Provinces of the Dominican Republic Provinces of the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is divided into thirty–one "provincias" (provinces; singular "provincia"), while the national capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional ("National District"; "D.N." on the map below). The division of the country into provinces is laid down in the constitution (Title I, Section II, Article 5) and enacted by law. The latter is currently Law 5220 on the Territorial Division of the Dominican Republic ("Ley No. 5220 sobre División Territorial de la República Dominicana"), issued 1959 and frequently amended to create new provinces and lower-level administrative units. The provinces are the
Haitians in the Dominican Republic Haitians in the Dominican Republic Haitians in the Dominican Republic (Dominico-Haitians) are citizens of ethnic Haitian descent. They may be Dominican citizens, Haitian citizens or non-citizen immigrants. Since the early 20th century, Haitians have made up the largest immigrant population in the Dominican Republic. After the Dominican War of Independence ended, Haitian immigration to the Dominican Republic was focalized in the border area; this immigration was encouraged by the Haitian government and consisted of peasants who crossed the border to the Dominican Republic because of the land scarcity in Haiti; in 1874 the Haitian military occupied La Miel valley and