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: 48,670 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 48,320 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 350 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 132

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries:
total: 376 km
[see also: Land boundaries - total country ranks ]
border countries (1): Haiti 376 km

Coastline:
1,288 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - territorial sea country ranks ]
contiguous zone: 24 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - contiguous zone country ranks ]
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
[see also: Maritime claims - exclusive economic zone country ranks ]
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
[see also: Maritime claims - continental shelf country ranks ]

Climate:
tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
More Climate Details

Terrain:
rugged highlands and mountains interspersed with fertile valleys

Elevation:
mean elevation: 424 m
[see also: Elevation - mean elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes: lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m highest point: Pico Duarte 3,098 m

Natural resources:
nickel, bauxite, gold, silver, arable land

Land use:
agricultural land: 51.5% arable land 16.6%; permanent crops 10.1%; permanent pasture 24.8%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 40.8%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 7.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
3,070 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population - distribution:
coastal development is significant, especially in the southern coastal plains and the Cibao Valley, where population density is highest; smaller population clusters exist in the interior mountains (Cordillera Central)

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 (eastern two-thirds makes up the Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti); the second largest country in the Antilles (after Cuba); geographically diverse with the Caribbean's tallest mountain, Pico Duarte, and lowest elevation and largest lake, Lago Enriquillo