| 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 |