Geography

The Samaná Peninsula is located in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic, between the Samaná Bay and the Scottish Bay. It extends from west to east for 35 miles (58 km). The minimum width is 4.5 miles (7.5 km) from Sánchez to the north and the maximum of 11.5 miles (18.5 km) from Los Cacaos in the south to Las Tres Puntas in the north.

Relatively low and rough mountains cover a great part of the peninsula. The mountains in the western extreme are separated from the Cordillera Septentrional (mountain range) by an extension of swampy and flat land, called El Gran Estero, which was covered by the sea, that is, the Samaná Peninsula used to be an island. Currently, this extension has closed completely due to the deposits of the Yuna River. The Samaná Peninsula is represented in some old maps as an island.

The mountainous area is composed of three sierras, being the most important the one of greater altitude. This chain of three ranges is known as the Sierra de Samaná, which is composed in both extremes of limestone materials and in the center by shale. Almost all the rocks are metamorphic, with abundance of marble.
The peninsula presents in its southern part, from Sánchez to the proximity of Samaná, a narrow coastal girdle that quickly turns into cliff or steep slopes and ends in the solid mountainous range. In the northern extreme, some coastal valleys are formed, being the most important one the Valley of Guázuma. The eastern extreme represents an important zone of terrain with flat or wavy topography and light texture soil. In the slopes of the southwestern portion the coconut palm trees prosper, whose exploitation has characterized the agricultural activity of this part of the country.

The relief of the mountain range is not very steep. The highest mountains of Samaná Sierra are La Meseta or Monete Mesa, at about 1985 ft. (605 mts.) above ocean level; Loma Pilón de Azúcar, at 1740 ft. (530 mts.), and Las Cañitas, at 1791 ft (546 mts.). Samaná is the section of the Dominican land that has suffered the most and more frequent seismic tremors (earthquakes).
The area called Los Haitises is rough and difficult to inhabit. In Los Haitises rain is very abundant, but there are no visible rivers in the surface. The drainage is performed underground. The rain has dissolved the limestone rock and caused strong internal erosion. Los Haitises are of Miocene formation.

The terrain is not deep and has a mountainous topography; its use is limited to the forest. Nevertheless, to the east of the peninsula, there are areas of eligible brittle, calcareous, and deep soil suitable for agriculture. In the high part of the mountains there are flat areas where terrain has developed at the expense of acid clayey materials, placed in conditions of a pond. In the past, these terrains of light texture were utilized with relative success for the plantation of rubber.

In the northern coastal border, valleys formed, such as the ones of the San Juan and Limón rivers, with medium texture soil and bad drainage. In this same coastal border is where the main beaches formed, as a result of the continuous marine deposition. Being Jackson, Cosón, El Anción, and Las Canas the longest ones.

In the peninsula there are numerous streams and rivers, although quite calm and not long. The majority flows into in the south delta (Santa Capuza, Majagual River, Los Róbalos, Pueblo Viejo, etc.), but the most important ones, by length and rapids flow into in the north delta (River of Limón, Cantón, San Juan, El Cosón, and Balatá).

In this region, there are three types of life zones: Subtropic Very Humid forest (Bmh-S), in the high part of the mountains, and the Subtropic Humid Forest (Bh-S), located under 400 meters above sea level. The third zone of life, the Subtropic Dry Forest (Bs-S), is found in The Lighthouse of Cabo Samaná. It needs to be pointed out that the native forests have been substituted, almost completely, by permanent cultivations, such as coconut, rubber, coffee and cocoa; or by seasonal crops, such as yautía, ñame and yucca.

The temperature is quite high, with an average of 79ºF (26ºc), reaching 85ºF (29ºc) during the months of July, August and September.