Barahona, Dominican Republic
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Barahona
|official_name = Santa Cruz de Barahona
|image_skyline = File:Barahona Dominican Republic Town 3.jpg
|imagesize = 264px
|image_caption = Villa Miriam
|pushpin_map = Dominican Republic
|pushpin_relief = 1
|image_seal =
|mapsize = 250px
|coordinates = {{coord|18|12|N|71|06|W|region:DO|display=inline,title}}
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{DOM}}
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = Barahona
|established_title =
|founder = Toussaint L'ouverture
|established_date = 1802
|established_title2 = Municipality since
|established_date2 = 1858
|area_total_km2 = 163.02
|elevation_m = 10
|elevation_footnotes = {{cite book
| last = De la Fuente
| first = Santiago
| title = Geografía Dominicana
| publisher = Editora Colegial Quisqueyana
| year = 1976
| location = Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
| language = es }}
|population_total = 138159
|population_as_of = 2012
|total_type = Total
|population_density_km2 = auto
|population_blank1_title = Demonym
|population_blank1 = Barahonero(a)
|population_footnotes = Censo 2012 de Población y Vivienda, [http://one.gob.do/ Oficina Nacional de Estadistica]
|blank_name = Municipal Districts
|blank_info = 3
|blank1_name = Climate
|blank1_info = Aw
}}
Barahona, also known as Santa Cruz de Barahona, is the main city of the Barahona Province, in the southwest of the Dominican Republic. It has one of the most active ports in the region, as well as many ecotourism attractions. The city is a centre of sugar production and industry. Barahona is also known for being the only place where the rare Larimar stone can be found.
History
Before its discovery by Europeans, the area belonged to the Native Taino chiefdom of Jaragua, ruled by Bohechío.
The current name of the province and city is derived from the surname of the first Spaniards who came to the area, some of these Spaniards were also from the town of Baraona in Spain and named it in honor of their town of origin. The Spaniards spread throughout the territory and designated places with their names. Francisco de Barahona, Gabriel Barahona, Luis de Barahona and Juan de Barahona arrived on the first and second voyages of Christopher Columbus in the 1490s.
| first = Oscar
| last = López Reyes
| title = Historia del desarrollo de Barahona: Narración e interpretación
| publisher = Mediabyte
| year = 1999
| location = Santo Domingo
File:Barahona Dominican Republic Town.jpg
After the nation's independence in 1844, Barahona was a military post of the Azua Province. In 1858, Barahona was elevated to the category of municipality. When the province was created in 1881, Barahona was made its head municipality. In 1907, the territorial denominations of cantons and maritime districts were abolished and replaced by the terms communes and provinces, respectively, while Barahona was promoted to this category the same year.
The revolutionary movement known as "El Salvador" was founded in Barahona by Cuban radicals with the purpose of mobilizing financial resources to support the independence movement in Cuba from Spain. Dominican president Ulises Heureaux provided money and weapons to Cuban patriots and from the shores of Barahona, weapons were brought to Cuba.
Between 1916 and 1924, the American presence in the province influenced the planting of cane and the construction of the hacienda. In 1927, the first aviation company of the Caribbean region was started in Barahona. The service was inaugurated between the cities of Barahona, Santa Cruz, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo and Port-au-Prince Haiti.
Climate
File:Barahona 71.16445W 18.21020N.jpg
Under the Köppen climate classification, Barahona has a tropical wet and dry climate.{{cite journal | author=Peel, M. C. | author2=Finlayson, B. L. | author3=McMahon, T. A. | name-list-style=amp | year=2007| title= Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification | journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. | volume=11 | pages=1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 | url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf | issn = 1027-5606| doi-access=free }} Temperatures tend to remain steady throughout the year, with mean temperatures ranging from a low of {{convert|24.8|C|F}} in January to a high of {{convert|28.0|C|F}} in July.
In terms of dry and wet seasons, Barahona has two distinctive wet seasons with a peak in precipitation from May to June followed by drought-like conditions in July and August (due to the Azores High being located in the central Atlantic, inhibiting the formation of clouds and rain) and another peak in precipitation from September to October. This precipitation pattern is due to the movement and the position of the Azores high throughout the year. The dry season mainly runs through December to April. Even in the drier months, precipitation can still occur with February receiving just under {{convert|30|mm|in|abbr=on}}. Sunshine is abundant throughout the year, averaging over 3200 hours.
