Ciudad Colonial (Santo Domingo)

Ciudad Colonial
Historic district
Aerial view of Columbus Park in colonial district of Santo Domingo
Map of Santo Domingo, 1873
Ciudad Colonial
Coordinates: 18°29′N 69°55′W / 18.483°N 69.917°W / 18.483; -69.917
Country	Dominican Republic
Province	Distrito Nacional
City	Santo Domingo
Time zone	UTC-4
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Colonial City of Santo Domingo
Location	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Includes	Alcázar de Colón Puerta del Conde Fortaleza Ozama Monasterio de San Francisco Cathedral of Santa María la Menor
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iv), (vi)
Reference	526
Inscription	1990 (14th Session)
Area	106 ha (0.41 sq mi)

Ciudad Colonial (Spanish for "Colonial City") is the historic central neighborhood of the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the Americas. The area has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.^[1] It is also known as Zona Colonial (Colonial Zone) or more colloquially as "La Zona" (The Zone).

The Ciudad Colonial is located on the west bank of the Ozama River, which bisects the city. It covers 1.06 km² (0.41 sq mi) bounded by a walled perimeter. It is an important section of the city due to the high number of landmarks, including Alcázar de Colón, Fortaleza Ozama, Catedral de Santa María la Menor, and others. The area is the main tourist attraction of Santo Domingo, even though the main sites of governmental and commercial activity are now in the more modern parts of the city.