21. Santo Domingo is not known for its beaches, despite its impressive setting along the Caribbean Sea. The organization Ciudad Alternativa estimates that approximately 200,000 people live in the neighborhoods along the banks of the Río Ozama. Several areas can not be reached by garbage trucks, causing many inhabitants to throw waste into the river. The river brings waste to the Caribbean Sea where its waves send it back to the city’s beaches.

22. Larimar is a usually light blue semi-precious stone that has only been found in the Dominican Republic. Throughout the city, there are several small factories and stores that create and sell jewelry featuring Larimar.

23. Built by the dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1944, the National Palace was used for the new year’s scene in The Godfather Part II where Michael confronts Fredo about his betrayal.

24. Expreso John F. Kennedy is a part of DR-1. Completed in 1922, DR-1 is the oldest highway in the Dominican Republic, connecting Santo Domingo with the country’s second city Santiago.

25. Central Santo Domingo is the business epicenter of the city. Rapidly urbanizing, it was mostly composed of low-rise buildings and family homes until the late 1990s.

26. Central Santo Domingo’s Agora Mall is billed as the country’s first eco-friendly mall. Completed in 2012, it features 180 shops, 26 restaurants and eateries, a movie cinema and an indoor amusement park called Screamland.

27. Home to more than 60,000 residents, Central Santo Domingo’s Ensanche Piantini district has the lowest poverty rate in the city.

28. Santo Domingo is home to 13 skyscrapers above 300 feet in height. Ranging in from 328 feet to 591 feet, all have been built since 2003.

29. Due to the establishment of industrial free trade zones, manufacturing employment in the Dominican Republic increased from 16,000 in 1980 to 180,000 by 1991. Today, 46.1% of goods exported from the Dominican Republic end up in the United States. Main exported products include sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, ferronickel and consumer goods.

30. La Plaza España is the main square of Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone. Many of the buildings surrounding it were once old warehouses and taverns that now feature restaurants, bars and nightlife.

Article and photographs by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com