Dominican_Republic_update.qxd

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Dominican Republic

Geography of the Dominican Republic

Location: in the West Indies, covering the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, which is between Puerto Rico and Cuba in the Caribbean Sea Area: (about the size of New Hampshire and Vermont combined) total: 18,815 square miles (48,730 sq km) land: 18,680 square miles (48,380 sq km) water: 135 square miles (350 sq km)

seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lago Enriquillo—151 feet (46 meters) below sea level highest point: Pico Duarte—10,416 feet (3,175 meters) Natural hazards: hurricanes, floods

Borders: Haiti, 171 miles (275 km) Climate: tropical maritime; little

Source: Adapted from CIA World Factbook 2015.

most majestic mountain range in the West Indies. Its slopes feature thick pine forests. Between these two mountain ranges lies the Cibao Valley, the most fertile land in the Dominican Republic. The eastern part of the valley is known as the Vega Real, or Royal Meadow. Here coffee, one of the country’s main crops, is grown. The Vega Real also supports a wide variety of other crops, including tobacco, rice, corn, and bananas. Another coastal plain, broken up in the north by the low peaks of the Cordillera Oriental, makes up the eastern portion of the country. Most of the Dominican Republic’s sugarcane grows in this region, especially along the southern, or Caribbean, coast. The Caribbean coast is also the site of the nation’s capital, Santo Domingo.