Geography of Dominican Republic

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

Area: total: 48,670 sq km; land: 48,320 sq km; water: 350 sq km

Land boundaries: total: 360 km
border countries: Haiti 360 km

Coastline: 1,288 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
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)

Total renewable water resources: 21 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 3.39 cu km/yr (32%/2%/66%)
per capita: 381 cu m/yr (2000)

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.