime in the Dominican Republic is investigated by the Dominican Republic National Police. In 2012, the Dominican Republic had a murder rate of 22.1 per 100,000 population. There were a total of 2,268 murders in the Dominican Republic in 2012. By 2017, the murder rate had significantly declined. There were 1,198 murders in 2017, a rate of 14.9 per 100,000. The Dominican Republic has become a trans-shipment point for Colombian drugs destined to Europe as well as the United States and Canada. Money laundering via the Dominican Republic is favored by Colombian drug cartels for