| 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
|
| 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, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
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)
|
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