Barahona | |
---|---|
Santa Cruz de Barahona | |
Coordinates: 18°12′N71°06′W / 18.200°N 71.100°W | |
Country | Dominican Republic |
Province | Barahona |
Founded /Founder. =Toussaint L'ouverture | 1802 |
Municipality since | 1858 |
Area | |
• Total | 163.02 km2 (62.94 sq mi) |
Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
Population (2012) [3] | |
• Total | 138,159 |
• Density | 850/km2 (2,200/sq mi) |
• Demonym | Barahonero(a) |
Municipal Districts | 3 |
Climate | Aw |
Barahona, also known as Santa Cruz de Barahona, is the main city of the Barahona Province, in the southwest of the Dominican Republic. It has one of the most active ports in the region, as well as many ecotourism attractions. The city is a centre of sugar production and industry. Barahona is also known for being the only place where the rare Larimar stone can be found.
Before its discovery by Europeans, the area belonged to the Native Taino chiefdom of Jaragua, ruled by Bohechío. The current name of the province and city is derived from the surname of the first Spaniards who came to the area, some of these Spaniards were also from the town of Baraona in Spain and named it in honor of their town of origin. The Spaniards spread throughout the territory and designated places with their names. Francisco de Barahona, Gabriel Barahona, Luis de Barahona and Juan de Barahona arrived on the first and second voyages of Christopher Columbus in the 1490s. [4]
After the nation's independence in 1844, Barahona was a military post of the Azua Province. In 1858, Barahona was elevated to the category of municipality. When the province was created in 1881, Barahona was made its head municipality. In 1907, the territorial denominations of cantons and maritime districts were abolished and replaced by the terms communes and provinces, respectively, while Barahona was promoted to this category the same year.
The revolutionary movement known as "El Salvador" was founded in Barahona by Cuban radicals with the purpose of mobilizing financial resources to support the independence movement in Cuba from Spain. Dominican president Ulises Heureaux provided money and weapons to Cuban patriots and from the shores of Barahona, weapons were brought to Cuba.
Between 1916 and 1924, the American presence in the province influenced the planting of cane and the construction of the hacienda. In 1927, the first aviation company of the Caribbean region was started in Barahona. The service was inaugurated between the cities of Barahona, Santa Cruz, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince Haiti.
Under the Köppen climate classification, Barahona has a tropical wet and dry climate. [5] Temperatures tend to remain steady throughout the year, with mean temperatures ranging from a low of 24.8 °C (76.6 °F) in January to a high of 28.0 °C (82.4 °F) in July.
In terms of dry and wet seasons, Barahona has two distinctive wet seasons with a peak in precipitation from May to June followed by drought-like conditions in July and August (due to the Azores High being located in the central Atlantic, inhibiting the formation of clouds and rain) and another peak in precipitation from September to October. This precipitation pattern is due to the movement and the position of the Azores high throughout the year. The dry season mainly runs through December to April. Even in the drier months, precipitation can still occur with February receiving just under 30 mm (1.2 in). Sunshine is abundant throughout the year, averaging over 3200 hours.
Climate data for Barahona (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 33.2 (91.8) | 34.0 (93.2) | 33.8 (92.8) | 34.5 (94.1) | 34.7 (94.5) | 34.2 (93.6) | 35.6 (96.1) | 37.5 (99.5) | 35.8 (96.4) | 34.5 (94.1) | 34.0 (93.2) | 33.0 (91.4) | 37.5 (99.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.3 (84.7) | 29.2 (84.6) | 29.5 (85.1) | 30.0 (86.0) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.7 (89.1) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.5 (88.7) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.6 (87.1) | 29.8 (85.6) | 30.4 (86.7) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.8 (76.6) | 25.0 (77.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.4 (81.3) | 28.0 (82.4) | 27.9 (82.2) | 27.4 (81.3) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.2 (79.2) | 25.3 (77.5) | 26.4 (79.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20.3 (68.5) | 20.7 (69.3) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 23.3 (73.9) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.0 (75.2) | 23.3 (73.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 21.8 (71.2) | 20.7 (69.3) | 22.4 (72.3) |
Record low °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) | 15.0 (59.0) | 17.0 (62.6) | 18.0 (64.4) | 19.2 (66.6) | 20.0 (68.0) | 19.5 (67.1) | 20.0 (68.0) | 20.0 (68.0) | 19.6 (67.3) | 16.6 (61.9) | 15.5 (59.9) | 15.0 (59.0) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 30.4 (1.20) | 29.3 (1.15) | 45.1 (1.78) | 64.1 (2.52) | 168.5 (6.63) | 129.5 (5.10) | 38.1 (1.50) | 65.1 (2.56) | 143.7 (5.66) | 184.9 (7.28) | 75.6 (2.98) | 44.4 (1.75) | 1,018.7 (40.11) |
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 6.1 | 10.6 | 8.2 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 8.8 | 10.6 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 71.2 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 73.0 | 72.6 | 71.5 | 71.9 | 75.6 | 75.8 | 72.0 | 72.9 | 76.3 | 78.4 | 75.1 | 72.8 | 74.0 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 259.6 | 248.8 | 286.7 | 271.5 | 261.0 | 264.7 | 289.3 | 286.5 | 243.2 | 259.0 | 267.7 | 268.6 | 3,206.6 |
Source 1: World Meteorological Organization [6] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: NOAA [7] |
Barahona has a diversified economy that combines agriculture, mining and tourism, with an industrial port and a free zone dedicated to textile production. Among the most important companies in the area are: CEMEX Dominicana that exploits gypsum from a mine, Rica with dairy production, the "Consorcio Azucarero Central" with sugar production, EGE Haina with electricity production, Wilbes Dominicana with areas of free trade and "Block Khoury" which produces and exports construction materials.
