Samaná (Spanish pronunciation: [samaˈna]) is a province of the Dominican Republic. Its capital is Santa Bárbara de Samaná, usually known as Samaná.
Samaná is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic. It is known for its mountains of which it is almost entirely formed. Samaná has numerous beaches, and with the 6 November 2006 opening of the new Samaná El Catey International Airport, it is bound to become one of major tourist destinations in the Dominican Republic.[1]
It was discovered on January 12, 1493 by Christopher Columbus who was greeted with a barrage of spears and arrows from native Taíno warriors. It is said that this was the first instance of violent opposition to the Spanish conquistadors in the Americas.
Samaná is considered one of the most beautiful areas of the Dominican Republic, yet remains one of the least known by Dominican natives in general and foreign visitors in particular. Its tourist industry has not yet exploited the full potential of its location: the tropical forests, coconut groves, hundreds of cozy alcove beaches with turquoise crystal clear waters, waterfalls, protected national parks, a protected bay, a peninsula.
Samaná is one of the breeding places of the humpback whale. Thousands of humpback whales come to the coast off Samaná from January to March.
At one time proposed to be the capital of the country, Samaná was to be sold to the United States as a military base during Pedro Santana's presidency, but the deal was never realized, because the United States felt that the cost was too much.
A highway connecting the Samaná peninsula to Santo Domingo is finally opened to the public in 2008. It halved the driving time from 4 hours to 1.5 hours as it is a straight 120 kilometres (75 mi), connecting from just east of Santo Domingo (near the SDQ airport) to just west of Sanchez. There is a significant tourist development evident throughout the Samaná peninsula, particularly that of large all-inclusive resorts, in anticipation of the increased tourism to follow the road's completion.
Municipalities and municipal districts
The province as of June 20, 2006 is divided into the following municipalities (municipios) and municipal districts (distrito municipal - D.M.) within them:[2]
- Sánchez
- Samaná
- Arroyo Barril (D.M.)
- El Limón (D.M.)
- Las Galeras (D.M.)
- Las Terrenas
The following is a sortable table of the municipalities with population figures as of an estimate on the 2010 census. Urban population are those living in the seats (cabeceras literally heads) of municipalities or of municipal districts. Rural population are those living in the districts (Secciones literally sections) and neighborhoods(Parajes literally places) outside of them.[3] For comparison with the municipalities and municipal districts of other provinces see the list of municipalities and municipal districts of the Dominican Republic.
Name | Total population | Urban population | Rural population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Terrenas | 14,917 | 8,564 | 6,353 |
| Santa Bárbara de Samaná | 55,394 | 22,542 | 32,852 |
| Sánchez | 28,509 | 15,586 | 12,923 |
| Samaná province | 98,820 | 46,692 | 52,128 |
For comparison with the municipalities and municipal districts of other provinces see the list of municipalities and municipal districts of the Dominican Republic.
Transportation
Samaná has three airports and one harbor.
Airports
- El Portillo Airport, Located in El Portillo, Samaná.
- Arroyo Barril International Airport, Located in Arroyo Barril, Samaná.
- Samana El Catey International Airport, Located in Sanchez, Samaná
Ports
- Cayo Levantado Port, located in Arroyo Barril, near Arroyo Barril International Airport, Samaná.
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