Introduction - Dominican Republic: |
Location - Dominican Republic: |
Location | Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti |
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Geographic coordinates | 19 00 N, 70 40 W |
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Map references | Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area | total: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km
water: 350 sq km |
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Area comparative | slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire |
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Land boundaries | total: 360 km
border countries: Haiti 360 km |
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Coastline | 1,288 km |
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Maritime claims | territorial sea: 6 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
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Climate | tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall |
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Terrain | rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m |
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Natural resources | nickel, bauxite, gold, silver |
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Land use | arable land: 22.49%
permanent crops: 10.26%
other: 67.25% (2005) |
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Irrigated land | 2,750 sq km (2003) |
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Natural hazards | lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts |
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Environment current issues | water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation |
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Environment international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
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Geography note | shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti |
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People - Dominican Republic: |
Government - Dominican Republic: |
Economy - Dominican Republic: |
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This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007