Hermanas Mirabal Province

Hermanas Mirabal (known previously as Salcedo province) is a Dominican province, in the north-central part of the country. Its capital city is Salcedo.

It was created on 1952 with the name Province Salcedo. In November 2007, its name was changed to Hermanas Mirabal. It was a municipality of the Espaillat province before being elevated to the category of province.

Location
The Hermanas Mirabal province is bordered to the north and the west by the province of Espaillat, to the east by the Duarte province and to the south by La Vega.

Origin of name
Hermanas Mirabal ("Mirabal Sisters") were three sisters (Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal) that lived in Ojo de Agua, a small town in this province, and that were killed on 25 November 1960 by people of the dictator Rafael Trujillo. That day, 25 November, is now known as the International Day of Non Violence Against Women.

History
The province was created in 1952 with the name of Salcedo province, with the municipalities of Salcedo and Tenares, that were parts of the Espaillat province; Salcedo was named as capital of the province.

In 1959, Villa Tapia became a municipal district of the province but was made a municipality in 1968. Blanco was made a municipal district in 1968 and Jamao Afuera in 2003.

Population 
In  (last national census), there were  people living in the Hermanas Mirabal province, and 26,649 () living in towns and cities. The population density was  persons/km², one of the highest in the country

Its population represents  of the total population of the country and the province is ranked as the 24th (out of 31 plus the National District) more populated province.

, the total estimated propulation of the province is 92,353 inhabitants.

The largest city of the province is Salcedo, its head municipality or capital, with a population (in ) of 35,306 inhabitants.

Geography

The Hermanas Mirabal province has a total area of . It has   of the area of the Dominican Republic and it is ranked as the 31st (out of 31 plus the National District) largest province; only the Distrito Nacional is smaller.

There are two geographic regions in the province. The northern half of the province is in the southern side of the Cordillera Septentrional (Northern mountain range); the mountains here are not very high. The southern half is in the Cibao valley.

The altitude of Salcedo, provincial capital, is .

The only protected area in the province is the Reserva Científica La Salcedoa ("Scientific Reserve La Salcedoa"), created to protect the habitat of an endemic plant: the Salcedoa mirabaliarum. The area is in a karstic region and includes part of the Espaillat province.

Climate
The climate of the province is a tropical climate, hot most of the year.

Municipalities
There are 3 municipalities and 2 municipal districts (M.D.) in the province. The municipalities and its municipal districts (M.D.) are:

Economy
The main economic activity of the province is agriculture and the main products are plantain, cassava, coffee and cacao.

Related pages
 Provinces of the Dominican Republic
 Development regions of the Dominican Republic

References

Provinces of the Dominican Republic
1952 establishments in the Dominican Republic