Geography of the Dominican Republic
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This article details the geography of the Dominican Republic.
Country Map
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Domrepmap.gif
Domrepmap.gif
Map 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
- Template:Coor dm
- 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
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- 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 Ozama River
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Hispaniola_lrg.jpg
Hispaniola_lrg.jpg
Topography map of Hispaniola
- Terrain
- Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
- Elevation extremes
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- 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
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- Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
- 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)