The Dominican Republic is hot and tropical, with little seasonal variation in temperatures, which average about 77 F. Seasons can, however, be determined by rainfall, with October to April being the rainy season on the north coast, while May to November is the wettest month in the south of the country.

The official language in the Dominican Republic is Spanish. Most people involved in tourism understand and speak at least some English, if not other major tourism-related languages, such as German and French.

The Dominican Peso is the base currency of the Dominican Republic. Denoted by DOP, the currency is often seen as $ or RD$ for distinction from other pesos or dollars. The peso is divided into 100 centavos (cents) and is under a managed float regime.

http://www.dominican-republic.visahq.com

The population of the Dominican Republic was estimated at 8, 442, 533 in July 2000, an increase of 15 percent from the 1993 census figure of 7, 293, 390. In 2000, the birth rate was estimated at 25.15 per 1, 000, while the death rate stood at 4.72 per 1, 000.

Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzm n, is the capital and
largest city in the Dominican Republic.