Geography of the Dominican Republic

|colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: larger;"|**Geography of the Dominican Republic**||
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|**Continent**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|Americas|
|**Region**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|Caribbean|
|**Coordinates**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|18°52' N 70°29' W|
|**Area**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|Ranked 127 48,671 km²|
|**Coastline**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|1,288 km|
|**Borders**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|388 km|
|**Highest point**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|Pico Duarte 3,098 m|
|**Lowest point**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|Lake Enriquillo -46 m|
|**Longest river**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|Yaque del Norte|
|**Largest lake**|style="padding-right: 1em;"|Lake Enriquillo|

The **Dominican Republic** (Spanish: _República Dominicana_) is a country in the Caribbean. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of Hispaniola; Haiti occupies the western three-eighths of the island. The land border between these two countries is 388 km long.

The country has a total area of 48,671 km²; the part on the Hispaniola has an area of 48,215 km² and the small Dominican islands have an area of 159 km². The maximum length, east to west, is 390 km from Punta de Agua to Las Lajas, on the border with Haiti. The maximum width, north to south, is 265 km from Cape Isabela to Cape Beata.

The limits of the country are Haiti to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. Puerto Rico is to the southeast separated by the Mona Channel, of about 130 km wide. The capital, Santo Domingo, is located on the south coast.

## Climate

The country has a tropical climate but modified by elevation and the _trade winds_ (winds that come from the northeast, from the Atlantic Ocean), which blow from the Atlantic all year long. The average yearly temperature is 25 °C with small changes from one season to another; the average temperatures change from one region to another, from 21 °C in the centre of the Cordillera Central to as high as 28 °C on the coastal plains. Temperatures very few times get above 32 °C; temperatures get below 0 °C only in the highest mountains in winter. The average temperature in Santo Domingo in January is 25 °C and 30 °C in July.

The rain season is from May to November. The average yearly rainfall is 1,346 mm, with extremes of 2,500 mm or more in the northeastern mountains and 500 mm in the southwestern valleys. The western valleys, along the Haitian border, remain relatively dry, with less than 760 mm of annual precipitation. The northwestern and southeastern extremes of the country are also very dry.

From June to November (mainly from August to October), tropical storms and hurricanes are frequent and can do much damage in the country.

## Islands

There are several smaller islands and cays that are part of the Dominican Republic. The largest islands are:
1. **Saona**, close to the southeastern coast of the Hispaniola, in the Caribbean Sea. It has an area of 117 km². Its Taíno name was _Iai_  or _Adamanay_. Columbus named this island as Savona after the Italian city of the same name but the use during years has eliminated the letter _v_.
1. **Beata**, in the southern coast of the Hispaniola, in the Caribbean Sea. It has an area of 27 km². Nobody knows its Taíno name. Columbus named this island as _Madama Beata_.
1. **Catalina**, very close to the southeastern coast of the Hispaniola, in the Caribbean Sea. It has an area of 9.6 km². Its Taíno name was _Iabanea_ but some writers, including poets, say that it was called _Toeya_ or _Toella_. It was discovered by Columbus who named it as **Santa Catalina**.

Some of the cays are _Cayos Siete Hermanos_ (in English, "Seven Brothers Cays"), close to the northwestern coast, and the cays of Samaná Bay.

## Mountains and Valleys

The Dominican Republic is a country with many mountains; the highest peaks of the Caribbean are found here. The chains of mountains show a direction northwest-southeast and they are separated by valleys with the same general direction.

