Bahía de las Águilas | |
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Beach | |
![]() Bahía de las Águilas, Dominican Republic | |
Coordinates: 17°51′43″N71°38′44″W / 17.86194°N 71.64556°W | |
Country | Dominican Republic |
Activities | ![]() ![]() |
Bahía de las Águilas (Spanish: [baˈia ðe las ˈaɣilas] ; literally "Eagles’ Bay"), is an 8 km-long (5 mi) beach along the southwestern coast of the Dominican Republic in the province of Pedernales near the southernmost part of the border with Haiti. The bay is part of the Jaragua National Park, and it is considered by many Dominicans (and visitors as well) as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, in some writers' opinion. [1] [2] The bay is a protected area as is the surrounding park; hence there is an abundance of sea life a few steps off the beach within its waters. [3]
The beach is utterly isolated. 323 km from Santo Domingo and approximately 25 km from Pedernales (the nearest town), this beach stands out in the middle of the deserted steppe of the park. [4] Departing from Pedernales, one reaches a small village called "La Cueva" ("The Cave") so named because of the numerous caves surrounding the village, which up until 2007, were occupied by local fishermen. La Cueva is located on a tip of land called Cabo Rojo (Red Cape/Point). Here one of the local villagers can be hired to take visitors to the beach bordering the coast on a small motorboat, on foot or with an all-wheel-drive vehicle. [5]
There was a legal process that began in 1997 as the territories on which Bahía de las Águilas is located were supposed to be "acquired" by persons with political connections. That generated a lot of reactions from civil society as these acquisitions were attributed to corrupt practices. Justice did prevail, and Bahía de las Águilas was declared public land and is now a part of a widescale plan for development by the Dominican Republic government. [6]
Although Bahía de las Águilas has caught the eye of major international hotel and resort chains like Marriott Group, which has 10 facilities throughout the Dominican Republic and 13 additional projects underway, [7] President Luis Abinader has stated that no construction of any kind will be taking place in zones which are under environmental protection. [8]
Given Bahía de las Águilas's location within the Jaragua National Park, its coasts offer a subtropical climate and semi-arid terrain of bushes and shrubs to a range of diverse flora such as canelillas, raft trees, balsa palms, and even horned melon fruits.
Among its most notable and endemic mammals are the pre-historic Hispaniolan Solenodons (Solenodon paradoxus), and the Hutia (Hutia conga), both endangered species, along with the likes of reptiles and amphibians: ricord iguanas, rhinoceros iguanas, and Hispaniolan sliders.
There are also numerous bird species flying in the area like sooty terns, plain and white-crowned pigeons being the most abundant. [9]
The Bahía de las Águilas Caribbean sea floor is composed largely of uncontaminated coral reefs, and abundant sea grass prairies which serve as a key source of nutrients for legions of queen conch, Panulirus argus (spiny lobster), and even larger species like the Antillean manatee.
Seeking refuge in its waters, endangered species of hawksbill turtles, leatherbacks and green sea turtles rely on areas like Bahía de las Águilas to reproduce and live free of poaching. [9]
Photographs of Bahía de las Águilas reveal it to be quite remote and largely devoid of people.
Cabo Rojo is a city and municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area.
Pedernales is the southernmost province of the Dominican Republic, including the offshore island of Isla Beata. It was split from Barahona in 1957. Of its 2,074.53 km2, 1,374 km2 belongs to the Jaragua National Park. A third of its population is of Haitian origin, the highest ratio within the country.
Jaragua National Park is a national park of the Dominican Republic. Jaragua National Park is located in the Pedernales Province in the extreme southwest of the Dominican Republic. Jaragua National Park has a total area of 1,374 km², making it the largest protected area in the Caribbean region.
The Hispaniolan solenodon, also known as the agouta, is a small, furry, shrew-like mammal endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Like other solenodons, it is a venomous, insect-eating animal that lives in burrows and is active at night. It is an elusive animal and was only first described in 1833; its numbers are stable in protected forests but it remains the focus of conservation efforts.
The Hispaniolan hutia is a small, endangered, rat-like mammal endemic to forests on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. It lives in burrows or trees, and is active at night when it feeds on roots and fruits. A member of the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae), it is endangered from habitat loss and introduced species, such as rats or mongoose.
The Águilas Cibaeñas is a professional baseball team in the Dominican Republic's winter baseball league. Founded on January 28, 1933 and based in Santiago, the team has won 6 Caribbean Series and 22 national titles.
Cyclura ricordii, also known as Ricord's ground iguana or Ricord's rock iguana, is an endangered species of medium-sized rock iguana, a large herbivorous lizard. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola. It is known to coexist with the nominate subspecies of the rhinoceros iguana ; the two species are the only taxa of rock iguana to do so. The natural habitats of its three subpopulations are hot, dry, wooded savanna on limestone with access to soil and sandy flats in southern Hispaniola. It is threatened by predation by introduced predators and habitat loss, due to overgrazing and charcoal manufacture.
Los Haitises National Park is a national park located on the remote northeast coast of the Dominican Republic that was established in 1976. It consists of a limestone karst plateau with conical hills, sinkholes and caverns, and there is a large area of mangrove forest on the coast. Other parts of the park are clad in subtropical humid forest and the area has an annual precipitation of about 2,000 mm (79 in). The park contains a number of different habitats and consequently has a great diversity of mammals and birds, including some rare species endemic to the island. Some of the caverns contain pictograms and petroglyphs. The park has become a popular ecotourism destination but the number of tourists allowed to visit is limited.
The Dominican city of Pedernales is the capital of the Pedernales Province, in the Dominican Republic. It is located in the southwest of the country, on the Dominican Republic–Haiti border, and has a crossing to the Haitian town of Anse-à-Pitres.
Literally meaning "Red Cape", is both a cape on the southwestern coast of the Dominican Republic, and a beach on the same location. More specifically, it belongs to Pedernales Province, the southernmost province of the country.
General elections were held in the Dominican Republic on 5 July 2020 to elect a president, vice-president, 32 senators and 190 deputies. They had originally been planned for 17 May, but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. They are the second elections since 1994 in which all positions will be elected simultaneously, and the first in Dominican history in which all authorities will be elected simultaneously and directly.
The Sierra de Bahoruco National Park is an environmentally protected national park located in the South-western region of Dominican Republic. It was created in 1983 by Presidential Decree during the presidency of Salvador Jorge Blanco.
The People's Force is a leftist political party in the Dominican Republic led by former President Leonel Fernández.
Gonzalo Castillo Terrero is a Dominican businessman and politician. He was Minister of Public Works and Communications from 2012 to 2019. In July 2019 he sought the Dominican Liberation Party's presidential nomination for the 2020 elections. He won the nomination, but lost the general election to Luis Abinader.
Events in the year 2021 in the Dominican Republic.
Boquerón State Forest is one of the 20 forestry units that make up the public forest system of Puerto Rico. Despite its name, the Boquerón State Forest is not only located in Boquerón, Cabo Rojo but also spans almost 5,000 acres across the municipalities of Cabo Rojo, Lajas and Mayagüez. The forest area is also known for its limestone cliffs, the lighthouse, and the salt flats which have been a source of salt since the pre-Hispanic era and, dating to 700 C.E., they are considered to be one of the oldest industries in the Americas.
Cotubanamá National Park is located on the lower southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, spanning across the provinces of La Altagracia and La Romana with an area of 791.9 sq. kilometers which includes a range of dense humid and dry subtropical forests, mangroves, beaches, and caves.
Luz del Alba Jiménez is a Dominican politician. She was the Minister for Youth of the Dominican Republic. Jiménez was appointed Minister of Youth by President Luis Abinader on December 9, 2020 and was in office till December 5, 2021. She previously served as the Deputy Minister of Planning and Development for the Ministry of Youth. She is the third woman to be appointed Minister of Youth.
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