Monte Plata

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Monte Plata
Monte Plata is located in Dominican Republic
Monte Plata
Coordinates: 18°48′36″N 69°47′24″W﻿ / ﻿18.81°N 69.79°W﻿ / 18.81; -69.79Coordinates: 18°48′36″N 69°47′24″W﻿ / ﻿18.81°N 69.79°W﻿ / 18.81; -69.79
Country  Dominican Republic
Province Monte Plata
Municipal Districts 3
Founded 1606
Municipality since
 • Total 623.55 km2 (240.75 sq mi)
Elevation[2] 56 m (184 ft)
Population (2010)[3]
 • Total 46,723
 • Density 75/km2 (190/sq mi)
 • Urban 22,221
  Including populations of its municipal districts
Demonym Monteplateño
(female, monteplateña)
Time zone AST (UTC-4)
 • Summer (DST) AST (UTC-4)
Distance 53 km (33 mi) to Santo Domingo

Monte Platais a Dominican city and the head municipality of the Monte Plata province.

The town was founded with people from Monte Cristi and Puerto Plata; they took the words "Monte" from the first town and "Plata" from the second town to form the name of the town: "Monte Plata".

History[change | change source]

The city was founded in 1606 when the Spanish Governor Antonio Osorio destroyed, by orders of King Phillip III of Spain, the towns of Monte Cristi and Puerto Plata. The people and the cattle were moved to a new town that was given the name of Monte Plata to remember those two towns that were destroyed.

When the province of Monte Plata was created in 1982, the city was made the head municipality of this province.

Geography[change | change source]

Monte Plata is located in the northwestern part of the Llano Costero del Caribe (in English, "Caribbean Coastal Plain"), a large prairie with many important savannas.

The Sierra de Yamasá is found to the northeast of the municipality. Los Haitises is a region with many small hills; it is to the northwest of Monte Plata.

The municipality has a total area of 623.55 km².[1] It has three municipal districts (subdivisions of a municipality): Boyá, Chirino and Don Juan.[4]

The municipality of Monte Plata has the municipality of Sabana Grande de Boyá to the north, the municipality of Bayaguana to the east, the Santo Domingo province to the south and the municipality of Yamasá to the west.

Population[change | change source]

The municipality had, in 2010, a total population of 46,723: 23,963 men and 22,760 women. The urban population was 47.56% of the total population. In this numbers are included the population of the municipal districts Boyá, Chirino and Don Juan. The population of the city of Monte Plata without those municipal districts was 26,192.[3]

Economy[change | change source]

Because there are many savannas, and by its history, the most important economic activity in the municipality is cattle raising is also important, mainly for milk.

Farming is also an important activity. Some crops are sugar cane and fruits like orange.

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Superficies a nivel de municipios, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica
  2. De la Fuente, Santiago (1976) (in Spanish). Geografía Dominicana. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Editora Colegial Quisqueyana.

Provincial capitals of the Dominican Republic Flag of the Dominican Republic
AzuaBaníBarahonaBonaoComendadorCotuíDajabónEl SeiboHato MayorHigüeyJimaníLa RomanaLa VegaMaoMocaMonte CristiMonte PlataNaguaNeibaPedernalesPuerto PlataSabanetaSalcedoSamanáSan CristóbalSan Francisco de MacorísSan José de OcoaSan Juan de la MaguanaSan Pedro de MacorísSantiago de los CaballerosSanto DomingoSanto Domingo Este