Monte Cristi National Park
Encyclopedia
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
to Punta Rucia in the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
and covers an area of 550 km². Its contains coastal lagoons, beaches, mangrove swamps, a 237 m (777 ft) limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
from which can be seen off shore keys and forested slopes of the mesa's northern side.
The area is very dry, receiving just over two inches of rain per year. The huge mesa provides a habitat for an indigenous plant species called sabia montecristini as well as several reptile species. There are no marked paths in the park.