Cotuí

city in Dominican Republic

Cotuí is a Dominican city and the head municipality of the Sánchez Ramírez province, in the centre of the country.

Cotuí
Municipality
Coat of arms of Cotuí
Cotuí is located in the Dominican Republic
Cotuí
Cotuí
Coordinates: 19°3′36″N 70°9′0″W / 19.06000°N 70.15000°W / 19.06000; -70.15000
Country Dominican Republic
ProvinceSánchez Ramírez
Founded1505
Municipality since
1844
Municipal DistrictsQuita Sueño, Caballero, Comedero Arriba, Platanal
Area
 • Total474.6 km2 (183.2 sq mi)
 • Urban8.99 km2 (3.47 sq mi)
Elevation83 m (272 ft)
Population
 (2014)[1]
 • Total64,133
 • Density140/km2 (350/sq mi)
 • Urban
45,135
Demonym(s)Cotuisano (female, cotuisana)
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (AST)
Distance:55 km (34 mi) to La Vega
105 km (65 mi) to Santo Domingo

Cotuí comes from the word Cotoi, the Taíno name of the region where the old city was founded.[4]

History

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The town was founded in 1505 by Rodrigo Mejía de Trujillo, a Spanish conquistador;[5] the Spanish governor of the Hispaniola island at that time was Nicolás de Ovando. It was built near a gold mine in a region called Cotoi (also written Cotoy) by the Taíno people.

The old town was near the present town of Maimón and there were important improvements in the town during those first years and its named was changed to La Mejorada Villa de Cotuí ("The Improved City of Cotu") but most people called it Los Mineros ("The Miners").

In 1562 there was a strong earthquake that destroyed the town and other cities in the island. Cotuí was moved to its present place in 1569, close to the river Yuna.

It was made a municipality in 1822 by the Haitian government and it was one of the first municipalities of the country after the Dominican Independence in 1844. In 1952, Cotuí was made the head municipality of the new province of Sánchez Ramírez.

Population

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The municipality had, in 2014, a total population of 64,133: 32,675 men and 31,458 women. The urban population was 70.4% of the total population.[1]

Geography

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Cotuí has a total area of 474.6 km2 (183 sq mi), about 40% of the total area of the province of Sánchez Ramírez.[1] The city is an elevation of 83 m (272 ft),[3] and at 105 km (65 mi) to the north of Santo Domingo.

Cotuí is to the north of the Sierra de Yamasá mountain range, in the Cibao Valley. The city is near the Yuna river, one of the most important river of the Hispaniola island.

The municipality of Cotuí has the Monseñor Nouel province to the west, the Monte Plata province to the south, the municipality of Fantino to the northwest, the municipality of La Mata to the north and the municipality of Cevicos to the west.

Climate

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Cotuí has a tropical wet climate (Köppen-Geiger classification: Af) with no dry or cold season as it is constantly moist (rainfalls during the whole year).[6]

The average amount of rainfall for the year in the city is 1,843.4 mm (72.6 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is May with 234.2 mm (9.2 in) of rainfall, followed by August with 209.1 mm (8.2 in).

The driest season is winter. The month with the least rainfall on average is January with an average of 88.2 mm (3.5 in) and the second is February with 98 mm (3.9 in).

Cotuí is in a hot region; the average temperature for the year is 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). The warmest month, on average, is June with an average temperature of 27.55 °C (81.6 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 24.05 °C (75.3 °F).

Climate data for Cotuí (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29.6
(85.3)
30.4
(86.7)
31.5
(88.7)
32
(90)
32.4
(90.3)
33.1
(91.6)
32.9
(91.2)
33
(91)
33.3
(91.9)
33
(91)
31.3
(88.3)
29.6
(85.3)
31.8
(89.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 24.1
(75.4)
24.6
(76.3)
25.7
(78.3)
26.3
(79.3)
27
(81)
27.6
(81.7)
27.5
(81.5)
27.5
(81.5)
27.5
(81.5)
27.2
(81.0)
26
(79)
24.4
(75.9)
26.3
(79.4)
Average low °C (°F) 18.5
(65.3)
18.8
(65.8)
19.8
(67.6)
20.5
(68.9)
21.5
(70.7)
22
(72)
22.1
(71.8)
22
(72)
21.7
(71.1)
21.4
(70.5)
20.6
(69.1)
19.1
(66.4)
20.7
(69.3)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 88.2
(3.47)
98
(3.9)
105.8
(4.17)
126.7
(4.99)
234.2
(9.22)
149.6
(5.89)
189.9
(7.48)
209.1
(8.23)
164.1
(6.46)
161.2
(6.35)
167.7
(6.60)
148.9
(5.86)
1,843.4
(72.62)
Source 1: NOAA[7]
Source 2: Climatemps.com[6]

Administrative division

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The municipality of Cotuí has four municipal districts:[8]

Municipal districts of Cotuí
Code Municipal district Population
(2010)
240102 Quita Sueño 3,531
240103 Caballero 2,521
240104 Comedero Arriba 2,699
240105 Platanal 3,670

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Consejo Nacional de Población y Familia. "Estamaciones y Proyecciones de la Población Dominicana por Regiones, Provincias, Municipios y Distritos Municipales, 2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2014-02-02.
  2. "Expansión Urbana de las ciudades capitales de R.D. 1988-2010. Informe Básico" (PDF) (in Spanish). Oficina Nacional de Estadística. April 2015. p. 70. Retrieved 9 December 2016.[permanent dead link]
  3. 3.0 3.1 De la Fuente, Santiago (1976). Geografía Dominicana (in Spanish). Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Editora Colegial Quisqueyana.
  4. Las Casas, Fray Bartolomé de (1966). Apologética Histórica Sumaria. Tomo I (in Spanish). México: UNAM.
  5. Pouerié Cordero, M.M. (1997). Síntesis de ciudades, pueblos e islas del país (in Spanish). Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Impresora Mary.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Cotui Climate & Temperature". Climatemps.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  7. "Cotui Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  8. "División Territorial 2015" (in Spanish). Oficina Nacional de Estadística (ONE). October 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 17 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