Cambita Garabitos

**Cambita Garabitos** is a town in the San Cristóbal Province of the Dominican Republic. The population was 42,589 at the 2012 census. This municipality is known for its avocado production; it is considered the largest producer and exporter of avocado in the Dominican Republic and the second largest producer by square meters in the world.

## Cambita Garabitos

### Region

Valdesia
San Cristóbal Province

### Distance to:

San Cristóbal: 14 km (*9 mi.*)Santo Domingo: 38 km (*24 mi.*)

## Etymolygy

The name Cambita Garabitos comes from a word made up of the word Camba, the place of origin of the blacks brought from the Camba Valley (Africa) to work on the farm. Cambita popularly means bold, small valley, small camba; while Garabitos originates from the Spanish family of that surname.

## History

The origin of the municipality dates back to 1544 when the councilor of the Santo Domingo City Council, called Juan de Ampies, founded the Hacienda Santa Bárbara de Yamán because it is located on the southwest bank of the Yamán or Yubazo River. From this hacienda there are remains of a sugar mill to the right of the road that leads to the place of La Toma.

Later, the brothers Antonio and Eugenio Garabitos, of Spanish origin, came to the northeast, and founded several agricultural and cattle ranches.

On **May 24, 1551,** the Mayorazgo de la Familia de Bastidas was constituted by the notarial act in Santo Domingo, of which what we know today as the town of Cambita Garabitos was a part. The Cambita section was elevated to the category of Municipal District in 1973 and on April 21, 1987, through law 43-87 approved by the National Congress, it was granted municipal status.

## Geography

Cambita Garabitos is located at 18.4542° N, 70.1977° W. According to the ONE, the municipality has a total land area of 202.52 square kilometers (78.19 square miles). It is located between steep and high mountains, in an intramontane valley on the southeast slope of the Central Cordillera, 40 km from the National District and 10 kilometers from the provincial capital city of San Cristóbal. It is bordered by the towns of of Los Cacaos and Villa Altagracia on the north, the city of San Cristóbal on the east, the town of Yaguate on the south, and the Peravia Province city of Baní on the west. The town has two municipal districts; **Cambita Garabitos** and **Cambita El Pueblecito.**

### Hydrography

Cambita is an important water basin which belongs to the great basin of the Nigua. In its territory there are innumerable streams, rivers, ravines, and superficial waterways that cross the mountainous, steep and humid lands of this municipality to form water courses that. flow into the Yubazo River, a tributary of the Nigua River. The Yubazo River, a direct tributary of the Nigua River in the City of San Cristóbal, is born in the steep and high mountains that surround it, flows into the river (Nigua) that also crosses part of the territory of this municipality in the northwest. As it passes through Cambita, it takes the name of El Tablazo.

In this area are the Jiguey and Valdesia dams, on the Nizao River, which took the name of Complejo Hidroeléctrico Joaquín Balaguer in 2007.

## Economy

The municipality has a diversification in the production and export of different varieties of agricultural products, in which it should be noted, bananas, tayota, cocoa, coffee, lemon, mango, beans, corn and avocado, this already being the emblem of municipal production. This municipality is considered the largest producer and exporter of avocado in the Dominican Republic and the second largest producer by square meters in the world.

### Tourism

The micro-climate of the municipality constitutes its main tourist attraction, in which the average temperature in winter and summer varies according to the location.

The Ranfis colonies located on the top of a mountain of about 890 m (*2,920 ft.*) above sea level, it house more than 390 country villas, owned by various characters from the Artistic, Diplomatic, Political and business world.

The Area has a German restaurant ("Aubergine Restaurant"), with its creative cuisine and a spectacular panoramic view from where you can see the city of Santo Domingo. The lakes of the Jiguey dam and Aguacate reservoir serve as entertainment for those who love swimming and fishing in addition to the beauty of the landscapes of the area.