Bonao
| Bonao | |
|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |
 Bonao
|
|
| Coordinates: 18°57′0″N 70°24′36″W / 18.95°N 70.41°WCoordinates: 18°57′0″N 70°24′36″W / 18.95°N 70.41°W | |
| Country |  Dominican Republic |
| Province | Monseñor Nouel |
| Municipal Districts | 5 |
| Founded | 1495 |
| Municipality since | 1865 |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 664.37 km2 (256.51 sq mi) |
| Elevation[2] | 83 m (272 ft) |
| Population (2010)[3] | |
| • Total | 125,338 |
| • Density | 189/km2 (490/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 83,638 |
| Including populations of its municipal districts | |
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) |
| • Summer (DST) | AST (UTC-4) |
| Distance: | 40 km (25 mi) to La Vega 85 km (53 mi) to Santo Domingo |
Bonao is a Dominican city and the head municipality of the Monseñor Nouel province, in the center of the country.
Bonao is the Taíno name of the region where the old city was founded.[4] The city is in the Bonao Valley, at about 85 km to the northwest of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.
Contents |
Population [change]
The municipality had, in 2010, a total population of 125,338: 63,115 men and 62,223 women. The urban population was 66.73% of the total population. In this numbers are included the population of the municipal districts that are part the municipality. The population of the city of Bonao without those municipal districts was 76,241.[3]
Geography [change]
Bonao is in the Bonao Valley in the centre of the Dominican Republic.
The city is near the River Yuna, one of the most important river of the Hispaniola island; the sources of the river are on the eastern side of the Cordillera Central mountain range. It flows through the Bonao Valley and then through the Cibao Valley and into the Samaná Bay.
There are other smaller rivers near Bonao, tributaries of the River Yuna.
The municipality of Bonao has five municipal districts; these are:
History [change]
Christopher Columbus founded in 1494 a small fort in the region known by the Taíno people as Bonao. The fort was built to protect the gold mines around Maimón and other places. But there was not much gold in the region and the fort was soon left without people.
The town was founded again during the early years of the 19th century but at about 5 km to the north of the old place, closer to the River Yuna. The new town had the name Yuna was soon was changed to the old one: Bonao. It was also called El Bonao (English: "The Bonao") but the article "El" (English: "The") was left out during the first years of the 20th century and it is never used now.
The new small town was made a Puesto Cantonal (and old category, like a "Military Post") in 1859 and then a municipality of La Vega province in 1865.
In 1936, its name was changed to Monseñor Meriño after the Archbishop Adolfo A. Nouel, past president of the country. In 1960, it got is old name of Bonao.
Economy [change]
Farming is very important around the city; it is one of main regions of the country where rice is grown.
Mining is also important here; nickel is mined in a mountain close to the city by the Falconbridge, a Canadian company.
References [change]
- ↑ Superficies a nivel de municipios, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica
- ↑ De la Fuente, Santiago (1976) (in Spanish). Geografía Dominicana. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Editora Colegial Quisqueyana.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Oficina Nacional de Estadística. "IX Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda. Informe Básico" (in Spanish) (PDF). http://censo2010.one.gob.do/resultados/Resumen_resultados_generales_censo_2010.pdf. Retrieved 2013-1-29.
- ↑ Tolentino Rojas, Vicente (1944) (in Spanish). Historia de la División Territorial, 1494-1943. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Editorial El Diario.
| Provincial capitals of the Dominican Republic |  |
|---|---|
| Azua • Baní • Barahona • Bonao • Comendador • Cotuí • Dajabón • El Seibo • Hato Mayor • Higüey • Jimaní • La Romana • La Vega • Mao • Moca • Monte Cristi • Monte Plata • Nagua • Neiba • Pedernales • Puerto Plata • Sabaneta • Salcedo • Samaná • San Cristóbal • San Francisco de Macorís • San José de Ocoa • San Juan de la Maguana • San Pedro de Macorís • Santiago de los Caballeros • Santo Domingo • Santo Domingo Este | |
