The second largest nation in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles, with Haiti occupying the western portion. To the west are Jamaica and Cuba; Puerto Rico is east beyond the 112-kilometer (69 mile) Mona Passage; and the southern tip of Florida is about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away.
Situated in the heart of the region between North and South America, the country is bathed by the Caribbean Sea on the south coast and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. With a land area of 48,442 square kilometers (18,704 sq. miles), it is larger than the Bahamas, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, all the Virgin Islands and the entire French West Indies put together. The Dominican Republic is slightly larger than the Netherlands, and approximately the size of the US state of Maryland.
The Dominican Republic is a land of contrasts with towering mountains and rocky cliffs, rain forests, fertile valleys, cacti-studded deserts, 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) of coastline and about 300 kilometers (186 miles) of prime soft sand beaches. The country is crossed by four rugged mountain ranges bisecting northwest to southeast. The largest is the Cordillera Central with Pico Duarte, the tallest point in the Caribbean, rising over 3,175 meters (10,417 ft). Three large fertile valleys rest between the ranges, one of which holds Lake Enriquillo in the southwest, the lowest point in the Caribbean falling 40 meters (131 ft) below sea level. It’s the only salt water lake in the world inhabited by crocodiles.
(The above information is from www.dr1.com/travel/thedr/map.shtml.)
Our WELS missionaries are working in the cities of Santiago (the 2nd largest city in the DR) and San Pedro de Macoris (along the southern coast). Future plans include reaching out with the gospel to the capital city of Santo Domingo and the northeast region of Samana through family and friends of members.The Lord bless you with his Peace,
NW
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Geometry or geography? Great info.
ReplyDeleteLarry