{{Weather box
| width = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
| location = María Montez International Airport (1991–2020)
| Jan high C = 30.2
| Feb high C = 30.3
| Mar high C = 30.3
| Apr high C = 30.7
| May high C = 31.0
| Jun high C = 31.6
| Jul high C = 32.6
| Aug high C = 32.8
| Sep high C = 32.4
| Oct high C = 31.7
| Nov high C = 31.3
| Dec high C = 30.7
| year high C = 31.3
| Jan mean C = 25.3
| Feb mean C = 25.5
| Mar mean C = 26.0
| Apr mean C = 26.7
| May mean C = 27.3
| Jun mean C = 28.0
| Jul mean C = 28.5
| Aug mean C = 28.6
| Sep mean C = 28.1
| Oct mean C = 27.4
| Nov mean C = 26.7
| Dec mean C = 25.8
| year mean C = 27.0
| Jan low C = 20.4
| Feb low C = 20.7
| Mar low C = 21.6
| Apr low C = 22.8
| May low C = 23.6
| Jun low C = 24.3
| Jul low C = 24.5
| Aug low C = 24.4
| Sep low C = 23.7
| Oct low C = 23.1
| Nov low C = 22.2
| Dec low C = 20.8
| year low C = 22.7
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 23.3
| Feb precipitation mm = 20.4
| Mar precipitation mm = 51.2
| Apr precipitation mm = 97.8
| May precipitation mm = 147.4
| Jun precipitation mm = 75.2
| Jul precipitation mm = 49.2
| Aug precipitation mm = 119.0
| Sep precipitation mm = 119.5
| Oct precipitation mm = 161.3
| Nov precipitation mm = 99.6
| Dec precipitation mm = 36.2
| year precipitation mm = 1000.4
| source 1 = NOAA{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/5.5/data/0-data/Region-4-WMO-Normals-9120/DominicanRepublic/CSV/Barahona_78482.csv
|title = Barahona Climate Normals for 1991-2020
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|format = CSV
|access-date = 2 September 2024}}
}}
{{Weather box
|location = Barahona (1961-1990)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|width = auto
|temperature colour = pastel
|Jan record high C = 33.2
|Feb record high C = 34.0
|Mar record high C = 33.8
|Apr record high C = 34.5
|May record high C = 34.7
|Jun record high C = 34.2
|Jul record high C = 35.6
|Aug record high C = 37.5
|Sep record high C = 35.8
|Oct record high C = 34.5
|Nov record high C = 34.0
|Dec record high C = 34.3
|year record high C = 37.5
|Jan high C = 29.3
|Feb high C = 29.2
|Mar high C = 29.5
|Apr high C = 30.0
|May high C = 30.3
|Jun high C = 30.7
|Jul high C = 31.7
|Aug high C = 31.9
|Sep high C = 31.5
|Oct high C = 30.7
|Nov high C = 30.6
|Dec high C = 29.8
|year high C = 30.4
|Jan mean C = 24.8
|Feb mean C = 25.0
|Mar mean C = 25.6
|Apr mean C = 26.3
|May mean C = 26.8
|Jun mean C = 27.4
|Jul mean C = 28.0
|Aug mean C = 27.9
|Sep mean C = 27.4
|Oct mean C = 26.6
|Nov mean C = 26.2
|Dec mean C = 25.3
|year mean C = 26.4
|Jan low C = 20.3
|Feb low C = 20.7
|Mar low C = 21.6
|Apr low C = 22.6
|May low C = 23.3
|Jun low C = 24.1
|Jul low C = 24.3
|Aug low C = 24.0
|Sep low C = 23.3
|Oct low C = 22.6
|Nov low C = 21.8
|Dec low C = 20.7
|year low C = 22.4
|Jan record low C = 15.0
|Feb record low C = 15.0
|Mar record low C = 17.0
|Apr record low C = 18.0
|May record low C = 19.2
|Jun record low C = 20.0
|Jul record low C = 19.5
|Aug record low C = 20.0
|Sep record low C = 20.0
|Oct record low C = 19.6
|Nov record low C = 16.6
|Dec record low C = 15.5
|year record low C = 15.0
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 30.4
|Feb rain mm = 29.3
|Mar rain mm = 45.1
|Apr rain mm = 64.1
|May rain mm = 168.5
|Jun rain mm = 129.5
|Jul rain mm = 38.1
|Aug rain mm = 65.1
|Sep rain mm = 143.7
|Oct rain mm = 184.9
|Nov rain mm = 75.6
|Dec rain mm = 44.4
|unit rain days = 0.1 mm
|Jan rain days = 3.7
|Feb rain days = 3.2
|Mar rain days = 3.9
|Apr rain days = 6.1
|May rain days = 10.6
|Jun rain days = 8.2
|Jul rain days = 3.8
|Aug rain days = 5.1
|Sep rain days = 8.8
