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: 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: 22.49% permanent crops: 10.26% other: 67.25% (2005) |
Irrigated land: |
2,750 sq km (2003) |
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, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
Geography - note: |
shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti |