As one of the largest cities in the Dominican Republic, Santiago is very important to the country. It also has plenty of things to keep a tourist occupied, and should be your destination should you choose to visit beautiful Hispaniola.

Although it is officially called “Santiago de los Caballeros”, the native Dominicans just refer to it as “Santiago”. It was founded in 1495 with the first wave of Spanish settlement in the New World. Originally located elsewhere, the settlement was moved to its current location in 1506.

Located on hilly terrain, the city enjoys a tropical climate, with cool winters and warm summers with rarely any extreme temperature situations. The country does suffer from hurricanes from time to time, though, because of the location, and Santiago is vulnerable to this.

As a rapidly growing city, the economy of Santiago is important to the country as a whole. It is quickly becoming the major service provider for the rest of the Dominican Republic. Although there have been many major power outages slowing the city’s development, it keeps moving forward as time goes by.

In the present time, massive scale hotels and infrastructural systems are being put in place, like new roads and new rail lines. This make tourism in Santiago much easier, as getting around is becoming less of a hassle and the quality of lodging is increasing.

As far as things to do in Santiago, the nightlife and fine dining industries are booming because of increased tourism in the recent years. There are also plenty of museums detailing important parts of Dominican history and culture. Sports like baseball are very popular in Santiago, as in the rest of the country, and other outdoor sports are also pursued.

To learn more about traveling to Santiago, Domincan Republic, visit www.godominicanrepublic.com.