Cibao region Dominican Republic
Cibao, usually referred as "El Cibao", is a region of the Dominican Republic located at the northern part of the country.
The Ta?no word Cibao, meaning "place where rocks abound", was originally applied to the central mountain range, and used during the Spanish conquest to refer to the rich and fertile valley between the Central and Septentrional mountain ranges.
The Cibao region occupies the whole northern part of the Dominican territory. To the north and east of the region lies the Atlantic Ocean; to its west lies the Republic of Haiti and to the south the Central Range, which separates Cibao from the other natural regions.
The population is mainly gathered in the center of the region. The city of Santiago de los Caballeros constitutes the regional center and main focus of development of the area.
Two of the largest rivers of the country are located inside this region: the Yaque del Norte, the largest river of the Dominican Republic, and the Yuna river. Both of these rivers contain several chains of dams used to provide the region with water for irrigation (since agriculture is the main activity of the area) and hydroelectric energy. Rice, coffee and cacao are the most important crops grown in the area.
The central mountain range also has important mining activity. Its main mineral resources include gold, iron and nickel, among others. The internationally known Falconbridge is the company in charge of the extraction of these ores.
The Atlantic coast of the country is well known for having beautiful beaches. Several tourist centers have developed along the coast of the region, among them Sos?a, a Jewish community established in the 1940s; Cabarete, one of the most important centers in the Caribbean for international surfing competitions; and most recently Saman?, ideal for eco-tourism and whale watching.
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Santiago de Los Caballeros
Santiago is a province of the Dominican Republic. Santiago is the heart of the country,Santiago is an intellectual, educational, and cultural center. It is also a major industrial center with the rum, textile, cigarette and cigar industry, which are based there. Shoe manufacturing and leather goods furniture making are an important part of the city's economic life. It is also a major Free Zone center with four important industrial free zones, and an important cement factory. Santiago is home to one of the largest medical centers in the northern region of the country, Hospital Metropilitano De Santiago, which serves all 13 provinces of the El Cibao. Also within striking distance there are a good number of pleasant towns, many of which are quite prosperous. Santiago is in the center of the Cibao Valley, the wealthiest region in the DR per capita. Santiago has a sizable wealthy community composed mainly of "old money." It is surrounded by tall mountains which have for years protected it from hurricanes and allows for dense tropical forests to develop on the slopes of such mountains, which are among the highest in the region.
Nickname La Ciudad Coraz?n
Population (2008)
City 993,629
Metro 1,346,060
Thank you for posting those pics.