Agriculture and the production of cane, bananas, coffee, fruits, sorghum, yams, yautia and others. The main product in the municipality is a very good coffee ("Barahona Type Coffee"), grown in the mountains of Eastern Bahoruco. In livestock, the fattening of cattle and goats for meat, sale of leather and the growing milk production predominate, in mining the extraction of larimar, marble, plaster, alabaster, kaolin (for the production of bottles), mineral salt and construction materials, are among the main activities of Barahona.
The city of Barahona has a sea port, which receives many ferries from different points in the Caribbean, and an airport, which has been reactivated with many flights a week to Punta Cana via Santo Domingo. Authorities provided the airport with a fuel station park, allowing facilities to the airliners that could operate in the airport in the future. The airport is the well known María Montez International Airport located about 10 minutes from the city center. The port is located about 5 minutes away from the city center.
Transport in the Dominican Republic utilizes a system of roads, airports, ports, harbours, and an urban railway.
Compañía Dominicana de Aviación, usually shortened to Dominicana, was an airline based in the Dominican Republic and served as the flag carrier for the country.
The Dominican Republic is divided into thirty–one provincias, while the national capital, Santo Domingo, is contained within its own Distrito Nacional.
Dajabón is a northwestern province which currently comprises one of the 32 provinces of the Dominican Republic. It is divided into 5 municipalities and its capital city with the same name. It is bordered by the provinces of Monte Cristi to the north, Santiago Rodríguez to the south, Elías Piña to the south and the Nord-Est department of Haiti to the west.
Samaná is a province of the Dominican Republic in the Samaná Peninsula located in the eastern region. Its capital is Santa Bárbara de Samaná, usually known as Samaná.
Higüey, or in full Salvaleón de Higüey, is the capital city of the eastern La Altagracia Province, in the Dominican Republic, and the eighth largest city of that country. The Yuma River flows through the urban areas of Higüey.
Jimaní is the capital and the second largest city of the Independencia Province of the Dominican Republic. It serves as one of the two main border crossings to Haiti, with a duty-free open-air marketplace operating on the border with Haiti. The town suffered damages in the flash flood of May 25, 2004, which killed many citizens during the night and washed away hundreds of homes.
La Vega, is the fourth largest city and municipality of the Dominican Republic. It is in La Vega Province. The city is known as the Carnaval epicenter of the Dominican Republic for its tradition and culture, its large agricultural production methods throughout its province.
Neiba is a city in the southwest of the Dominican Republic. It is the capital city of the Baoruco province, and is located 180 kilometres west of the national capital, Santo Domingo, close to the shore of Lake Enriquillo, the largest lake in the West Indies.
Bonao is a city in the Cibao region of Dominican Republic. It is the capital of the Monseñor Nouel province. The city is located in the center of the country, to the northwest of the national capital Santo Domingo.
San Fernando de Monte Cristi, also known as Montecristi, is the capital town of Monte Cristi Province in the Dominican Republic. It is located in the northwest region of the country in a coastal area above the border with Haiti.
Baní is a capital town of the Peravia Province, Dominican Republic. It is the commercial and manufacturing center in the southern region of Valdesia. The town is located 65 km south of the capital city Santo Domingo.
San Francisco de Bánica, or simply Bánica, is a town and municipality in the northwest region of Dominican Republic in the Elías Piña province. It is located on the border with Haiti near the Artibonite river. The name Bánica comes from the Taíno name of the region, Banique.
Duvergé, also known locally as Las Damas is the largest city in the province of Independencia in the Dominican Republic. The first settlers of this community were the gentlemen Christopher Pérez and María del Pulgar, originating from San Juan de la Maguana.
Constanza is a town and municipality in La Vega Province, Dominican Republic. Located in the Cordillera Central region, Constanza is known for having the coldest temperature for a settlement on the island of Hispaniola, as well as the entire Caribbean.
San Juan de la Maguana is a city and municipality in the western region of the Dominican Republic and capital of the San Juan province. It was one of the first cities established on the island; founded in 1503, and was given the name of San Juan de la Maguana by San Juan Bautista and the Taino name of the valley: Maguana. The term Maguana means "the first stone, the unique stone".
San José de las Matas, also known as Sajoma, is an important municipality (municipio) of the Santiago province in the Dominican Republic. The mayor of Sajoma is Alfredo Reyes. there has been many positive changes in the last four years such as adding a 911 system. Within the municipality there are three municipal districts : El Rubio, La Cuesta and Las Placetas.
The Dominican city of Santa Cruz de Mao, or simply Mao, is the head municipality of the Valverde province, in the northwest of the country.
Moca is the capital of Espaillat province in the Cibao region of the Dominican Republic, and is the tenth-largest city of the country with a population of 173,442 inhabitants. Moca is located 11 miles/18 kilometers east from the country’s second-largest city, Santiago. It is divided into eight municipal districts: San Víctor, Las Lagunas, José Contreras, Juan López, El Higuerito, La Ortega, Monte de la Jagua and Canca La Reina.
San Pedro de Macorís is a city and municipality (municipio) in the Dominican Republic and the capital of the San Pedro de Macorís province in the east region of the country; it is among the 10 largest cities of the Dominican Republic. The city has approximately 195,000 inhabitants, when including the metro area. As a provincial capital, it houses the Universidad Central del Este university.