Valverde Province Facts for Kids

The province is named after José Desiderio Valverde. He was an important officer in the Dominican army. This was during the Dominican-Haitian War. Later, he served as President of the Dominican Republic for about a year. He was from Santiago de los Caballeros.

History of Valverde Province

For a long time, very few people lived in the area that is now Valverde province. This was because the land was very dry. Only a few people raised cattle on large ranches. The Spanish word for these ranches was Hato. You can still find many places in the province with "Hato" in their names. Examples include Hato del Yaque and Hato Nuevo. Sometimes, you see "Hatico," which means "small Hato."

The main road from the border with Haiti to Santiago de los Caballeros passed through this region. Santiago is the second largest city in the country. During the Dominican-Haitian War (1844-1856), Haitian armies often traveled through this area. Because of the conflicts, people did not want to live here.

A big change happened in 1918. A Belgian engineer named Luis L. Bogaert built a canal. This canal brought water from the river to the dry fields. He then started growing rice. This was a huge step for the province. Today, Valverde is well-known for its important rice production.

Since the Dominican Independence, this area was part of the Santiago province. In 1959, it became its own province. It included land from both Santiago and Monte Cristi provinces. The municipality of Esperanza was also added. In 1978, Laguna Salada became another municipality in the province.

New municipal districts were created over the years:

1998: Ámina
1999: Jaibón and Maizal
2000: Jicomé
2001: Pueblo Nuevo and La Caya
2002: Cruce de Guayacanes
2005: Boca de Mao
2006: Paradero

Where is Valverde Located?

The Valverde province is in the northwest part of the Cibao valley. It shares borders with several other provinces:

To the north: Puerto Plata province
To the east and south: Santiago province
To the southwest: Santiago Rodríguez province
To the west: Monte Cristi province

	Puerto Plata
Monte Cristi		Santiago
	Valverde province

Santiago Rodríguez	Santiago

Valverde's Population

In 2014, the last national census, there were 217,026 people living in Valverde province. About 129,071 of these people lived in towns and cities. The population density was 263.7 people per square kilometer.

Valverde's population makes up about 2.3% of the country's total population. It is the 18th most populated province out of 31, plus the National District.

As of As of 2016^[update], the estimated total population of the province is 171,754 people.

The largest city in the province is Mao. It is the capital city. In 2014, Mao had an urban population of 49,714 people.

Geography of Valverde

The Valverde province covers a total area of 822.9 km² (317.7 sq mi). This is about 1.7% of the total area of the Dominican Republic. It is the 28th largest province in the country.

The capital city, Mao, is located 106 m (348 ft) above sea level.

Most of the province is a valley. This valley runs along the Yaque del Norte and Mao rivers.

The Cordillera Septentrional mountain range separates Valverde from the Puerto Plata province. The highest mountain in Valverde is in this range. It is called "Loma Jicomé" or "El Murazo." It is 1,083 m (3,553 ft) high.

South of Mao city, you can find the Sierra Samba. These are a chain of low hills. Part of the Cordillera Central mountain range is also in the province. The highest mountains on the island are in the Cordillera Central. However, in Valverde province, there are only lower mountains.

Several important rivers flow through the province. The most important is the Yaque del Norte. It flows from east to west. Other rivers are all tributaries of the Yaque del Norte. Important rivers include Mao and Ámina, which come from the Cordillera Central. Rivers flowing from the Cordillera Septentrional are usually short and do not carry much water.

Climate in Valverde

Valverde province has a tropical climate. This means it is hot throughout the entire year.

Cities and Districts

There are 3 main municipalities and 10 municipal districts (M.D.) in Valverde province.

Map showing the municipalities of Valverde Province

Municipalities of the Valverde province
Municipality (code)	Municipal Districts (code)	Population (2010)	Area (km²)	Density	Altitude (m)
Mao (270101)		51,647	116.3	444.1	106
	Ámina (270102)	8,270	116.2	71.2	79
	Jaibón (Pueblo Nuevo) (270103)	8,309	73.2	113.5	88
	Guatapanal (270104)	8,637	109.5	78.9	156
Mao (270100)		76,863	415.2	185.1
Esperanza (270201)		43,755	63.8	685.8	124
	Maizal (270202)	9,859	66.4	148.5	85
	Jicomé (270203)	3,047	33.3	91.5	223
	Boca de Mao (270204)	4,493	31.9	140.8	62
	Paradero (270205)	1,051	26.2	40.1	864
Esperanza (270200)		62,205	221.7	280.6
Laguna Salada (270301)		10,425	41.9	248.8	63
	Jaibón (270302)	5,967	43.9	135.9	67
	La Caya (270303)	1,458	58.1	25.1	199
	Cruce de Guayacanes (270304)	6,112	42.2	144.8	83
Laguna Salada (270300))		23,962	186.1	128.8
Valverde (270000)		217,026	822.9	263.7

Valverde's Economy

The main way people earn money in Valverde province is through farming. The most important crops grown here are bananas, plantains, rice, and vegetables. Raising cattle is also important, especially in the southern part of the province.

In the past, sugar cane was grown around the city of Esperanza. There was even a sugar factory there. However, the factory closed, and sugar cane is no longer grown. Now, there are some cloth factories in Esperanza.

Valverde Province facts for kids

Contents

Why is it Called Valverde?