1.
Santo Domingo is the largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population.
2.
Founded in 1496 by Bartholomew Columbus, the younger brother of Christopher Columbus, Santo Domingo is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas.
3.
Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo renamed Santo Domingo after himself in 1936. After his assassination in 1961, Ciudad Trujillo was renamed Santo Domingo.
4.
Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1990.
5.
The Colonial Zone’s grid patterned town plan became the model for other colonial towns in the Americas.
6.
The Río Ozama is home to the busiest port in the Dominican Republic.
7.
Dating back to 1502, Calle Las Damas is the New World’s oldest paved street.
8.
Calle del Conde is a pedestrian-only street that serves as the epicenter of Santo Domingo’s tourism industry.
9.
Completed in 1992, in time for the 500th anniversary of the Discovery of America, Santo Domingo’s Columbus Lighthouse is a museum, monument and mausoleum housing the remains of Christopher Columbus.
10.
Santo Domingo is one of Latin America’s most economically developed cities with more than three million residing within its metropolitan area.