Azua, Dominican Republic 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, Las Barias-La Estancia, Las Lomas, Los
Culture of the Dominican Republic route to winning the World Baseball Classic. In boxing, the Dominican Republic has produced scores of world-class fighters and several world champions. Basketball also enjoys a relatively high level of popularity. Al Horford, Felipe Lopez, and Francisco Garcia are among the Dominican-born players currently or formerly in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Olympic gold medalist and world champion hurdler Félix Sánchez hails from the Dominican Republic, as does NFL defensive end Luis Castillo. Other important sports include, Volleyball, which was introduced in 1916 by US Marines, is controlled by the Dominican Volleyball Federation. Other sports include taekwondo, in which Gabriel