 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
| Go
Back to The Main Index & Navigate the Rest of The Site
You are currently in the general reference section. To see the complete list of other topics and information ~ use this link Geography,
Size
Money
& Currency
History
and Culture
Government
& Politics
The
Legal System &
The
Economy of
Trade,
Imports, Exports and Duty
About
Free Zone
The
Regions, Cities and Towns
|
The
Dominican Republic is located on the Island of Hispaniola,
which it shares with it's much smaller neighbor to the east - Haiti.
The country has an area of 48,442 square kilometers, or about 18,000
square miles ~ which take up about 2/3 of the island.
The Dominican Republic offers some of the most beautiful and diverse topography in the Caribbean. To give you and idea of its size, The Dominican Republic is larger than the Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands all combined. The Dominican Republic offers an estimated 1,000 miles of gorgeous beaches to the beach lover. In addition, should you like the idea of year round tropical weather, but are not a beach fan, The Dominican Republic also offers a collection of four mountain ranges. Pico Duarte is found here and is the tallest mountain peak in the Caribbean at 10,700 feet above sea level. Snow or frosts have been reported at the highest elevations of Pico Duarte, so beach attire is out if you are heading up that way. Santo Domingo is the capital city, situated on the southern portion of the island. Since the city is located directly on the coast, it is a major center of seaport activity. The population of the Dominican Republic has been estimated to be about 8 million, with slightly less than four million living in the capital city of Santo Domingo. Santiago is the second largest city, and is situated closer to the mountainous areas to the north. While Santo Domingo is the nation's capital, Santigo truly is the capital of the tobacco and cigar industry. Cigar manufacturers, such as Leon Jimenez and many others, all have their operations in or near Santiago. Like any Caribbean island, expect warm year round weather and tropical breezes. The average temperature is 80 degress Fahrenheit or 25 degrees Celsius. It does cool down slightly during November to January. While the temperature and climate is constant, May to July and September to November does experience higher levels of rainfall than the other months. The mountainous regions located in the northern part of the country can be somewhat cooler, especially in the late evening. The country is ideally located close
to Puerto Rico and the United States. A plane flight from San Juan,
Puerto Rico takes about 40 minutes and less than 3 hours from major American
cities, such as New York. A direct flight from Miami is the quickest,
with about an 1 1/2 hour flying time.
Direct flights are also available to
parts of Europe, with an average flying time of 8 hours.
|