Location: Dominican Republic is located on the continent of North America. The longitude and latitude of the DR is 18.7357Degrees North and 70.1627 degrees west.
(Regional map highlighting location of DR)
REGION
(Photo of Cibao, Sur, and Este on the Dominican map)
According to the AP Human Geography course curriculum, the Dominican Republic is associated with the Caribbean region of the world. The Dominican Republic’s formal regions are Cibao, Sur and Este. One of their functional regions is the city of Santo Domingo, the capital of their country. Santo Domingo is known as their main functional region. A perceptual region in the Dominican Republic is el barrio chino, located in Santo Domingo.
SPACE
(Satellite View of Dominican Republic)
The total area of the Dominican Republic is 18,704 mi². The total land area is 18,815 sq miles (48,730 sq km). The total water area is 135.13 sq miles (350 sq km).The total distance of all land boundaries is 18,950.13 sq miles (49,080.61 sq km). The total distance of the coastline is 800 miles (1,288 km).
(Picture of Pico Duarte, the highest peak in the DR)
SITUATION
(Dominican republic and neighboring countries on map)
Although the DR occupies the eastern part of Hispaniola, it shares a border with about eight different countries. The countries are Colombia, Venezuela, Aruba (Netherlands), Puerto Rico (United States), Curacao (Netherlands), and Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom). The island is also bordered by Haiti to the West. The DR is surrounded by two major bodies of water; the Atlantic Ocean to the North and the Caribbean Sea to the South.
PLACE
(Aerial View of Dominican Republic)
The climate of the Dominican Republic varies from region to region. Some regions may have fairly cool, tropical temperatures, while others may have very hot temperatures. Although the temperatures may vary per region, the average temperature of the DR is 25 degrees celsius (77 degrees fahrenheit). Dominican Republic’s terrain includes rugged mountains, highland regions, some extensive highlands, multiple isolated valleys and basins. The highest point of elevation in the DR is Pico Duarte with 3,098 m. The lowest point of elevation is Lake Enriquillo with -46 m. The physical features of Dominican Republic are mountains, rivers and lakes, rainforests, and valleys and basins.
(Lake Enriquillo, the largest lake in the Caribbean)