World Map › North America › Dominican Republic
Country
Map of the Dominican Republic
North America · Santo Domingo
The Dominican Republic lies on the Caribbean Plate. Since 1900, 9 major earthquakes have been recorded, causing at least 1,873 deaths. Its exposure to natural hazards is 6.8 out of 10 (INFORM index), a very high level. Its overall risk index, which accounts for its ability to cope, is 4.4 out of 10.
- Capital
- Santo Domingo
- Population
- 10,760,028
- Area
- 48,671 km²
- Continent
- North America
Tectonic Plates
Natural Hazards
Exposure to natural hazards according to the European Commission's INFORM index, from 0 (very low) to 10 (very high), overall and for each type of hazard.
Overall Risk Index
This overall score combines hazard exposure with the vulnerability of the population (4.2 out of 10) and the lack of coping capacity (4.2 out of 10). A highly exposed but well-prepared country therefore gets a low overall score.
People Exposed Each Year
- 23,889to strong shaking (intensity VI and above)
- 21,818to destructive shaking (intensity VIII and above)
- 20to tsunamis
- 1,093,122to hurricane-force winds (category 1 and above)
- 3,015to river floods
- 4,523to coastal floods
Overall Risk Index Over Time
Hazard Levels
Hazard level assessed by ThinkHazard! (World Bank, GFDRR), meaning the likelihood of a damaging event, from very low to high.
- River FloodHigh
- Urban FloodHigh
- Coastal FloodHigh
- LandslideHigh
- CycloneHigh
- WildfireHigh
- EarthquakeMedium
- Water ScarcityMedium
- Extreme HeatMedium
- TsunamiLow
Volcanoes
No volcano active over the last 10,000 years is recorded in this country.
Major Earthquakes Since 1900
Earthquakes that caused deaths or significant damage, or of magnitude 7.5 and above (NOAA).
Deadliest
- 1946Northeastern Coast · M 7.91,790 deaths
- 1946Northeastern Coast · M 7.575 deaths
- 1984Santo Domingo · M 6.75 deaths
- 2003Puerto Plata, Santiago · M 6.43 deaths
Regions
Regions with volcanoes, major earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones or famous faults.
Tsunamis
6 major tsunamis have reached the Dominican Republic since 1900, killing 1,865 people in the country. The deadliest and highest are listed below.
- 1946Tsunami (Dominican Republic) · 5.0 m1,790 deaths
- 1946Tsunami (Dominican Republic)75 deaths
- 2010Tsunami (Haiti) · 1.3 m
- 1918Tsunami (United States of America) · 0.7 m
- 2022Tsunami (Tonga) · 0.1 m
- 2020Tsunami (United States of America)
Tropical Cyclones
24 major tropical cyclones have made landfall in the Dominican Republic since 1950. The deadliest and most powerful are listed below.
- 1998Hurricane Georges · 176 km/h827 deaths
- 1966Hurricane Inez · 259 km/h
- 1979Hurricane David · 241 km/h
- 1987Hurricane Emily · 176 km/h
- 2022Hurricane Fiona · 148 km/h
- 2004Hurricane Jeanne · 130 km/h
- 2020Hurricane Isaias · 117 km/h
- 1963Hurricane Edith · 102 km/h
- 1975Hurricane Eloise · 93 km/h
- 2003Tropical Storm Odette · 93 km/h
Sources : Natural Earth · Wikidata · INFORM Risk Index (1 September 2026 v 0.7.3), Commission européenne, CC BY 4.0 · NOAA NCEI · ThinkHazard!, GFDRR, CC BY · Bird (2003), PB2002 · Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution