Dominican Republic

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

rugged highlands and mountains interspersed with fertile valleys

Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

1,288 km

2,981 sq km (2018)

Central America and the Caribbean

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

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

nickel, bauxite, gold, silver, arable land

slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

19 00 N, 70 40 W

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)