Dominican Republic

Hispaniola is the second largest and most populated island in the Caribbean region. It is located within the Greater Antilles and is divided politically into two sovereign nations: the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Christopher Columbus founded La Isabella during his second voyage in 1493, and it was the first European town in America. It was intended to be Columbus's home in the New World and a base from which to establish Spanish presence and dominion in the West Indies.

This transboundary Biosphere Reserve includes the biodiverse reserves of La Selle in Haiti and Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic. These reserves include the La Visite National Park in Haiti and the Lago Enriquillo National Park in the Dominican Republic.

Lago Enriquillo is a hypersaline lake located in the southwestern region of the Dominican Republic. Lago Enriquillo and Isla Cabritos National Park comprise the lake and the island at its center. Las Caritas is a collection of Indian inscriptions in a rock formation.

Los Haitises National Park is a protected area on the remote northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. Featuring a spectacular landscape of conical hills, mangroves and coastal rock islets, it protects a diverse habitat of subtropical forests and coastal mangroves.

Pico Duarte is the highest peak on Hispaniola. A series of mountains, known in the Dominican Republic as the Cordillera Central, spans the central part of the island, from the Dominican coast into Haiti, where it is known as the Massif du Nord. José Armando Bermúdez National Park is located within the range.