Home > Geography of the Dominican Republic

Location:

Caribbean, it occupies two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

Geographic coordinates:

19 00 N, 70 40 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

• Total: 48,730 km²
• Land: 48,380 km²
• Water: 350 km²

Area - comparative:

Slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries:

• Total: 275 km
• Border countries: Haiti 275 km

Coastline:

1,288 km

Maritime claims:

• Contiguous zone: 24 nm
• Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
• Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
• Territorial sea: 6 nm

Climate:

Tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

Rivers:

Significant rivers include the Jimani River, Río Yaque del Norte, Río Jamao del Norte , Río Isabela and the Ozamas River

Terrain:

Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed

Elevation extremes:

• Lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
• Highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m

Natural resources:

Nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Land use:

• Arable land: 21%
• Permanent crops: 9%
• Permanent pastures: 43%
• Forests and woodland: 12%
• Other: 15% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:

2,300 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:

Lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

Water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation; Hurricane Georges damage

Environment - international agreements:

• Party to: Biodiversity, Climate ChangeThe United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty produced at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1, DesertificationDesertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas into desert, resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities. Modern desertification often arises from the demands of increased populat, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship PollutionShip Pollution is an abbreviated form of the Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 . It is also known as MARPOL 73/78 (short for marine pollution). The original MARPOL protocol was signe
• Signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

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

See also: Dominican Republic