|Oct rain days = 10.6
|Nov rain days = 4.8
|Dec rain days = 2.4
|Jan humidity = 73.0
|Feb humidity = 72.6
|Mar humidity = 71.5
|Apr humidity = 71.9
|May humidity = 75.6
|Jun humidity = 75.8
|Jul humidity = 72.0
|Aug humidity = 72.9
|Sep humidity = 76.3
|Oct humidity = 78.4
|Nov humidity = 75.1
|Dec humidity = 72.8
|year humidity = 74.0
|Jan sun = 259.6
|Feb sun = 248.8
|Mar sun = 286.7
|Apr sun = 271.5
|May sun = 261.0
|Jun sun = 264.7
|Jul sun = 289.3
|Aug sun = 286.5
|Sep sun = 243.2
|Oct sun = 259.0
|Nov sun = 267.7
|Dec sun = 268.6
|year sun = 3206.6
|source 1 = World Meteorological Organization{{cite web
| url = http://worldweather.wmo.int/132/c00592.htm
| title = World Weather Information Service - Barahona
| publisher = World Meteorological Organization
| access-date = February 23, 2013}}
|source 2 = NOAA{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/DR/78482.TXT
| title = Climate Normals for Barahona 1961-1990
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200712171425/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/DR/78482.TXT
| archive-date = 2020-07-12
| url-status = dead
| access-date = February 23, 2013}}
|date = November 2011
}}
Economy
Barahona has a diversified economy that combines agriculture, mining and tourism, with an industrial port and a free zone dedicated to textile production. Among the most important companies in the area are: CEMEX Dominicana that exploits gypsum from a mine, Rica with dairy production, the "Consorcio Azucarero Central" with sugar production, EGE Haina with electricity production, Wilbes Dominicana with areas of free trade and "Block Khoury" which produces and exports construction materials.
Agriculture and the production of cane, bananas, coffee, fruits, sorghum, yams, yautia and others. The main product in the municipality is a very good coffee ("Barahona Type Coffee"), grown in the mountains of Eastern Bahoruco. In livestock, the fattening of cattle and goats for meat, sale of leather and the growing milk production predominate, in mining the extraction of larimar, marble, plaster, alabaster, kaolin (for the production of bottles), mineral salt and construction materials, are among the main activities of Barahona.
=Downtown Barahona=
File:Barahona_Dominican_Republic_Downtown_2.jpg
File:Barahona_Dominican_Republic_downtown_streets.jpg
File:Barahona Dominican Republic town streets.jpg
File:Barahona_Dominican_Republic_Town_3.jpg
Transport
File:Frachtschiff MS Vogelsberg beim Laden von Zucker - Santa Cruz de Barahona, 1959.jpg
The city of Barahona has a sea port, which receives many ferries from different points in the Caribbean, and an airport, which has been reactivated with many flights a week to Punta Cana via Santo Domingo. Authorities provided the airport with a fuel station park, allowing facilities to the airliners that could operate in the airport in the future. The airport is the well known María Montez International Airport located about 10 minutes from the city center. The port is located about 5 minutes away from the city center.
Notable natives and residents
- Julio Lugo, shortstop for the Boston Red Sox
- Ruddy Lugo, relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics
- Maria Montez, actress
- David Thomatis, Italo-Australian agriculturalist
- Ludo Vika, actress/comedian
- Edinson Vólquez, pitcher for the Kansas City Royals
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Barahona Province}}
{{Provincial capitals of the Dominican Republic}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Cruz De Barahona}}
Category:Populated places in Barahona Province
Category:Municipalities of the Dominican Republic