CAMBIO CLIMATICO

REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA 2003
1.1.3 Seas, Coasts and Island Areas
The coastal border measures 1,575 km, of which
824 are on the Atlantic Coast and 752 on the
Caribbean Coast; of the total, 1,478 km belong to
the island and 97 km to the keys and smaller
islands. Of the 48,670.82 km2 of the total area
of the country, 56.5% corresponds to the coastal
provinces and their numerous keys and small
islands, that is, 27,437 km.
The main coastal marine ecosystems in the
Dominican Republic occupy 66,160 hectares, of
which 8,940 are mangroves, 18,600 are marine
grasslands, 13,300 are coral reefs, and 24, 420
are beaches.
1.1.4 Temperature
The Dominican Republic falls within an annual
median isotherm of 25° C, making it 1.5° C
milder than the temperature for its latitude, due
to the maritime influence and the breezes. The
mean annual temperatures range from 17.7° C in
Constanza, at an altitude of 1,234 meters, to
27.7° C at 10 meters above sea level. The mean
monthly temperature ranges between 15.4° in
Constanza and 30.6° C in Duvergé, at two meters
above sea level. The temperature decreases as
the mountainous terrain rises.
The decrease is approximately 0.5° C per each 100
meters. This explains why Santo Domingo, at sea
level, has a mean annual temperature of 25.6° C
and Constanza, at 1,234 meters above sea level, has
a mean annual temperature of 18° C. The lowest
temperatures are registered during the winter but
never go below 15° C. However, during the summer
the temperature can reach 34° C at midday.
1.1.5 Climate
The variable climate is due to the latitude, insularity,
proximity to large bodies of water and
land masses, the temperature of the neighboring
seas, the dominant east winds (the trade winds
from the northeast), the pressure system, the
island terrain and hurricanes.
The equatorial currents from the north and
south affect the country due to their high temperatures
and water content, contributing to the
intensification of these characteristics of our climate.
On the other hand, our relative nearness
to North America puts us in the reach of the
large cold air masses that descend in winter over
the central plains of the United States and that,
on arriving in our country, bring low temperatures
and rain, a phenomenon known as “the
North.” But no less important is the varied terrain
of the island that determines important
local variations, such as significant daily fluctuations
in the various meteorological elements
and the tropical hurricanes that are associated
with strong winds that can reach more than 200
km/h, and torrential rains with an intensity
above 500 mm/24 hours, occurring mainly from
August to October and affecting principally the
southwestern part of the country.
1.1.6 Rainfall
The mean annual rainfall for the entire country
is 1,500 mm, with variations ranging from 350
mm in the basin known as Hoya de Enriquillo to
2,743 mm annually in the Cordillera Oriental, or
Eastern Mountain Range. It is important to note
that more than half of the country enjoys more
that 100 days of rain annually, with variations
ranging from 31 days in Pedernales to 265 days
in San Cristóbal.
The terrain or topography produces what is
known as orographic rains, which occur in four
places in the country: 1) the coast of Samaná
and Escocesa Bays, from Cabrera to Miches; 2)
the northern slope of the Cordillera
Septentrional, or Northern Mountain Range,
from Puerto Plata to Gaspar Hernandez; 3) the
eastern part of the Cordillera Central, or Central
Mountain Range, from Jarabacaoa to San
Cristobal; and 4) the eastern part of the Sierra de
Bahoruco, or Bahoruco Mountain Range, to the
south of Barahona.
When the humid trade winds encounter a mountain
in their path, they are forced to rise; with
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