Dominican Republic Geography

Cities: Capital--Santo Domingo (pop. 2.4 million). Other city-- Santiago de los Caballeros (500,000).
Terrain: Mountainous.
Climate: Maritime tropical. 
Location: Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: 
    a) total area: 48,730 sq km 
    b) land area: 48,380 sq km 
    c) comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries: total 275 km, Haiti 275 km

Coastline: 1,288 km

Maritime claims: 
    a) contiguous zone: 24 nm 
    b) continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin 
    c) exclusive economic zone: 200 nm 
    d) territorial sea: 6 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed

Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Land use: 
    1) arable land: 23% 
    2) permanent crops: 7% 
    3) meadows and pastures: 43% 
    4) forest and woodland: 13% 
    5) other: 14%

Irrigated land: 2,250 sq km (1989)

Environment: 
    a) current issues: water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation 
    b) natural hazards: occasional hurricanes (July to October) 
    c) international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Marine Life      Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti)