Dominican Republic – key data

Area: 48,670 square kilometers (48,320 square kilometers of land thereof, water 350 square kilometers)

Population: 9.96 million (July 2011, CIA). About 70 percent of the population are mulattos, blacks and whites form important minorities with 15% each.

Population density: 204 people per km²

Population growth: 1.331% per year (2011, CIA)

Highest point: Pico Duarte, 3,098 m, highest mountain in the Caribbean

Lowest point: Lago Enriquillo, -46 m

Capital: Santo Domingo (2.3 million residents with suburbs, 2006)

Form of government: (Congreso de la República) consists of a House of Representatives with 150 members and a Senate with 32 members. The Dominican Republic has been independent from Haiti since February 27, 1844. the Dominican Republichas been a presidential republic since 1966, the constitution dates from the same year. The last constitutional amendment was made in 1994. The bicameral parliament

Administrative division: 31 provincias (Azua, Bahoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo and Valverde) as well as a distrito (Distrito Nacional).

Head of State and Government: Danilo Medina, since August 16, 2012

Language: The official language in the Dominican Republic is Spanish. English is also spoken.

Religion: Catholics are dominant at 95%. There are also minorities of Baha’i, Jews and Protestants.

Local time: CET – 5 h. There is no change from summer to winter time in the Dominican Republic.
The time difference to Central Europe is -5 hours in winter and -6 hours in summer.

International phone code: +1 (809) and +1 (829)

Internet ID:.do

Mains voltage: 110 V, 60 Hz with two-pole flat plug. Adapters and transformers are required

Dominican Republic map and geography

The Caribbean island state Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two thirds of the Antilles island Hispaniola, the remaining third belongs to Haiti. The republic lies between the Atlantic in the north and the Caribbean in the south. The Dominican Republic is separated from the American island of Puerto Rico in the west by the approximately 110 km wide Mona Passage. The country extends from 17 ° to 20 ° north latitude.

the Dominican Republic is about as big as Lower Saxony and extends 400 km in a west-east and 250 km in a north-south direction.

The largely mountainous landscape (no other Caribbean islandis as mountainous as Hispanola) is covered by forest, while the valleys and plains are used for agriculture. Excellent beaches (partly framed by mountains) can be found on the north, south-east and east coasts.

According to 800zipcodes, the Dominican Republic can be divided into four regions :

The Cordillera Central in the center of the island. Here you will find the Pico Duarte (3,098 m), Loma La Pelona (3,085 m), Loma Rucilla (3,049 m) and Pico del Yaque (2,761 m) summit complexes, the highest peaks in the Caribbean. Often only the Pico Duarte is given as a separate mountain. The Loma Rucilla is most likely to qualifyas an independent mountain, it is 4.8 km from Pico Duarte and has a notch height (difference in height between a peak and the highest notch, to which you have to descend at least to reach a higher peak) of 529 m. As the second highest mountain the Caribbean is often the 43.4 km away Loma Alto de la Bandera (2,842 m) led (highest mountains in the Caribbean)

In the north of the island is the Cordillera Septentrional, the highest peak (between Puerto Plata and Santiago) reaches 1,249 m.

In the eastern region you can find the Cordillera Oriental and Costera del Caribe with a maximum height of 815 m (in the north of Higüey)

The Sierra de Baoruco is located in the southwestern part of the island, the highest point on the border with Haiti is 2,368 m.

In the tectonic subsidence area between the Cordillera Central and the Sierra de Baoruco is the 200 km² Lago Enriquillo, a salty inland lake, the surface of which is 46 m below sea level. The island is tectonically relatively turbulent, as evidenced by numerous earthquakes.

The Milwaukee Depression, located thirty kilometers off the north coast in the Puerto Rico Trench, reaches more than 9,200 m below sea level. The considerable differences in height between the peaks on the island Hispanola and the submarine lows indicate strong shifts in the earth’s crust in geologically recently towards which prove the frequent earth and Seebebe n on and near the island.

The peaks of the partially karstified mountains, criss-crossed by deep valleys, mostly have gently rounded low mountain ranges despite the great differences in altitude.

In the plains there are occasional vertisoles, which are dark, clayey soils of great natural fertility. Otherwise, red earth and red loam are common in the Dominican Republic, and shallow, stony soils in the mountains.

During a trip through the island you can get to know almost all plant communities of the tropics : from the mangrove forests on the coast to semi-deserts, thorn-bush steppes and savannahs to the evergreen rainforests and cloud forests. Due to the differences in altitude, the climatic conditions change rapidly, with it the vegetation also changes. The forests on the mountain slopes facing the northeast trade wind are most lush, while the rainfall in the depressions is usually only sufficient for cacti and other water-storing plants.