Geography |
The Dominican Republic, located in the West Indies, occupies approximately the eastern two thirds of the Island of Hispaniola, while Haiti occupies the western part. A number of adjacent islands, among them Beata and Saona, are possessions of the Dominican Republic. The country covers a total area of 48 730 km2.
Any land with relatively good soil is devoted to agriculture and stock raising, which means that no forests are now found in the north and centre of the country. Forested regions are found in the west along the border with Haiti from the coast to the Cibao valley, and along part of the eastern coast, always on poor soil or where the climate is very dry or the terrain particularly rugged or inaccessible. Four regions can be distinguished: the Bahoruco mountains, the Neiba mountains, the central mountain chain, and the east.
Much of the Dominican Republic is mountainous. The principal mountain range, the Cordillera Central, runs from north-west to south-east through the centre of the country. Pico Duarte, which rises 3 175 m above sea level in the Cordillera Central, is the highest point in the West Indies. To the west of the Cordillera Central are arid lands. Mountain ranges in this region include the Sierra de Neiba and the Sierra de Bahoruco. Lake Enriquillo, the lowest point in the West Indies at 46 meters below sea level, lies between these mountains.
To the north of the Cordillera Central lies the Cibao Valley, an area of pine-covered slopes and a fertile plain called the Vega Real (Royal Plain), a productive agricultural area. The Cordillera Septentrional (Northerly Range) is in the far north.
The eastern end of the Dominican Republic is less mountainous and is mostly agricultural land.
Among the numerous streams of the Dominican Republic are the Yaque del Norte, Yuna, and Camú rivers in the north and the Yaque del Sur, Ozama, and Soco rivers in the south.
The Dominican Republic has a semitropical climate, moderated by the prevailing trade winds. Temperatures vary little and seldom go below 16° C or above 32° C in the lowlands. The highlands are considerably cooler. Annual precipitation averages about 1500, but up to 2 700 mm is received in the mountainous areas of the north and as little as 500 mm in the drier areas of the south-west. The wet season is from June to November. Tropical hurricanes occasionally occur.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.