Dominican Republic Geography - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Caribbean, eastern 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: 48,670 sq km

land: 48,320 sq km

water: 350 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

Area comparison map

Land boundaries

total: 376 km

border countries (1): Haiti 376 km

Coastline

1,288 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

Climate

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

Terrain

rugged highlands and mountains interspersed with fertile valleys

Elevation

highest point: Pico Duarte 3,098 m

lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m

mean elevation: 424 m

Natural resources

nickel, bauxite, gold, silver, arable land

Land use

agricultural land: 51.5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 16.6% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 10.1% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 24.8% (2018 est.)

forest: 40.8% (2018 est.)

other: 7.7% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

2,980 sq km (2018)

Major lakes (area sq km)

salt water lake(s): Lago de Enriquillo - 500 sq km

Population distribution

coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

Natural hazards

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

Geography - note

shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds makes up the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti); the second largest country in the Antilles (after Cuba); geographically diverse with the Caribbean's tallest mountain, Pico Duarte, and lowest elevation and largest lake, Lago Enriquillo

NOTE: The information regarding Dominican Republic on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Dominican Republic 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Dominican Republic 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.