Santa Bárbara de Samaná
Encyclopedia
Samaná, in full Santa Bárbara de Samaná, is a city and municipality in northeastern Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

 and is the capital of Samaná Province. It is located on the northern coast of Samaná Bay
Samana Bay
Samaná Bay is a bay in the eastern Dominican Republic. The Yuna River flows into the Samaná Bay, and it is located south of the town and peninsula of Samaná....

. The city is an important tourism destination and is the main center for whale-watching tours.

Geography

Samaná is located in a small plain close to the coast but, now, most of the city is in the hills that enclose the plain.

It is the largest municipality of the province. It has a total area of 412.11 km² (almost 49% of the total area of the province), including the three municipal districts that are part of the municipality.

Most of the territory is occupied by the Sierra de Samaná, a short mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...

 with steep slopes but no high mountains. The highest mountain is Monte Mesa (605 m).

The mean annual rainfall in Samaná is 2,349.8 mm and the mean annual temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...

 is 26.5°C.

Population

The municipality had a total population of 51,501: 26,317 men and 25,184 women, as of 2002. The urban population was 79.24% of the total population. This includes the population of the municipal districts Arroyo Barril
Arroyo Barril, Samaná
Arroyo Barril is a Municipal district of Santa Bárbara de Samaná, Samaná province in the Dominican Republic . It is on the south coast of the Samaná Peninsula, on the coast of Samana Bay.It was elevated to the category of municipal district on May 1, 2003....

, El Limón, and Las Galeras
Las Galeras, Samaná
Las Galeras is a Dominican Municipal district of Santa Bárbara de Samaná, Samaná province. It is on the east coast of the Samaná Peninsula, on the Rincón Bay that is found between Cabrón and Samaná capes....

. The city is primarily populated by Blacks, most of whom arrived during the early 1800s.

The demonym
Demonym
A demonym , also referred to as a gentilic, is a name for a resident of a locality. A demonym is usually – though not always – derived from the name of the locality; thus, the demonym for the people of England is English, and the demonym for the people of Italy is Italian, yet, in english, the one...

 for the inhabitants of Samaná, both the city and the province, is samanés (men and women). It is also possible to use samanense.

History

The city was founded in 1756 as Santa Bárbara de Samaná during the colonial period by the Spanish governor Francisco Rubio y Peñaranda. Families from the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...

 were brought to live in this city and Sabana de la Mar
Sabana de la Mar
Sabana de la Mar is a town in the Hato Mayor province of the Dominican Republic.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...

.

It was named Santa Bárbara after the Queen Bárbara de Braganza
Barbara of Portugal
Barbara of Portugal was an Infanta of Portugal and later Queen of Spain as wife of Ferdinand VI of Spain.-Life in Portugal:...

, wife of King Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI of Spain
Ferdinand VI , called the Learnt, was King of Spain from 9 July 1746 until his death. He was the fourth son of the previous monarch Philip V and his first wife Maria Luisa of Savoy...

.

With the creation of the Samaná Maritime District (an old division similar to a province) in 1865, the city was elevated to the category of municipality.

Economy

The main economic activities of the municipality are tourism, agriculture and fishing.

The largest boost to local economy takes place in Jan-March with the annual migration of thousands of North Atlantic humpback whales that come to the Samaná Bay to give birth. Samaná is the center of the country's tourism during theses months.

Since 2006, cruise ships have been visiting Samaná. Over 100 ships have visited during recent years with close to 100 ships visiting during the cruise ship season of October 2010- August of 2011. The season 2011 to 2012 will take a dip and only see around 50 cruise ships scheduled but will increase sharply back up to close to 80 ships scheduled during the season for 2012 to 2013.

Notable people

  • Hanley Ramirez
    Hanley Ramirez
    Hanley Ramirez is a shortstop in Major League Baseball for the Miami Marlins. Ramírez was named 2006 NL Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In 2009, Ramírez won the NL batting title and is a three-time All-Star starter...

    , baseball shortstop for the Florida Marlins
    Florida Marlins
    The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...

  • Fernando Rodney, baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels.
  • Alfredo Figaro, baseball starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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