Dominican+Republic+Geography

Geography
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The coordinates of Dominican Republic is 19 00 N, 70 40 W. The Dominican Republic is located on the Island of Hispaniola, which it shares with it's much smaller neighbor to the east - Haiti. The country has an area of 48,442 square kilometers, or about 18,000 square miles. It takes up about 2/3 of the island. Santo Domingo is the capital city, situated on the southern portion of the island. Since the city is located directly on the coast there is major seaport interaction and international interaction as well (About.com) . Pico Duarte is in the Dominican Republic and is the tallest mountain peak in the Caribbean at 10,700 feet (3,175 m) above sea level. Even though it is in the Caribbean snow or frosts have been reported at the highest elevations of Pico Duarte. The lowest part of the Dominican Republic is 46m (150 feet) and is in the Lake Enriquillo. This lake is one of the few saltwater lakes in the world inhabited by crocodiles. The lowest part of the lake is located in a rift valley formed by the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault that extends 79 miles (127 km) from Port-au-Prince Bay in Haiti in the west. This fault was responsible for the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake.



Climate: Like any Caribbean island, expect warm year round weather and tropical breezes. The average temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit or 25 degrees Celsius. It does cool down slightly during November to January. While the temperature and climate is constant, May to July and September to November does experience higher levels of rainfall than the other months. The mountainous regions located in the northern part of the country can be somewhat cooler, especially in the late evening  (Dominican Republic Geography).


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