The Dominican Republic occupies the Eastern part of La Española island, the second largest of the West Indies. The central chain of mountains crosses the island from Northwest to Southeast.The fertile area of Cibao is located between the Central and Northern mountain chains. The sea breezes and the ocean currents soften the rainy tropical climate. From 1962 to 1980, the country lost a considerable part of its forests. The coral reefs are affected by pollution that damages the sea habitats and diminishes the fish population. The Dominican Republic has a fertile, humid and mountainous territory. Almost 80% of the country is covered by large mountain chains, the Central, Eastern and Northern mountain chains, that are extended from Northwest to Southeast.
The Dominican Republic covers two thirds of La Española island (Hispaniola), West Indies, with an extension of about 48,442 km², of the 77,914 km² that the whole island has. The other 29,472 km² in the Western part, belong to the Republic of Haiti. Due to its extension, La Española is the second largest of the West Indies, after Cuba, that has 114,500 km².The Dominican Republic coast line is 1,500 km long. Around its coast, there are four smaller islands: Gonaïve, Tortuga, Saona and Beata islands, the last two under Dominican jurisdiction. There are also many keys and small barren islands near its coasts.
There are 26 provinces and a national district. The most important cities are Santo Domingo, Santiago de los Caballeros, La Vega, San Pedro de Macorís y La Romana. Santiago de los Caballeros, 690,000 inhabitants; La Vega, 189,000 inhabitants; San Pedro de Macorís, 137,000 inhabitants (1993
The geomorphologic configuration of the Dominican Republic determines its present hydrographical characteristics. The four mountain chains that extend from West to East drain their waters in the interior and coastal valleys and 14 hydrographical areas have been established. The main rivers originate in the Central Mountain Chain.The hydrographical system is formed by three main rivers: the Yuma River, located in the Northeastern part of La Española island. It originates in the island’s Central mountain chain and with its many tributaries, collects the abundant rains in this region and heads eastwards through La Vega, Sánchez Ramírez, Duarte and Samaná provinces. It goes through the cities of Pimentel and Villa Riva and empties its waters at the Samaná Bay, very close to Sánchez Ramírez city. Through its 150-km path, it has many tributaries, being Camu the most important of them. All these tributaries make it navigational for small boats.Only its head waters, with steep cascades and rapids, are not navigational. The heavy rains, from May to November, make it to overflow in its lowest parts, causing floods that improve the low lands, thus becoming one of the main agricultural areas of the country.The other two rivers are Yaque del Sur and Yaque del Norte, the last one in the Atlantic coast. It originates near Duarte peak, more than three thousand meters high in the Central Mountain Chain. It heads Northwards up to Santiago city, then it heads towards the Northeast to bathe all the Western part of El Cibao area and gather the waters of the Northern part of the Central Mountain Chain and of the Southern part of the Northern Mountain Chain. It empties its waters at Monte Cristi bay, after a 296-km-long course.Its flow is used for irrigation by means of the Tavera dam and other irrigation channels, like Herradura and Navarrete. Its main tributaries are Guayubín, Mao and Anima, that flow from the Central Mountain Chain.In general, these 3 fluvial systems irrigate 35% of the country surface; the rest is irrigated by smaller fluvial systems. There is a considerable amount of underground waters in the lime-layer regions, where you can find an ample range of lime phenomena.
One of the outstanding features of the Dominican Republic geography is Enriquillo Lake, the largest salted lake in the Caribbean, at 44 meters below sea level, in Barahona province. It is located in the lowest area known by the same name, between the Neiba and Bahoruc mountain chain. It has an area of 256 km².Since the Miocene to the Quaternary periods, this low land was a sea channel between Port-Au-Prince and Neiba bay, which explains the saline soil in the area. It is believed that this lake, together with the Rincón lake and the Saumatre lake in Haiti, could beWhat is left of this channel.With fresh, salted and saline waters, some of them temporarily, the Dominican Republic lakes is one of the most important ecosystems. They are located on the alluvial grounds in the coast line or in the inner part of the island and they can either be or not connected to the sea. Generally, they are associated to other ecosystems, like the mangrove and halophilous prairies that grow at their shores. The largest ones are at Cabral and Oviedo in the Southern part and at Redonda and Limón lakes in the Eastern part of the country. Lake Enriquillo is the largest body of quiet waters in the West Indies. Lakes are a natural sanctuary for a great number of seafowl species, many of them migratory species, that is why their importance transcends national boundaries. Neiba Bay: a bay in the Southern Caribbean coast of the Barahona province in the Dominican Republic.Horse-shoe shaped and opened to the Southeast, it is flanked at the North by the Martín García mountain range up to the point with the same name, and by tha Bahoruc mountain range at the Southwest. It is located in the Southeastern tip of Lake Enriquillo basin. Neiba is the main city of this bay.Barahona is another important place. It has beaches and the Rincón Lake scientific Reserve is located a few kilometers from this area.Ocoa Bay: It is a bay at the Dominican Republic which is located in the Southern Caribbean coast, in the Azua province. Its entrance opens southwards between the Ocoa point, to the East, and the Martín García point, to the West.The bay’s main population group is the historical city Azua de Compostela. Its colonial area (Pueblo Viejo) is a cultural attraction added to the bay beaches.Samaná Bay: this bay is extended over the areas of the Samaná and Hato Mayor provinces. 18 km. wide,it opens eastwards in two different parts: the first one is 40 km. long and its main cities are Samaná and Sánchez; the second part is 60 km. long and includes Los Haitises National Park, with many caves and tropical coast formations.Sabana del Mar is maybe the most important fishing area of the Dominican Republic. In a large part of the bay, there are lakes, swamp and mongoose areas. Tourism is a first-rate economical resource in this area.
Vegetation at the Dominican Republic is similar to that of the rest of the West Indies islands. It is extremely diverse and exuberant. In the mountains, there are pine and perishable-leaftree areas, and besides there are tropical forest varieties like mahogany, guaiacum (See Palosanto), Indies wood, oak, copey, silk-cotton tree, cedar and walnut, among others. In the South, there are mainly tideland, swamp and mongoose areas. Among the plant and fruit species, flamboyants, breadfruit trees, cacao trees, yams, plantains, pineapples, mangos, figs and grapes, are common.
Among the autochtothonous animals, we can find the American crocodile (see Aligator), an endangered specie, the rhino iguana and the agouti. The most common birds are: royal herons, parrots, common potús, flautists, humming b irds, owls, flamingos and pelicans. The Dominican Republic has many parks and natural reservoirs: Eastern National Park, Cabritos Island, Jaragua, Los Haitises and Monte Cristi.
