Geography of the Dominican Republic Geography of the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic (Spanish: "República Dominicana") is a country in the West Indies that occupies the eastern five-eighths of Hispaniola. It has an area of 48,670 km², including offshore islands. The land border shared with Haiti, which occupies the western three-eighths of the island, is 376 km long. The maximum length, east to west, is 390 km from Punta de Agua to Las Lajas, on the border with Haiti. The maximum width, north to south, is 265 km from Cape Isabela to Cape Beata. The capital, Santo Domingo, is located on the south coast. The
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