Baní

Baní
Municipality
Baní cathedral
Baní cathedral
Baní is located in the Dominican Republic
Baní
Baní
Coordinates: 18°17′24″N 70°19′48″W / 18.29000°N 70.33000°W / 18.29000; -70.33000
Country Dominican Republic
ProvincePeravia
Founded1764
Municipality since
1845
Municipal DistrictsMatanzas, Villa Fundación, Sabana Buey, Paya, Villa Sombrero, El Carretón, Catalina, El Limonal, Las Barías
Area
[1]
 • Total363.3 km2 (140.3 sq mi)
 • Urban
[2]
13.34 km2 (5.15 sq mi)
Elevation
[3]
61 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2014)[1]
 • Total92,153
 • Density250/km2 (660/sq mi)
 • Urban
72,466
Demonym(s)Banilejo (female, banileja)
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (AST)
Distance:55 km (34 mi) to Azua
65 km (40 mi) to Santo Domingo

The Dominican city of Baní is the head municipality of the Peravia province, on the south of the country, close to the Caribbean Sea.

Name

Baní is a Taíno word meaning "ebony" or a similar tree,[4] but the city takes the name from the small river that flows through the city.

History

In 1764, the people that were living in the Peravia Valley bought some land in Cerro Gordo (part of the valley) to build a new town. The new town was given the name of Baní after the river that is found to the east of the town.

After the independence from Haiti in 1844, the country was divided in five provinces and in 1845 Baní was made a municipality of the old province of Santo Domingo. In 1944, Baní was made the capital city of the new province José Trujillo Valdéz, now with the name of Peravia.

Population

The municipality had, in 2014, a total population of 92,153: 44,841 men and 47,312 women. The urban population was 78.6% of the total population.[1]

Geography

Baní has a total area of 363.3 km2 (140 sq mi) (without including its municipal districts), about 46.3% of the total area of the small province of Peravia.[1] The city is an elevation of 61 m (200 ft),[3] and at 65 km (40 mi) to the west of Santo Domingo.

The western and northern part of the municipality (and of the province) has many mountains that are part of the Cordillera Central ("Central mountain range"); this range is called here Sierra de Ocoa.

To the northeast of the city, there is a small karstic region with small cone-shaped hills that are called here as cucuruchos.

In the southern half of the municipality there are several small valleys and savannas such as the Peravia Valley, where the city of Baní is located, and Sabana de Paya (Paya savanna) around the town of Paya.

West of Baní, the region is very dry and there are not many people living here except close to rivers and to the coast.

The most important rivers in this municipality are Ocoa and Baní rivers.

The municipality of Baní has the Azua province to the west, the San José de Ocoa to the north, the San Cristóbal province to the west and the municipality of Nizao to the southwest. To the south is the Caribbean Sea.

Climate

Baní has a tropical wet and dry savanna climate (Köppen climate classification : Aw) with a pronounced dry season in winter.[5]

The average amount of rainfall for the year in the city is 928.7 mm (36.6 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is October with 137.2 mm (5.4 in) of rainfall, followed by June with 135.2 mm (5.3 in).

The driest season is winter. The month with the least rainfall on average is March with an average of 23.2 mm (0.9 in) and the second is January with 24.7 mm (1.0 in).

Baní is in a hot region; the average temperature for the year is 27.3 °C (81.1 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 28.65 °C (83.6 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 25.85 °C (78.5 °F).

Climate data for Baní (1961–1990)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 31.2
(88.2) 		31.5
(88.7) 		32.0
(89.6) 		32.6
(90.7) 		32.6
(90.7) 		32.7
(90.9) 		33.5
(92.3) 		33.5
(92.3) 		33.3
(91.9) 		32.8
(91.0) 		32.3
(90.1) 		31.3
(88.3) 		32.4
(90.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.9
(78.6) 		26.1
(79.0) 		26.8
(80.2) 		27.4
(81.3) 		27.7
(81.9) 		28.0
(82.4) 		28.7
(83.7) 		28.5
(83.3) 		28.2
(82.8) 		27.7
(81.9) 		27.0
(80.6) 		26.0
(78.8) 		27.3
(81.2)
Average low °C (°F) 20.5
(68.9) 		20.7
(69.3) 		21.5
(70.7) 		22.2
(72.0) 		22.7
(72.9) 		23.2
(73.8) 		23.8
(74.8) 		23.5
(74.3) 		23.0
(73.4) 		22.5
(72.5) 		21.7
(71.1) 		20.6
(69.1) 		22.2
(71.9)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 24.7
(0.97) 		25.7
(1.01) 		23.2
(0.91) 		36.8
(1.45) 		118.6
(4.67) 		135.2
(5.32) 		79.6
(3.13) 		125.0
(4.92) 		131.9
(5.19) 		137.2
(5.40) 		61
(2.4) 		29.8
(1.17) 		928.7
(36.54)
Source 1: NOAA[6]
Source 2: Climatemps.com[5]

Administrative division

The municipality of Baní has nine municipal districts:[7]

Municipal districts of Baní
Code Municipal district Population
(2010)
170102 Matanzas 16,622
170103 Villa Fundación 8,811
170104 Sabana Buey 2,194
170105 Paya 14,133
170106 Villa Sombrero 7,954
170107 El Carretón 4,594
170108 Catalina 3,436
170109 El Limonal 4,997
170110 Las Barías 2,422
  • View to the north of Baní
    View to the north of Baní
  • View of a cucurucho of Baní
    View of a cucurucho of Baní
  • Central square of Baní
    Central square of Baní
  • Perelló Cultural Centre, Baní
    Perelló Cultural Centre, Baní

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Baní.
  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. 56. 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. ↑ Vega, Bernardo (1980). Los Cacicazgos de la Hispaniola (in Spanish). Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Museo del Hombre Dominicano.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Bani Climate & Temperature". Climatemps.com. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Bani Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "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 Flag of the Dominican Republic
Azua • Baní • Barahona • Bonao • Comendador • Cotuí • Dajabón • El Seibo • Hato Mayor • Higüey • Jimaní • La Romana • La Vega • Mao • Moca • Monte Cristi • Monte Plata • Nagua • Neiba • Pedernales • Puerto Plata • Sabaneta • Salcedo • Samaná • San Cristóbal • San Francisco de Macorís • San José de Ocoa • San Juan de la Maguana • San Pedro de Macorís • Santiago de los Caballeros • Santo Domingo • Santo Domingo Este