3000 BC. first Siboney settlers arrive - 200 AC. The Taino (Arawak Indians) take over the island.

A self-supportive culture with agriculture and pottery is born - 11th.-15th. century Caribbeasn attack the 300000 Taino on the island - 1492 Columbus gives the island the name of La Espanola/Hispaniola and founded the provisionary settlement of La Navidad.

1493-1502 Return of Columbus, and the foundation of the settlement La Isabela. 1497 The brother of Columbus Bartolomeo founded La Nueva Isabella on the south coast (later to become Santo Domingo). 1502 Forced labor for the Indians was instated. - 1509 Slaves out of West-Afrika were imported and put to work in the goldmines - 1519-1533 desperate rebellion of the Taino Indians - 1533 peace between the Spanish and the last Taino Indians; a lot of gold diggers go to the continent and the island is being depopulated - 1586 Sir Fancis Drake plunders and puts fire to Santo Domingo - 1697 Treaty Rijswik: Hispaniola is being devided. The west (rich in sugarplantations and slavery) goes to France, the east stays with Spain and becomes poor.

1791 Rebellion of the slaves Saint Domingue, four years of war ; plantation owners escape to Cuba - 1795 the island becomes a french colony - 1804 Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares the independancy of the Republic Haiti - 1822 President Jean-Pierre Boyer occupies the eastern part - for a short time Hispaniola is reunited with Haiti - 1825 recognition of the independancy - the damage Haiti has to pay ruins its economy for decades to come - 27.2.1844 Members of the secret society "Trinitaria" occupy Santo Domingo and declare the independancy of the Dominican Republic. General Santana becomes the president - 1861-1878 The government looks for european protection against the  threat  of  Haiti. Spain overtakes  the colony;  resistance  of  the  population  and  war

 - 1865 Spain withdraws - 1870 US congres proposes to make the country a state - 1845-1953 Dominican Republic, 43 presidents control the rebellions and revolutions - 1916-1961. The USA occupies the island and creates a working infrastructure. Their favorite, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo becomes the Chief of police and in 1930 president - his corrupt clan is the richest family in the world; terror, torture of political opponents and the murder of 18000 haitian immigrants follow his nomination. 1961 Trujillo is shot; the new president is Joaquin Balaguer - 1962 first democratic elections - 1963 Putsch; dictatorship of the military junta - 1965 Civil war and the USA steps in; 1966 renewed dictatorship from J. Balaguer - 1996 the young social democrat Leonel Fernández Reyna is in charge- 1998 Hurricane George destroys the south of the country - 16.8.2000 change of government, the Partido Revolucionario Dominicana together with president Hipolito Mejia take over power.