Monseñor Nouel | |
|---|---|
Students in Bonao, Monseñor Nouel, Dominican Republic | |
Location of the Monseñor Nouel Province | |
| Country | |
| Region | Cibao |
| Province since | 1991 |
| Capital | Bonao |
| Government | |
| • Type | Subdivisions |
| • Body | 3municipalities 7municipal districts |
| • Congresspersons | 1 Senator 3 Deputies |
| Area | |
• Total | 992.39 km2 (383.16 sq mi) |
| Population (2014) | |
• Total | 203,183 |
| • Density | 204.74/km2 (530.28/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
| Area code | 1-809 1-829 1-849 |
| ISO 3166-2 | DO-28 |
| Postal Code | 42000 |
Monseñor Nouel (Spanish pronunciation:[monseˈɲoɾnoˈwel]) is aprovince in thecentral region of theDominican Republic. It was split fromLa Vega province in 1982.
The province is named after Monseñor Dr.Adolfo Alejandro Nouel y Bobadilla (1862-1937), anArchbishop ofSanto Domingo who was brieflyPresident of theRepublic from 1912 to 1913.
Upon the arrival of the Spaniards, the territory of the Monseñor Nouel province belonged to theTaino Maguá chiefdom. In 1495,Bartolomé Colón, during a voyage of exploration across the island, ordered the construction of a fortress in Sonador to combat the resistance of the local Tainos commanded by a chief named Bonao.
It is said that the first fort built in the place was called Bonao Abajo, La Colonia or La Entrada, which the people of Francisco Roldán later occupied. The Indians of Rincón de Yuboa or Bonao Arriba, beaten and pressured by the Spaniards, disappeared from the place, rising towards the caves of Último Cielo, in the Los Capaces jurisdiction.
In 1497,Francisco Roldán and 70 rebels, participants in the Roldán Rebellion, took refuge in the territory of Bonao, rebelling against the authority of the Columbus brothers. The rebellion ended in October 1498. The origins of the town of Bonao are precisely associated with this rebellion, insofar as some of those who participated in it stayed there when it ended.

On December 7, 1508, Bonao was officially granted the category of town and was awarded a coat of arms. The main economic activity of this town was gold mining. When the exploitation of gold by the Spanish on the island was exhausted, two sugar mills were installed in Bonao, according to Bachelor Alonso de Parada in a report made to King Carlos V and that appears in the bookSanto Domingo in the Manuscripts of Juan Bautista Muñoz transcribed by Roberto Marte.
The name of Monseñor Nouel, associated with Bonao, arose for the first time in 1936 of Santo Domingo in honor of the former president of the Republic. In 1960, the town's name, Bonao, was restored, but the municipality remained with its name, Monseñor Nouel. This designation was also given to the province when it was created in 1982 under the government of then-PresidentSalvador Jorge Blanco.

The province has an area of 992.39 km2 (383.16 sq mi) located in the centralCibao region. It is bordered to the North and West, by theLa Vega Province, to the East theSánchez Ramírez andMonte Plata provinces, and to the South by theSan Cristóbal andSan José de Ocoa provinces. The Central Mountain Range is located to the north and west of the province, while a branch of said mountain range, the Sierra de Yamasá, borders the province to the east. The main river in the province is the Yuna; all other rivers are tributaries of that river. Some of them are the Blanco, Maimon, Juma, Masipedro, Jima rivers. The Rincón dam is also located in this province.
The area's main economic activity is dominated by local businesses, agricultural producers and the income generated by theFalconbridge Nickel Mines.Ferronickel exploitation is located in this province, which is the primary metallic mining activity in the country today. The main agricultural items in the province are rice, coffee and cocoa. Some large companies provide jobs, such as Bonao Industrial, Hanesbrands, Dos Rios Textiles, Inc.

Several public and private basic and secondary educational establishments in the province specialize in commerce, informatics, industrial technicians, polytechnics, and other fields. Bonao also has a higher education center, the regional headquarters of the state Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (CURCE-UASD).
The province has several communication media centers, such as Television, Radio and Digital Media. In the television media, the province has the Telecasa company that offers different television channels for the towns of Bonao and Maimón; among these channels are Yunavisión Channel 10, Maimón TV Channel 3, and Bonao TV Channel 12. In the media of radio are Latina FM and Novel 93 FM.

The province as of June 20, 2006 is divided into the followingmunicipalities (municipios) and municipal districts (distrito municipal - D.M.) within them:[1]
The following is a sortable table of the municipalities and municipal districts with population figures as of the 2012 census.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 of them.[2]

For comparison with the municipalities and municipal districts of other provinces see thelist of municipalities and municipal districts of the Dominican Republic.
| Name | Total population | Urban population | Rural population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonao | 158,034 | 97,990 | 60,044 |
| Maimón | 18,655 | 14,069 | 4,586 |
| Piedra Blanca | 24,785 | 16,090 | 8,695 |
| Monseñor Nouel province | 201,474 | 120,754 | 80,720 |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)