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The Distrito Nacional is a subdivision of the Dominican Republic enclosing the capital Santo Domingo, which therefore is not in any one of the provinces. Before October 16, 2001, the Distrito Nacional was much larger, including what is now (confusingly) known as Santo Domingo Province. Published statistics and maps generally show the old, larger, Distrito Nacional.
The Distrito Nacional is represented in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies on the same scale as a Province (one Senator, and one Deputy per 50,000 inhabitants). Its local government is the same as the provincial municipios, without the equivalent of a provincial tier of government.