Santo Domingo, << SAHN toh doh MIHNG goh >> (pop. 965,040), is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic. The city’s full name is Santo Domingo de Guzmán. At the mouth of the Ozama River on the southern coast, Santo Domingo is an important seaport and airport. Its factories produce sugar products, textiles, and liquor. Resort hotels and beaches make it a popular tourist spot.
Santo Domingo is the oldest European-founded city in the Western Hemisphere. Bartholomew Columbus, a brother of Christopher Columbus, founded it in 1496 as Nueva Isabela. The Cathedral of Santo Domingo, completed about 1540, is the oldest church in the Caribbean. Some people believe that Santo Domingo’s Columbus Lighthouse, a memorial to Christopher Columbus, holds the explorer’s mortal remains.
A hurricane destroyed most of Santo Domingo in 1930. The city was rebuilt along modern lines, but many of its buildings are in the Spanish colonial style. An impressive example is the Alcázar, the rebuilt palace of Viceroy Diego Columbus, Christopher’s son. The city was called Ciudad Trujillo from 1936 to 1961, under dictator Rafael Trujillo. Since the 1960’s, many poor people from the countryside have moved to the city, and the city has faced problems of overcrowding. Its population has more than doubled since 1970.
