San Pedro de Macorís

city in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican city of San Pedro de Macorís is the head municipality of the San Pedro de Macorís province, on the southeast of the country.

San Pedro de Macorís
Square in San Pedro de Macorís
Square in San Pedro de Macorís
Official seal of San Pedro de Macorís
Nickname: 
Macorís del mar
San Pedro de Macorís is located in the Dominican Republic
San Pedro de Macorís
San Pedro de Macorís
San Pedro de Macorís in the Dominican Republic
Coordinates: 18°27′36″N 69°18′36″W / 18.46000°N 69.31000°W / 18.46000; -69.31000
Country Dominican Republic
ProvinceSan Pedro de Macorís
Area
 • Total152.33 km2 (58.81 sq mi)
Elevation4 m (13 ft)
Population
 (December 2010 −IX Census)[3]
 • Total195,037
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,300/sq mi)
 • Urban
185,255
 • Demonym
Petromacorisano(a)
Distance to
 – Santo Domingo

70 km
Municipal Districts
0

It has the nickname of Macorís del mar ("Macorís by the sea") to differentiate it from San Francisco de Macorís, in the Duarte Province.

History change

There were two very small towns on the left side of the mouth of the river Macorís (or Higuamo): Mosquito (because there were too many mosquitos) and Sol (English: "Sun", because there were not trees).[4] Even today, San Pedro de Macorís is called sometimes Mosquitisol after those two old and small towns.

Since 1852, there was a military post in this place: the Military Post of Macorís, part of the Hato Mayor del Rey municipality in the El Seibo Province.

In 1856, the priest Pedro Carrasco built a Catholic church with the name San Pedro Apóstol; the church was between the two towns of Mosquito and Sol. Both towns grew in direction of the church, forming one town called San Pedro de Macorís.[5]

When the country was again a Spanish colony, San Pedro de Macorís was made a "Comandancia de Armas" (an Spanish military category). When the country was free again, in 1865, every town with the category of "Comandancia de Armas" became a municipality.[5] But San Pedro de Macorís was still a very small town of the El Seibo Province.

After 1868, with the sugarcane plantations and the sugar factories, San Pedro de Macorís began to grow and it became one of the most important city in the Dominican Republic. Many people from Cuba and Puerto Rico came to live here during the last years of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century. Later came people from Spain and the Middle East (Lebanon, Syria) to work in businesses.

To work in the sugarcane fields and factories, people from Haiti and the British West Indies came to San Pedro de Macorís and other regions of the country.

Population change

The city had, in 2014, a total population of 195,307: 94,562 men and 100,745 women. The urban population was 94.9% of the total population.

Geography change

San Pedro de Macorís is along the coast on the left side of the Higuamo river, also called Macorís. It has a total area of 146.7 km2 (57 sq mi), about 11.7% of the total area of the province of San Pedro de Macorís. The city is at an elevation of 4 m (13 ft) above sea level, and at 70 km (43 mi) to the east of Santo Domingo. It does not have any municipal district (subdivisions of a municipality);[6]

The municipality of San Pedro de Macorís is surrounded by the other municipalities of the province: Ramón Santana to the east, Quisqueya to the west and Consuelo to the north. To the south is the Caribbean Sea.

Climate change

San Pedro de Macorís has a tropical wet and dry/savanna climate (Köppen-Geiger classification: Aw) with a pronounced dry season in winter.[7]

The average amount of rainfall for the year in the city is 1,039.5 mm (40.9 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is October with 145.9 mm (5.7 in) of rainfall, followed by September with 145.8 mm (5.7 in).

The driest season is winter. The month with the least rainfall on average is February with an average of 29.9 mm (1.2 in) and the second is January with 31.1 mm (1.2 in).

San Pedro de Macorís is in a hot region; the average temperature for the year is 26.1 °C (79.0 °F). The warmest month, on average, is August with an average temperature of 27.4 °C (81.3 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 24.4 °C (75.9 °F).

Climate data for San Pedro de Macorís (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29.5
(85.1)
29.6
(85.3)
30.1
(86.2)
30.5
(86.9)
30.9
(87.6)
31.5
(88.7)
31.9
(89.4)
32.0
(89.6)
31.9
(89.4)
31.4
(88.5)
30.7
(87.3)
29.8
(85.6)
30.8
(87.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 24.4
(75.9)
24.6
(76.3)
25.0
(77.0)
25.6
(78.1)
26.3
(79.3)
27.0
(80.6)
27.3
(81.1)
27.4
(81.3)
27.3
(81.1)
26.9
(80.4)
26.0
(78.8)
24.9
(76.8)
26.1
(78.9)
Average low °C (°F) 19.4
(66.9)
19.5
(67.1)
20.0
(68.0)
20.8
(69.4)
21.7
(71.1)
22.6
(72.7)
22.7
(72.9)
22.8
(73.0)
22.7
(72.9)
22.4
(72.3)
21.4
(70.5)
20.1
(68.2)
21.3
(70.4)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 31.1
(1.22)
29.9
(1.18)
35.9
(1.41)
50.0
(1.97)
133.4
(5.25)
99.7
(3.93)
90.9
(3.58)
128.4
(5.06)
145.8
(5.74)
145.9
(5.74)
91.8
(3.61)
56.7
(2.23)
1,039.5
(40.92)
Source 1: NOAA[8]
Source 2: Climatemps.com[7]

Economy change

The economy of San Pedro de Macorís grew around the sugar production; there were several sugar factories and most of that sugar was sent to other countries through its port and then it became one of the most important port of the country. Rum is also produced in the city; rum is made with alcohol from the sugar cane.

There are also some important industries, mainly to produce cement and textiles to send to other countries.

References change

  1. Superficies a nivel de municipios, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica Archived 2009-04-17 at the Wayback Machine
  2. De la Fuente, Santiago (1976). Geografía Dominicana (in Spanish). Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Editora Colegial Quisqueyana.
  3. Censo 2012 de Población y Vivienda, Oficina Nacional de Estadistica
  4. Schomburgk, Robert H. (1881). Reseña de los Principales Puertos y Puntos de Anclaje de las Costas de la República Dominicana (in Spanish). Santo Domingo: Imprenta de García Hermanos. pp. 19–20.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Alfau Durán, Vetilio (July 1978). "El Fundador de San Pedro de Macorís". Clío (in Spanish). Año XLVII (135). Santo Domingo: Academia Dominicana de la Historia: 76–92.
  6. "División Territorial 2015" (in Spanish). Oficina Nacional de Estadística (ONE). October 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "S. P. Macoris Climate & Temperature". Climatemps.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  8. "S. P. Macoris Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 29 November 2016.


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