The Dominican Republic (DR) is an island in the Caribbean. It shares a coast with the warm Carribean Sea and the stormier Atlantic Ocean. The DR is close to the equator and is hot year-round. There aren't big differences between the seasons, unlike summers and winters on the East Coast of the U.S., although it's usually hottest in July and August and coldest in January and February. It never snows in the DR. In the mountain town of Constanza, temperatures sometimes drop into the 40s in December, causing a snow-like frost to form on the ground. But you're more likely to be sweating than making snowmen in the DR! The DR is also home to the highest mountain in the Carribean, called Pico Duarte, and the salt lake Enriquillo, which is almost 150 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the Carribean. The country has deserts, tropical rainforests and rare mangrove forests. Even though the DR is only about as big as the states of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, its environment is incredibly diverse!
