Making up the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic has had a turbulent history from the first arrival of Europeans in 1492 through to the present day. Control of the country has changed hands a number of times, with Spain, France, Haiti and the United States all taking their turn (and sometimes more than once) at ruling the area. This representative democracy has seen an increase in political stability since 1961 following the death of military dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo.

Puerto Plata is a natural port that was discovered by Christopher Columbus in the 1490s, and is located in one of the Dominican Republic’s Northern provinces. The first fort in the New World, Fuerto di San Felipe, was built here in 1540, and the port was an important stop on the trade route between the Americas and Europe. Spanish traders moved south during the 1600s to Santo Domingo, Cuba and Puerto Rico, leaving Puerto Plata to pirates. Having become a haven for illicit activities, the city was destroyed by Spanish royal decree, but was rebuilt in the 1740s by Spanish immigrants from the Canary Islands. As the capital of the province, Puerto Plata is also the largest city in this part of the country.

Bahoruco, sometimes also spelt Baoruco, is a province in the centre of the Dominican Republic. It was created in 1943 after separation from the Barahona province, and originally included the ...

Bavaro is located in the Punta Cana region of the Dominican Republic. Essentially, a beach resort area, the landscape is