The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Republic of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of only two Caribbean islands, along with Saint Martin, that are shared by two sovereign states. The Dominican Republic is the second-largest nation in the Antilles by area (after Cuba) at 48,671 square kilometers (18,792 sq mi), and third by population with approximately 10.5 million people (2020 est.), of whom approximately 3.3 million live in the metropolitan area of Santo Domingo, the capital city. The official language of the country is Spanish. Since 1996 the Dominican Republic has moved toward representative democracy. The Dominican Republic has the largest economy in the Caribbean and Central American region. Over the last 25 years, the Dominican Republic has had the fastest-growing economy in the Western Hemisphere. Recent growth has been driven by construction, manufacturing, tourism, and mining. The Dominican Republic is the most visited destination in the Caribbean.