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The most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic lies 970 km (600 miles) southeast of Florida. Once ruled by Spain, it occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola and boasts both the region's highest point (Pico Duarte, 3088 m – 10,131 ft) and its lowest (Lake Enriquillo, 44 m – 144 ft – below sea level). Spanish-speaking, it seeks closer ties with the anglophone West Indies.