San Fernando de Monte Cristi

San Fernando de Monte Cristi, usually just Monte Cristi, is a city in the Dominican Republic and the head municipality of the Monte Cristi province, in the northwest of the nation.

Name
The name comes from the name given by Columbus on 4 January 1493 to the mountain known now as El Morro: Monte Cristo or Monte Christi ("Mountain of Christ").

The name of the city has been written of different ways: Monte Cristi (Columbus), Monte Cristo (Ferdinand Columbus), Monte Christi or Monte Christo (Las Casas), Monte Cristy and Montecristi. But the name most used is Monte Cristi.

When the city was founded again in 1751, the name was changed to the present one, San Fernando de Monte Cristi, after Ferdinand VI, King of Spain.

Population
The municipality had, in , a total population of 24,644: 12,892 men and 11,752 women. The urban population was  of the total population.

History
The city was founded by Juan de Bolaños in 1533; but Rodríguez says that it was in 1545 by Francisco Mesa. Some families from the Canary Islands came to live here. Because it was too dry and hot, there was not possibility of any kind of farming, except some cattle raising, and the city was developed as a port.

The town was destroyed in 1606 by order of the Spanish government and the inhabitants were moved, together with the inhabitants of Puerto Plata inhabitants, away from the northern coast to form the new town of Monte Plata. In 1751, Monte Cristi was founded again by order of the king Ferdinand VI of Spain.

Geography
Monte Cristi is in the northwestern end of the Cibao Valley, near the Montecristi Bay. The city is just to the north of the mouth of the River Yaque del Norte.

To the north of the city is the western end of the Cordillera Septentrional ("Northern mountain range"); the last mountain of this range is El Morro.

The municipality has a total area of  535.87. The region around the city is very dry and hot.

The altitude of the city of Monte Cristi is  above sea level.

Climate
Monte Cristi has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen-Geiger classification: As) with a pronounced dry season on summer, and an wet season on winter.

The average amount of rainfall for the year in the city is . The month with the most precipitation on average is November with  of rainfall, followed by December with .

The driest season is summer. The month with the least rainfall on average is July with an average of  followed by August, .

Monte Cristi is in a warm region; the average temperature for the year is . The warmest month, on average, is August with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of .

 Economy 
The most important economic activities in the municipality are fishing and salt production. Farming is important near the River Yaque del Norte, and the main crops are bananas and rice.

Tourism is also important here, with the different beaches near the city and people that come here for fishing.

 References 

Category:Settlements in the Dominican Republic
Category:1530s establishments in North America
Category:1500s establishments in the Spanish Empire