Cibao

El Cibao
The main Cibao region in dark blue.
Country	Dominican Republic
Area
• Total	19,058.62 km^2 (7,358.57 sq mi)
Population (2009)
• Total	5,622,378.
• Density	295/km^2 (760/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Cibaenian; Cibaine (Spanish: cibaeño)

Cibao, usually referred as "El Cibao", is a region of the Dominican Republic located at the northern part of the country. As of 2009 the Cibao has a population of 5,622,378 making it the most populous region in the country.^[1]

The word Cibao, meaning "place where rocks abound", was a native name for the island, although the Spanish used it during the Spanish conquest to refer to the rich and fertile valley between the Central and Septentrional mountain ranges.

Geography and Economy

Aerial view of Constanza, a town located in the Cibao region.

Cibao occupies the central and 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 Cordilla Central mountain range is located within Cibao, containing the highest peak in all of the Caribbean, Pico Duarte. Two of the largest rivers of the country are also 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.

Culture

Cibaenians in the town of Moca, Espaillat.

The valley is not only a geographical unit, but also a cultural and linguistic unit. The Cibao region is considered to be the cultural heartland of the Dominican Republic. The local dialect of Spanish spoken in the area, has influence from Portuguese including several regional idiomatic phrases, expressions, and a particular way of speaking, especially the pronunciation of 'L' like the Portuguese phoneme 'LH', consisting in an intermediate sound between 'L' and short 'I', which many non-Cibaenians misinterprets as a short 'I' sound.

The genre of Merengue, played using the Güira, Tambora (drum) and Accordion, originates in Cibao. This type of merengue is played by the Perico Ripiao, which are typical local musical groups. This latter name is also often used to refer to the musical genre itself.

Horse riding culture in Cibao.

During Late January and through February, several carnivals are held within the region. The most popular of these festivals belongs to the province of La Vega, and dates back to the first European settlements. It began as a religious activity celebrating the pre-Lent season, and the carnival's theme revolves around the victory of good over evil.

Many important Dominican patriots were of Cibaine origin. Among the most important are local generals José Desiderio Valverde and José Antonio Salcedo, who were responsible for the restoration of the Republic in the later decades of the 1800s. During the Trujillo dictatorship, the Mirabal sisters arranged clandestine organizations to rebel against the anarchy. The sisters were brutally murdered in 1960, and remain today as some of the biggest martyrs on behalf of the Dominican nation.

The bulk of the population is mainly concentrated 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.

Provinces

Province	Capital	Area (km²)[2]	Population[2]	Density[2]	Map region
Dajabón	Dajabón	1,020.73	62,046	61	4
Duarte	San Francisco de Macorís	1,605.35	283,805	177	5
Espaillat	Moca	838.62	225,091	268	8
Hermanas Mirabal	Salcedo	440.43	96,356	219	21
La Vega	Concepción de la Vega	2,287.24	385,101	168	13
María Trinidad Sánchez	Nagua	1,271.71	135,727	119	14
Monseñor Nouel	Bonao	992.39	167,618	169	15
Monte Cristi	San Fernando de Monte Cristi	1,924.35	111,014	58	16
Puerto Plata	San Felipe de Puerto Plata	1,852.90	312,706	168	20
Samaná	Santa Bárbara de Samaná	853.74	91,875	108	22
Sánchez Ramírez	Cotuí	1,196.13	151,179	126	23
Santiago	Santiago de los Caballeros	2,836.51	908,250	320	28
Santiago Rodríguez	San Ignacio de Sabaneta	1,111.14	59,629	54	29
Valverde	Santa Cruz de Mao	823.38	158,293	192	31
Total		19,058.62	3,148,690	165	-

Map of the provinces of the Dominican Republic

References

1. Santo Domingo: A Country with a Future.
2. Oficina Nacional de Estadística. "República Dominicana en Cifras 2006" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2007-03-27. Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.

Coordinates: 19°37′37″N 70°16′39″W / 19.6269°N 70.2774°W