Geography

The territory of the Dominican Republic comprises of the eastern part (74%) of the island and the Spanish Santo Domingo, located in the Caribbean Sea.  It is the second largest island of the Antilles. Its total area is 48,730km², of which 350km² is covered by water.

Its maximum dimensions are:
390km from east to west (Cape Engano Las Lajas)
265km from north to south (Cape Isabela to Cape Beata)

Bordered on the west by the Republic of Haiti (276 km border) and separated to the east by the island of Puerto Rico and the Canal de la Mona. Bordered on the north by the Atlantic Ocean along 586km of coastline and the south by the Caribbean Sea at a distance of 545km.

Topography of the Dominican Republic

Dominican territory offers a mostly mountainous terrain, with four main orographic axis oriented from west to east.  Cordillera Central is the largest of the islands, where at 3087m is the highest elevation of Antilles.  Other mountains are the Sierra and the Cordillera Oriental, Northern Cordillera de Monte Cristi, the Sierra Yamasa, Sierra de Samana, the Sierra Baoruco, Neiba the Sierra and the Sierra Martin Garcia.

Among these mountains there are vast valleys including: Valley of the Cibao Valley of Bonao, or Valley Neiba Yaque del Sur; Valle de Villa Altagracia; Valle de San Juan; Valle de Constanza; Top Valley Ranch; Jarabacoa Valley; Valley Clean and Rio Valley Tire.

And the coastal plains of the North are: Bajabonico of Llano, Llano de Boba-Nagua, Puerto Plata Llano and Llano de Yasica. The eastern coastal plain of Sabana de la Mar and Miches Southeastern Coastal Plain and Great Plains or the Caribbean and the Southern Coastal Plain of Azua, Baní Coastal Plain or Peravia and Coastal Plain of Oviedo and Pedernales.

Lake Enriquillo

Inland waters (rivers and lakes) represent 1.6% of the country.

Dominican large river basins of the rivers are the Yaque del Norte, Yuna, Yaque del Sur, and artibonite Ozama.

Lakes and ponds are Lake Enriquillo lagoons Redonda and Limon, Rincon or Cabral and Oviedo.

Among the major hydroelectric dams are Hatillo, Taveras, Bao, Valdesia, Sabana Yegua, Rincon, Sabaneta, Maguaca, Chacuey, Jiguey and Avocado.

Climate
Main article: Climate of the Dominican Republic

It has a predominantly tropical climate where rainfall is abundant, an average temperature of between 25 and 30°C, with a few exceptions in areas with a high altitude, like in New Valley where temperatures can fall to 5°C below zero in winter.  Daylight will last between 11 and 13 hours, depending on the season.

The rainy season extends from May to November.  In May, August and September due to its heavy rains during this period there are numerous mudslides. It is prone (being on the hurricane passage) to on average 2 or 3 hurricanes every year as well as tropical storms and flooding.

Territorial sea and airspace

The Dominican Republic, like other countries in the world, has full sovereignty over surrounding waters, its territorial sea is known as integral.  It has a zone of 24 nautical miles for fiscal and customs, and an economic and scientific research zone of up to 200 miles offshore.

Any ship, boat or sea carrier must request notice to the authorities in order to penetrate or you can be attacked by the defense forces of the Dominican Republic.

Geological evolution

The geological origin of the island dates back to the second stage of the Cretaceous period of the Secondary Era, when it began the process of promotion of the island due to the phenomenon of subduction of the North American plate that is embedded beneath the Caribbean plate, sighting the first traces represented by the oldest mountain systems.

After periods Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene and Pliocene of the Tertiary there formed other mountains, forming an archipelago composed of three elongated islands.

Between the last period of the Tertiary period and the Pleistocene of the Quaternary, valleys and coastal plains on the island disappeared and the sea channel that stretched between the Current Neyba and bays of Port-au-Prince, the product of permanent lifting of the island and time emerged all valleys and plains.

During this period the sea channel disappears, giving way to the Valle del Cibao, also withdrawing water occupying the spaces of the ancient lake, making the valleys, which allowed the deposition of alluvial materials posted by the rivers and larger streams, and by the gravitational action contributing to the formation of alluvial fans and terraces at the foot of the mountain, create alluvial soils, and lake sediment of marine origin.