Constanza, Dominican Republic

Constanza
Aerial view of Constanza
Constanza
Coordinates: 18°54′36″N 70°45′0″W / 18.91000°N 70.75000°W / 18.91000; -70.75000Coordinates: 18°54′36″N 70°45′0″W / 18.91000°N 70.75000°W / 18.91000; -70.75000
Country	Dominican Republic
Province	La Vega
Area
• Total	848.79 km2 (327.72 sq mi)
Elevation	1,164 m (3,819 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	59,052
• Density	70/km2 (180/sq mi)
• Urban	25,683
• Demonym	Constantian (Spanish: constanceño)
Distance to  – Santo Domingo	140 km
Municipal Districts	2
Climate	Cfb

Constanza is a town and municipality in La Vega Province, Dominican Republic.

The name of Constanza has its origin in the legend the daughter of a local taino cacique who lived in the valley. In 1852, the British explorer and consul Sir Robert Hermann Schomburgk mentions the existence of a farm in the valley of Constanza. The town was formally founded in 1894. It has been incorporated into a municipality in the La Vega province on September 9, 1907.

On June 14, 1959 a plane landed in an airstrip with more than forty rebels with the purpose of deposing the dictator Rafael Trujillo. They fought guerrillas in the nearby mountains, and after two months against the Dominican Army managed to end the rebellion.

Constanza is located at a height of 1220 meters (4000 ft) in the middle of the Cordillera Central (Central Range). Annual average temperatures range from 41 °F (5 °C) to 68 °F (20 °C), depending on altitude. The valley is 8 km long and 4 km wide.

Constanza has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), with moderately warm and humid summers, and dry and mild winters, due to its tropical location and high elevation. The average annual temperature varies from less than 10 °C in highlands to 18 °C in town.
In summer, temperatures range between 25 °C to 27 °C during the day, and between 12 °C to 15 °C at night. Wildfires are relatively common.
In winter, the temperatures are between 21 and 24 °C at day, and 8 to 12 °C at night. Fog is quite common. The last time that Constanza had freezing temperatures was on 1958; while in Valle Nuevo freezes are usual.Snow can fall in the highest peaks of Valle Nuevo, but it is becoming a rare event and accumulation almost no longer occurs.