Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Land
The island's geography owes more to the Central American mainland than its mostly flat
neighboring islands. The one thing that Hispaniola has in spades is an abundance of moun-
tains. Primary among mountain ranges is the Cordillera Central that runs from Santo
Domingo into Haiti, where it becomes the Massif du Nord, fully encompassing a third of
the island's landmass. The Cordillera Central is home to Pico Duarte, the Caribbean's
highest mountain (at 3087m), which is so big it causes a rain shadow that makes much of
southwest DR very arid. Other ranges include the Cordillera Septentrional, rising dramatic-
ally from the coast near Cabarete, and the Cordillera Orientale, along the southern
shoreline of Bahía de Samaná. Between the ranges lie a series of lush and fertile valleys.
Coffee, rice, bananas and tobacco thrive here, as well as in the plains around Santo
Domingo. In comparison, sections of southwest DR are semi-desert.
The unique landscape of Hispaniola is due to the 90-million-year-old movements of the
earth's crust. As it slowly ground past North America, the Caribbean Plate cracked and
crumpled to form the islands stretching from Cuba to Puerto Rico. The plate is still moving
at 1cm to 2cm per year, and continues to elevate Hispaniola.
HURRICANE ALLEY
Caribbean hurricanes are born 3000km away off the west coast of Africa, where pockets of low pres-
sure draw high winds toward them and the Earth's rotation molds them into their familiar counterclock-
wise swirl. The strongest and rarest of hurricanes, Category 5, typically build up in July and August and
pack winds that exceed 250km/h. Hispaniola has often been hit hard by hurricanes. If you're near the
coast when one is approaching, head inland, preferably to a large city where there are modern buildings
and emergency services. Large resorts in the DR have sturdy hurricane shelters and evacuation proced-
ures. Stay away from the beach, rivers, lakes and anywhere mudslides are a risk. Avoid standing near
windows, as flying debris and sudden pressure changes can shatter the glass. The
National Hurricane
Center
(
www.nhc.noaa.gov)
is the place to head for current information.