From north to south, the mountain ranges and valleys are:
- _Cordillera Septentrional_ (in English, "Northern Range"). It runs parallel to the north coast, with extensions to the northwest, the Tortuga Island north of Haiti, and to the southeast, the Samaná Peninsula (with its _Sierra de Samaná_). Its highest mountain is Diego de Ocampo, close to the city of Santiago, with 1,249 m. There are several small plains between this range and the Atlantic Ocean. Rivers are short and most of them flow to the north.
- The _Cibao Valley_ is the largest and most important valley of the country. This long valley goes from Northern Haiti, where is called _Plaine du Nord_, to Samaná Bay. It can be divided in two parts: the northwestern part is the _Yaque del Norte Valley_ (or _Línea Noroeste_) and the eastern _Yuna Valley_ (or _Vega Real_, English: _Royal Valley_). The _Vega Real_ has the best soils of the country; the population density is high.
- The _Cordillera Central_ (in English, "Central Range") is also called _Sierra del Cibao_ and in Haiti as the _Massif du Nord_ ("Northern Massif"). With its high mountains, it divides the country in two halves. The highest mountains of the West Indies are in this range: Pico Duarte, 3,098 m, and others above 3,000 m. Near the center of the island, this range turns southward and is called _Sierra de Ocoa_, ending near the city of Azua de Compostela, on the Caribbean coast. Another branch, _Cordillera Oriental_ (in English, "Eastern Range") or _Sierra del Seibo_ is separated from the main chain by the region known as _Los Haitises_; it has a west-east direction and is located south of Samaná Bay.

- The _San Juan Valley_ and _Plain of Azua_ are big valleys south of the _Cordillera Central_ with altitude from 0 to 600 m.
- The _Sierra de Neiba_; Mount Neiba is the highest mountain here with 2,279 m. An extension to the southeast of _Sierra de Neiba_ is the _Sierra Martín García_ (_Loma Busú_, 1,350 m).
- The _Hoya de Enriquillo_ or _Neiba Valley_ is a remarkable valley, with a west-east direction, of low altitude (on average 50 m with some points below sea level) and with a great salt lake: the _Enriquillo Lake_.
- The _Sierra de Bahoruco_, called _Massif de la Selle_ in Haiti. This southern group of mountains have a geology very different to the rest of the island.
- _Llano Costero del Caribe_ (in English, "Caribbean Coastal Plain") is in the southeast of the island (and of the Dominican Republic). It is a large prairie east of Santo Domingo.

## Rivers and Lakes

The 8 longest rivers of the Dominican Republic are:
1. _Yaque del Norte_ is the longest river of the Dominican Republic, with 296 km. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows through the _Yaque del Norte Valley_ to the Atlantic Ocean. Its watershed has an area of 7,044 km².
1. _Yuna_. It is 209 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows to the east through the _Vega Real_ and to Samaná Bay. Its watershed has an area of 5,498 km².
1. _Yaque del Sur_. It is 183 km long and its sources are in the Cordillera Central. It flows to the south into the Caribbean Sea. Its watershed has an area of 4,972 km².
1. _Ozama_. It is 148 km long. Its sources are in Sierra de Yamasá (a branch of the Cordillera Central). It flows into the Caribbean Sea. Its watershed has an area of 2,685 km². The city of Santo Domingo is on both sides of this river.
1. _Camú_. It is 137 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows into the Yuna River. Its watershed has 2,655 km².
1. _Nizao_. It is 133 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows to the south into the Caribbean Sea. Its watershed has an area of 974 km².
1. _San Juan_. It is 121 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows to the south through the _San Juan Valley_; it is the main tributary of the Yaque del Sur River. Its watershed has an area of 2,005 km².
1. _Mao_. It is 105 km long. Its sources are in the Cordillera Central and flows to the north into the Yaque del Norte River. Its watershed has an area of 864 km².

The Artibonite River is the longest river of the island but only 68 km are in the Dominican Republic.

The largest lake of the Hispaniola, and of the Caribbean, is the **Lake Enriquillo**. It is in the _Hoya de Enriquillo_ with an area of 265 km². There are three small islands within the lake. It is around 40 meters below sea level and is a saline lake with a higher concentration of salt than the sea water.

Others lakes are _Rincón_ (fresh water, area of 28.2 km²), _Oviedo_ (brackish water, area of 28 km²), _Redonda_, _Limón_.