History of the Dominican Republic History of the Dominican Republic The recorded history of the Dominican Republic began when the Genoa-born navigator Christopher Columbus, working for the Spanish Crown, happened upon a large island in the region of the western Atlantic Ocean that later came to be known as the Caribbean. It was inhabited by the Taíno, an Arawakan people, who variously called their island Ayiti, Bohio, or Quisqueya (Kiskeya). Columbus promptly claimed the island for the Spanish Crown, naming it La Isla Española ("the Spanish Island"), later Latinized to Hispaniola. What would become the Dominican Republic was the Spanish Captaincy General of Santo Domingo
Crime in the Dominican Republic During that time, abductors would contact family members and demand huge sums of money for the release of their loved ones. Most families paid the amount, and the victims were released unharmed. High crime areas in the capital include Arroyo Hondo, Naco, Gazcue, Cristo Rey and Villa Agricola.Pantoja 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