Azua, Dominican Republic

The Dominican city of Azua de Compostela, or simply Azua, is the head municipality of the Azua province, on the south of the country, about 5 km (3.1 mi) 5 km north of the Caribbean coast. It is also called sometimes Compostela de Azua.

Municipality
Azua de Compostela
Parque de azua.jpg
Coordinates: Coordinates: 18°27′9″N 70°44′10″W / 18.45250°N 70.73611°W / 18.45250; -70.73611
Country Dominican Republic
ProvinceAzua
Municipal Districts8
Founded1504
Municipality since1844
Area
 • Total432.95 km2 (167.16 sq mi)
 • Urban15.02 km2 (5.80 sq mi)
Elevation83 m (272 ft)
Population
 (2010)[3]
 • Total91,345
 • Density210.983/km2 (546.443/sq mi)
 • Urban
81,332
 Including populations of its municipal districts
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (AST)
Distance55 km (34 mi) to Baní
97 km (60 mi) to Santo Domingo
WebsiteAyuntamiento de Azua

Azua is the Taíno name of the region where the old city was founded. In this place, Pedro Gallego (or Pedro Mariscal), a Spanish colonist, developed a farm and he gave it the name of Compostela after Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, nortwestern Spain.[4]

Population

The municipality had, in 2010, a total population of 91,345: 46,280 men and 45,065 women. The urban population was 89% 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 Azua de Compostela without those municipal districts was 59,319.[3]

History

The town was founded in 1504 by Diego Velázquez, who later went to conquest the island of Cuba; the Spanish governor of the Hispaniola island at that time was Nicolás de Ovando. The town was in the original region of Azua, where there was a Taíno town and Pedro Gallego had a farm. This place is called now Pueblo Viejo (in English, Old Town), at about 8 km to the soutwest of the modern city.

The first secretary of the town was Hernán Cortés. He lived in Azua from 1504 to 1511, when he left to Cuba and, later, to conquest México.

Several sugar factories were established around the town and pirates came here to get the sugar and other products.[4]

In 1751 there was a strong earthquake that destroyed the old town and a new one was founded on the right (western) side of the River Vía, where the modern city is now.

Because Azua is on the road that goes from the western part of the island to Santo Domingo, the city was destroyed several times during the Dominican-Haitian War (1844-1856). Two important battles (the Azua Battles) were fought in the city; the first was on 19 March 1844 and the second on 1849.

Geography

The municipality of Azua de Compostela is in a very dry valley (the Azua Valley or Azua Plain) where cacti and other plants of dry regions are common. Farming is possible only with irrigation.

The territory around the city is very flat, with only a few very small hills but there are mountains in the north and northwest of the municipality; those mountains are part of the Cordillera Central mountain range. The only river in the municipality is the Vía, a very small river that flows through the city.

Azua de Compostela is at 97 km (60 mi) to the west of Santo Domingo. The limits of the municipality are Peralta to the north, Estebanía to the east, the Caribbean Sea to the south, Pueblo Viejo to the southwest and Sabana Yegua to the west.

Climate

Azua de Compostela has a subtropical steppe/semi-arid hot climate (Köppen climate classification : BSh).[5]

The average amount of rainfall for the year in the city is 664.3 mm (26.2 in). Most rains fall during the end of summer and mainly in fall. The month with the most precipitation on average is October with 136.0 mm (5.4 in) of rainfall, followed by September with 117.7 mm (4.6 in).

The driest season is winter. The month with the least rainfall on average is February with an average of 13.9 mm (0.5 in) and the second is January with 14.3 mm (0.6 in).

Azua de Compostela is in a hot region; the average temperature for the year is 27 °C (81 °F). The warmest months, on average, are July and August with an average temperature of 28.5 °C (83.3 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 19.2 °C (66.6 °F).

Climate data for Azua (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 31.1
(88)
31.5
(88.7)
31.8
(89.2)
32.2
(90)
32.3
(90.1)
32.8
(91)
33.9
(93)
33.9
(93)
33.3
(91.9)
32.5
(90.5)
32.0
(89.6)
31.3
(88.3)
32.38
(90.29)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.2
(77.4)
25.6
(78.1)
26.2
(79.2)
26.8
(80.2)
27.3
(81.1)
27.8
(82)
28.5
(83.3)
28.5
(83.3)
28.1
(82.6)
27.4
(81.3)
26.6
(79.9)
25.5
(77.9)
26.96
(80.53)
Average low °C (°F) 19.2
(66.6)
19.6
(67.3)
20.5
(68.9)
21.4
(70.5)
22.3
(72.1)
22.7
(72.9)
23.1
(73.6)
23.1
(73.6)
22.8
(73)
22.3
(72.1)
21.2
(70.2)
19.7
(67.5)
21.49
(70.69)
Rainfall mm (inches) 14.3
(0.563)
13.9
(0.547)
24.1
(0.949)
39.2
(1.543)
77.2
(3.039)
63.5
(2.5)
41.0
(1.614)
80.1
(3.154)
117.7
(4.634)
136.0
(5.354)
37.5
(1.476)
19.8
(0.78)
664.3
(26.154)
Source #1: NOAA[6]
Source #2: Climatemps.com[5]

Administrative division

The municipality of Azua de Compostela has eight municipal districts;[3] these are:

Municipal districts of Azua
Code Municipal district Population
(2010)
020102 Barro Arriba 5,262
020103 Las Barías-La Estancia 6,882
020104 Los Jovillos 5,962
020105 Puerto Viejo 2,194
020106 Barreras 2,364
020107 Doña Emma Balaguer Vda. Vallejo 2,759
020108 Clavellina 2,672
020109 Las Lomas 3,931

Azua, Dominican Republic Media

References

  1. "Expansión Urbana de las ciudades capitales de R.D. 1988-2010. Informe Básico" (PDF) (in español). Oficina Nacional de Estadística. April 2015. p. 26. Retrieved 9 December 2016.[dead link]
  2. De la Fuente, Santiago (1976). Geografía Dominicana (in español). Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Editora Colegial Quisqueyana.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 "IX Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda. Informe Básico" (PDF) (in español). Oficina Nacional de Estadística. June 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Matos González, Ramiro (1995). Azua Documental (y Apuntes Históricos) (in español). Santo Domingo: Editora Alfa & Omega.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Azua Climate & Temperature". Climatemps.com. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  6. "Azua Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 29, 2015.


Provincial capitals of the Dominican Republic  
AzuaBaníBarahonaBonaoComendadorCotuíDajabónEl SeiboHato MayorHigüeyJimaníLa RomanaLa VegaMaoMocaMonte CristiMonte PlataNaguaNeibaPedernalesPuerto PlataSabanetaSalcedoSamanáSan CristóbalSan Francisco de MacorísSan José de OcoaSan Juan de la MaguanaSan Pedro de MacorísSantiago de los CaballerosSanto DomingoSanto Domingo Este