Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic


San Fernando de Monte Cristi is the capital of Monte Cristi Province in the Dominican Republic. It is located in the northwest region of the country in the coastal lowlands near the border with Haiti.

History

Monte Cristi was founded by Nicolás de Ovando in 1506 and populated in 1533 by Juan de Bolaños and 63 families from the Canary Islands. These migrated to various parts of the country afterwards leaving the town behind. It was later repopulated and became a very wealthy port in the mid-to-late 16th century.
In 1606, one hundred years after its founding, it was destroyed as retribution for doing business with pirates. In 1756 the city was rebuilt and again became a prosperous trading center, until the early 20th century.
In 1895, it was the site of the signing of the Manifesto of Montecristi by Máximo Gómez and José Martí, at the Gómez home on Mella St. They sailed from "La Granja" beach, also in Montecristi, to Cuba to fight for its independence.

Climate

Monte Cristi has a tropical savanna climate with a pronounced dry season in the summer, and a wet season in the winter. It has an average temperature of and an average annual rainfall of. The average evaporation is. Precipitation is highest in the eastern part of the park where the winds collide with the Northern Range and discharge their waters. The same applies to the area of Manzanillo. The same winds hit the Central Cordillera and its extension, the Massif du Nord in Haiti. The effect is felt mainly in the foothills near Loma de Cabrera and Dajabón, and to a lesser extent in Manzanillo.
Hurricanes and tropical storms have little effect on the area of Monte Cristi, however, they can cause increased rains and flooding in the Yaque del Norte River, which brings sediment that affects reefs in the area. During the winter, some cold fronts come from North America, with low temperatures and strong northerly winds. It is also common that cold currents coming down from the Arctic seabed emerge when they hit the island shelf.