Dominican Republic: Physical Geography

The Dominican Republic occupies the eastern portion of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean's Greater Antilles, sharing a land border with Haiti to the west. Its coasts face the Atlantic Ocean to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south, and the country covers roughly 48,670 square kilometers. The terrain is markedly mountainous, containing both the highest and lowest points in the West Indies, with a series of parallel ranges and valleys running generally from northwest to southeast across the island.

The Cordillera Central forms the country's most rugged spine and holds Pico Duarte, which at 3,098 meters is the tallest peak in the Caribbean. To its north runs the Cordillera Septentrional, separated from the Caribbean coast by the fertile Cibao Valley, whose eastern section, the Vega Real, is among the most densely farmed and populated parts of the country. Further south, the Sierra de Neiba and the Sierra de Bahoruco frame a drier, lower-lying region near the Haitian border.

Rivers draining the mountains include the Yaque del Norte, the longest in the country at nearly 300 kilometers, which rises in the Cordillera Central and empties into the Atlantic. The Hoya de Enriquillo, a low-lying valley in the southwest, contains Lake Enriquillo, the largest lake in the Caribbean and a saline body whose surface sits roughly 40 meters below sea level, making it the lowest point in the West Indies. The country's varied elevation produces a correspondingly wide range of local climates, from humid tropical lowlands to cooler conditions in the central highlands.