Puerto Plata | |
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![]() Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic downtown area. | |
Motto(s): La Tacita de Plata La novia del Atlantico | |
![]() Location of the Puerto Plata Province | |
Coordinates: 19°44′12″N 70°46′12″W / 19.73667°N 70.77000°W | |
Country | ![]() |
Province since | 1850 |
Capital | San Felipe de Puerto Plata |
Government | |
• Type | Subdivisions |
• Body | 9 municipalities 12 municipal districts |
• Congresspersons | 1 Senator 6 Deputies |
Area | |
• Total | 1,852.90 km2 (715.41 sq mi) |
Population (2014) | |
• Total | 470,839 |
• Density | 250/km2 (660/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
Area code | 1-809 1-829 1-849 |
ISO 3166-2 | DO-18 |
Postal Code | 57000 |
Puerto Plata (Spanish pronunciation: [pweɾtoˈplata], Silver Port); (French: Port-de-Plate)[1] is a province in northern Dominican Republic. It is divided into 9 municipalities, 12 municipal districts and its capital is the resort city of the same name. Neighboring provinces clockwise: Monte Cristi to the southwest, Valverde and Santiago to the south and Espailat to the east, along with the Septentrional mountain range to the north (which separates it from Laguna Salada), and has a coastline with the Atlantic Ocean. The area has become an increasingly popular tourist attraction since the late 1990s mainly due to its fine beaches.
Created from the Santiago Province in 1867 as a "maritime district", it became a province in 1907, when maritime districts were suppressed by a new Dominican constitution.