The capital of the Dominican Republic since 1844 is Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the largest city in the country, located in the south-east of the island of Haiti . His story was stormy and full of dramatic events, Santo Domingo de Guzmán (as its name in Spanish sounds) repeatedly passed from the hands of the French, Spanish, Haitians, Americans, changed statuses and names . The settlement was founded in August 1496 and then it was known as the New Isabella (La Nueva Isabela) . The current name of Mr. born in 1502 . Another re-name of the capital survived in 1936, when, thanks to dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, became known as Ciudad Trujillo . In 1961, the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic overthrew the president and returned the city to the former name .