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
Click here to view the Dominican Republics position in the Caribbean
Area
Total: 48,730 sq km
Land: 48,380 sq km
Water: 350 sq km
Land Boundaries
Total: 360 km
Border countries: Haiti 360 km
Coastline
1,288 km
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea: 6 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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: 22.65%
Permanent crops: 10.33%
Other: 67.02% (2001)
Irrigated land
2,590 sq km (1998 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
Environment - international agreements
Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
Signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note
Shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti
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