Where is Samana, Dominican Republic

Samaná is a province of the Dominican Republic located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the north-east of the Dominican Republic. Its capital is Santa Bárbara de Samaná, generally known as Samaná.

Samana is known for its mountains of which it is almost fully formed. Samana has several beaches and it is on November 6th, 2006 that the international airport of the province has officially opened its doors. Samaná is expected to become a leading tourist destination in the country.

Samana is considered one of the most beautiful areas of the Dominican Republic. Its tourism industry has not reached its full potential. You will find tropical forests, coconut plantations, hundreds of beaches with turquoise waters, waterfalls, protected national parks, etc.. Samana is one of the breeding grounds of the humpback whale. Thousands of humpback whales from the coast, off Samaná from January to March.

A highway linking the peninsula of Samana to Santa Domingo, opened to the public in 2008. This highway has cut driving time from four hours to 1.5 hours. There is a major tourism development throughout the peninsula of Samaná, many roads are under construction and / or repaired to facilitate bus transfers from the airport to hotels on the peninsula.

The area of the Dominican Republic is 48.442 km2, is the second largest island in the Caribbean. The land of Hispaniola dates back to the prehistoric times, there are millions of years pursuant to immense natural forces, deep cracks have opened on the seabed. Some had volcanic activity, which had the effect of causing the appearance of a multitude of craters on the seabed. One of the biggest is the source of the current Hispaniola.

The submarine eruptions and ocean movements formed a thick layer of rock who there are 60 million years, rose pursuant to enormous pressure, and following a drop in sea level, many craters emerged. For millions of years these islands were surrounded by coral reefs, and the end result is the construction of an archipelago of islands, large and small bays, beautiful sandy beaches and impressive coral.

The Hispaniola is the second largest and most mountainous island in the Caribbean. The largest part of the island consists of mountain ranges, while the remaining third consists of pleasant plains. It is also surprising that the country has the highest point, but also the lowest of all the Caribbean islands. Highest point: Pico Duarte at 3.175 meters and the lowest point: Lago Enriquillo, a large salt lake with an area of 200 km2, which is 44 meters below sea level despite the fact that is a very mountainous island, it has 400 kms of beach stretching from one side to another.

Among other beaches of Puerto Plata, Costambar, Playa Dorada, Sosua, Luperon Cabarete and the north. North of Puerto Plata, Las Terrenas found in Las Galeras, Puerto Escondido, and Portillo. South of the island, there are the beaches of Boca Chica, Juan Dolio, La Romana and Bayahibe and south-east two of the most beautiful beaches in the country, Punta Cana and Bavaro.

Click HERE to see the location of Samana in the Dominican Republic with the excellent positioning software, Google Earth. If you do not have this free software installed on your computer, click HERE to download a copy of Google.

Airport

Samana International Airport El Catey (AZS) also known as « Aeropuerto Internacional Presidente Juan Bosch » is a new airport which opened its doors on November 6, 2006 to serve the province of Samana, Dominican Republic. It is the smallest airport in the country.

The airport is located near the small village of « El Catey », about 8 km west of Sanchez at the base of the mountain on the peninsula of Cape Samana. It takes roughly forty-five minutes drive from the capital of Samana, Santa Barbara de Samana, and hour and half of Las Galeras.

The airport runway measuring 3,000 x 45 meters, the flexible pavement is designed to accommodate large aircraft like a Boeing 747. The terminal can simultaneously accommodate four, with a maximum capacity of 600 passengers per hour.

Click HERE to see our photos of the International airport.

Remember to make a good provision of « Brugal » Dominican rum before boarding your flight home. The cost is $ 13 USD for two bottles of 750 ml and $ 18 for rum older. Very affordable! The airport is air conditioned, with duty-free shops, snack bar and the waiting area is non smoking.

History

The Dominican Republic was discovered January 12, 1493 by Christopher Columbus, who was greeted with a barrage of spears and arrows of the indigenous Taino warriors. They say it was the first instance of violent opposition to the Spanish conquistadors in the Americas.

Samana was supposed to be sold for the United States as a military base during the presidency of Pedro Santana, but fortunately this project was never realized. The United States has estimated the cost too high.

Dates to remember ...

1492
Christopher Columbus discovered America and named the island Hispaniola.

1496
Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher, founded the city of Santo Domingo.

1535
Less than a century after the arrival of the first settlers, the local population of the indigenous people has virtually disappeared.

1697
France acquires officially west of the island by the Treaty of Rijswijk.

1822
The young republic of Haiti invaded Santo Domingo and held until 1844 by the general Toussaint L'Ouverture.

1844
Declaration of the indepence of the Dominican Republic by Juan Pablo Duarte

1930 @ 1961
The dictator Trujillo has power without compromise.

1965
Balaguer's government came to power.

1978
Antonio Guzman was elected president and depoliticize the army by firing 23 generals.

1986
Joachim Balaguer was reelected.

1996
Leonel Fernandez came to power with the Democratic Party (LDP).

2000
Hipolito Mejia came to power.

2004
Leonel Fernandez was re-elected and remains to this day as head of government.

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