Santiago de los Caballeros

Santiago de los Caballeros ("Saint James of the Knights"), often shortened to Santiago, is the second-largest city in the Dominican Republic and the fourth-largest city in the Caribbean by population. It is the capital of Santiago Province and the largest major metropolis in the Cibao region of the country. Santiago is the largest Caribbean city that is not a capital city, and the largest non-coastal metropolis in the Caribbean islands. It is approximately 155 km (96 mi) northwest of the capital, Santo Domingo, with an average altitude of 178 m (584 ft). The city has a population of 1,074,684 inhabitants (2022). Santiago's metropolitan area population composed by the municipalities of Santiago-Licey Al Medio-Baitoa-Tamboril-Puñal-Villa González is 1,261,852 as of 2022, making it the Dominican Republic's second-largest. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European settlement in the New World, the city is the "first Santiago of the Americas". Today it is one of the Dominican Republic's cultural, political, industrial and financial centers. Due to its location in the fertile Cibao Valley, it has a robust agricultural sector and is a leading exporter of rum, textiles, and cigars. Santiago is known as "La Ciudad Corazón" (the "Heartland City"). Santiago de los Caballeros was an important strategic city in the Dominican War of Independence. The city's name, Saint James of the Knights, refers to the Hidalgos de la Isabela, a group of knights who came from La Isabela city to stay in Santiago. Sometimes, the city is called Santiago de los 30 Caballeros (English: Saint James of the 30 Knights).