GEOGRAPHY
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: 48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km
water: 350 sq km
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:
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
Terrain: rugged highlands
and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Elevation extremes:
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 sq
km (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:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
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)
