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Christopher Columbus visits the island, which he names Hispaniola, or "Little Spain".
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Spaniards set up first Spanish colony in Western hemisphere at Santo Domingo, which subsequently serves as capital of all Spanish colonies in America.
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Treaty of Ryswick gives western part of Hispaniola island (Haiti) to France and eastern part (Santo Domingo - the present Dominican Republic) to Spain.
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The Dominican Republic is officially independent.
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Dominican Republic and US sign 50-year treaty according to which the US takes over the republic's customs department in return for buying its debts.
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Army massacres 19,000-20,000 Haitians living in areas of the Dominican Republic adjacent to Haiti.
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Two hurricanes leave more than 200,0000 people homeless and cause damage worth 1 billion dollars as the economy continues to deteriorate due to high fuel prices and low sugar prices.
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IMF-prescribed austerity measures, including price rises for basic foods and petrol, lead to widespread riots.
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Deadly clashes between police and protesters during demonstrations against high prices, power cuts. Two months later, demonstrations about economic policies leave at least five dead.
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Dominican Republic tightens border restrictions to prevent cholera spreading from Haiti.
