Geography

Surface:

The Dominican Republic covers about 2/3 of the Island Hispaniola and borders to it's neigbouring country Haiti. This makes it the second largest island in the bigger Antilles, after Cuba. The total surface is 48.422 km². The largest distance from east to west is 595 km and runs from Punta Cana to Jimaní. The distance from Puerto Plata to Barahona is 365 km, and makes it the longest north to south stretch.

Landscape:

Because of different mountain ranges, there is a very divers landscape. On the windside of the island are big rainforests and valleys. On the other side of the island there are dry, partially eroded streches of land. In the north there is a large valley called Calla de Cibao, and it stretches all the way to Haiti. The eastern part of the valley is very fertile, but the further we go to the west, the less fertile it becomes. The eastern part, called Vega Real, has the best soil in the country. The peninsula of Samaná is covered by tropical forests. In the middle of the island is the mountain range called Cordillera Central, and only in the east the country gets flatter again. In the southwest there is a deep valley called Valle de Neiba. In this valley you will find Lago Enriquillo, a lake 46 meter below sealevel. Beautiful beaches can be found not only in the north (Playa Dorada, Sosúa, Cabarete, Samaná), but also in the south. (Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, Bayahibe). The biggest beach is in the east between Playa Macao and Punta Cana.

Mountain ranges:

Three big mountain ranges are crossing the island. The Cordillera Central starts in Haiti and runs through the center of the country Bonao and San Cristóbal. It is the mountain range with the highest mountains, and it is here that you will find the highest mountain of the Antilles, Pico Duarte (3087 meter). The Cordillera Septentrional runs parallel to the Cordillera Central along the north coast. The Cordillera Oriental is the smallest mountain range and runs along the atlantic coast, between Sabana.