Moca, Espaillat

This article is about the city in the Dominican Republic. For other uses, see MOCA.
Moca

Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Church
Moca
Coordinates: 19°23′N 70°31′W / 19.383°N 70.517°W / 19.383; -70.517Coordinates: 19°23′N 70°31′W / 19.383°N 70.517°W / 19.383; -70.517
Country  Dominican Republic
Province Espaillat
Municipality since 1822
Area[1]
 • Total 239.36 km2 (92.42 sq mi)
Elevation[2] 183 m (600 ft)
Population (2012)[3]
 • Total 173,442
 • Density 720/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
 • Demonym Mocano(a)
Distance to
 – Santo Domingo
145 km
Municipalities 8
Climate Af
Website http://am.gob.do/

Moca is the capital of Espaillat province, in the Cibao region of the Dominican Republic, and it is the tenth-largest city of that country.[4] Moca is located 11 miles/18 kilometers away from the country’s second city, Santiago. Known as "La Villa Heroica" (Village of Heroes) due to the amount of men and women from Moca who have played a major role in the Dominican Republic's history in bringing down two dictators, Ulises Heureaux and Rafael Trujillo, and bringing democracy back to the country.

Cibaenians in the town of Moca, Espaillat.

Moca is home to the Corazon Sagrado de Jesus ("Sacred Heart of Jesus") Cathedral. All its pane glass windows were originally brought from Italy depicting the apostles and Jesus' path to the crucifixion. Agriculture forms the primary livelihood of the inhabitants. Plantain and yucca are main crops. Most crops are harvested by hand.

Moca is also recognized for its strong political up bringing. Former dictator Rafael Trujillo owned a house in Moca. In fact, the house is located a few blocks from the church Sagrado Corazon De Jesus (picture above).

Etymology

According to Emiliano Tejera, Moca means a tree that overlooks the river banks. Others claim that the word comes from the region of Mocán, a section in the province of La Vega near the river. Others claim that the word Moca is based on the coffee crop name: Mocca. According to Franklin Torres Moca is derived from an Aboriginal term which was adopted by the European settlers.

Geography

Moca has a total area of 339.21 km².[1] The municipality sits on a valley with hills to the west and low mountains to the north; these mountains are part of the Cordillera Septentrional. The highest mountain in the municipality, and in the province, is El Mogote at (970 m). Moca is at an elevation of 183 m with an average temperature in the city of 25.3°C and an average rainfall of 1,174.4 mm.

Economy

Moca has a very important banking sector, the city is home to branches of all commercial banks of the country. A strong business in shops, furniture, supermarkets, warehouses, factories of footwear, food, construction, and hardware. The city has the largest coffee manufacturing industry, Industries Banilejas.[5]

The city is also known for its agricultural production, with the plantain, banana and cassava as major crops. Other fruits: bananas, pigeon pea, taro, yams, squash, beans, coffee, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, papaya (papaya), etc. A variety of vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cabbage are cultivated, among others. It also has a great development in poultry products, with a production of 70% in this sector.

External links

References

  1. 1 2 Superficies a nivel de municipios, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica
  2. ↑ De la Fuente, Santiago (1976). Geografía Dominicana (in Spanish). Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Editora Colegial Quisqueyana.
  3. ↑ Censo 2012 de Población y Vivienda, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica
  4. ↑ "Expansión Urbana de las ciudades capitales de RD: 1988-2010" (in Spanish). Santo Domingo: Oficina Nacional de Estadística. 1 May 2015. ISBN 978-9945-8984-3-9. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  5. ↑ http://www.am.gob.do/index.php/moca.html
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