Elías Piña | |
|---|---|
 Church in the town of Comendador, Elias Pina, Dominican Republic | |
 Location of the Elías Piña Province | |
| Country |  Dominican Republic |
| Province since | 1942 |
| Capital | Comendador |
| Government | |
| • Type | Subdivisions |
| • Body | 6municipalities 7municipal districts |
| • Congresspersons | 1 Senator 2 Deputies |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,426.20 km2 (550.66 sq mi) |
| Population (2014) | |
• Total | 84,632 |
| • Density | 59.341/km2 (153.69/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (EST) |
| Area code | 1-809 1-829 1-849 |
| ISO 3166-2 | DO-07 |
| Postal Code | 73000 |
Elías Piña (Spanish pronunciation:[eˈli.asˈpiɲa]) is one of the 32provinces of theDominican Republic, located in the westernmost part of the country, along the border withHaiti. It is divided into 6 municipalities and its capital city isComendador. TheCordillera Central ("Central mountain chain") is found in the northern part of the province, and the Sierra de Neiba runs across the southern half. Between those two mountain ranges, there are several valleys formed by theArtibonite River and itstributaries.[1]
It was created on 1942 with the nameSan Rafael. In 1965, its name was changed toEstrelleta and, finally, in 1972 it got its current name. It was amunicipio of the San Juan province before being elevated to the category of province.
Elías Piña is a landlocked province in the central mountainous region ofHispaniola. The province is bordered by theDajabón andSantiago Rodríguez provinces to the north, theSan Juan province to the east, theIndependencia province to the south and the Republic ofHaiti to the west.
The region occupied by the current Elías Piña province was sparsely populated. The main settlement founded during the early colonial era wasBánica, at the eastern end of the Ocean, an area of extensive savannas. The town was founded in 1504 by the Spanish conquistadorDiego Velázquez on the left side of the River Artibonite. It was an important town in those years but later it lost its importance. In the 18th century, theSpanishgovernment moved the city to its present place, away from the river, and brought families from theCanary Islands to live there.
The towns ofComendador andHondo Valle originated from border military posts established after national independence. All the rest of the current province was practically depopulated until after the Restoration War when families from other parts of the country began to arrive. During the Dominican-Haitian War (1844–1856), Haitian troops crossed this region, which led to several battles, including the confrontations to dominate the Cachimán fort and, especially, the Battle of La Estrelleta.
After the Independence in 1844, the town was elevated by the Dominican government to the category ofmunicipality of theAzuaprovince, but again the town was abandoned by its inhabitants. After the "Restoration War" (1863–1865), some families from other towns close to the Haitian border came to live in Bánica. The town of Bánica was the first place where Dominican PresidentRafael Trujillo implemented his campaign against the Haitians, later known as theParsley Massacre.
The territory belonged to the province of Azua until it became part of the province of Benefactor (now San Juan) when said province was created in 1938. In 1942, in accordance with dictatorRafael Trujillo's plans for "Dominicanization of the border", the province ofSan Rafael was split off from Benefactor. The province was renamedLa Estrelleta in 1965 in honor of the Battle of La Estrelleta. It was renamed again in 1972 to its current name, Elías Piña.[2]
Colonel Elías Piña was an officer of the Dominican army during theDominican War of Independence. He was born in La Margarita, close to Comendador and died in 1845 when he was attacking a fortified position inBánica.
In the province, there are six municipalities (municipios) and seven municipal districts (distrito municipal) within them. The municipalities and its municipal districts (M.D.) are:
The following is a sortable table of the municipalities and municipal districts with population figures as of the 2014 estimate.Urban population are those living in the seats (cabeceras literally heads) of municipalities or of municipal districts.Rural population are those living in thedistricts (Secciones literally sections) andneighborhoods (Parajes literally places) outside them. The population figures are from the 2014 population estimate.[3]
| Name | Total population | Urban population | Rural population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comendador | 43,671 | 33,459 | 10,212 |
| El Llano | 7,923 | 1,524 | 6,399 |
| Hondo Valle | 12,200 | 4,158 | 8,042 |
| Juan Santiago | 5,023 | 1,652 | 3,371 |
| Pedro Santana | 7,993 | 4,125 | 3,868 |
| San Francisco de Bánica | 7,822 | 1,784 | 6,038 |
| Elías Piña province | 84,632 | 46,702 | 37,930 |
The province can be divided into three large physiographic regions: the Sierra de Neiba to the south, the Cordillera Central to the north, and the central part, part of the Artibonite basin and its tributaries. This central part consists of small valleys separated by low hills. The highest mountain is the La Tasajera del Chivito, with 2179 m, on the northern slope of the Sierra de Neiba.
The climate of the province is atropical climate, hot most of the year, but it is cooler on the mountains.
The main river is theArtibonite that, in some places, marks the Dominican-Haitian border. Other rivers are Macasías, Tocino, Joca and Vallecito, all of themtributaries of the Artibonite.
As in all border provinces in the Dominican Republic, there is little economic development. The trade with Haiti is important, above all in Comendador. On the mountains,coffee andbeans are important products.Potatoes are also produced in the south (Sierra de Neiba).