Jarabacoa

Jarabacoa
Central Range from Jarabacoa during the summer of 1997
Jarabacoa
Coordinates: 19°7′12″N 70°38′24″W / 19.12000°N 70.64000°W / 19.12000; -70.64000
Country	Dominican Republic
Province	La Vega
Area
• Total	665.88 km2 (257.10 sq mi)
Elevation	529 m (1,736 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	69,855
• Density	100/km2 (270/sq mi)
• Urban	32,585
• Demonym	Jarabacoense
Distance to  – Santo Domingo	155 km
Municipal Districts	2
Climate	Af

Jarabacoa is a town and the second largest municipality in La Vega Province, Dominican Republic.

Although many historical details are still unknown, it is very possible that the native people of the island inhabited the valley of Jarabacoa. It is assumed that the city's name was formed out of the words 'Jaraba' and 'Coa', meaning "Land of Waters" in the native language. Some say that the Spanish conquistadors actually made it to Jarabacoa in their search for gold, but later abandoned the expedition. Some reasons include, resistance by the natives or as some say, because no large finds were ever made, although to this day gold can be washed from some of the many rivers. Jarabacoa most likely belonged to the Chiefdom of Maguana making it part of the kingdom of Cibao. Necessary archaeological work has yet to take place, but it can be assumed that the natives lived in the area long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. It wasn't until 1805 that the area began being re-populated, during the Haitian invasion of the Cibao, when survivors from the massacres of Santiago de los Caballeros and La Vega escaped to the mountains of the Central Range and settled in the valley of Jarabacoa. In 1854, a military post was established and the town was formally founded. On September 27, 1858 the town was incorporated as a municipality.

Jarabacoa has a Tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification Af ). Due to its tropical location and high elevation (about 525m above sea level), it has warm days and mild nights during most of the year, and temperate days and cool nights during a few winter months. Because of its mild temperatures, visitors have christened Jarabacoa as "The City of Everlasting Spring."

One of the main touristic attractions is the mountains and natural beauty of the area due to its location in the center of the Central Range. It is also one of the main access to the Pico Duarte and the Ebano Verde Scientific Reserve. Jarabacoa has three large rivers, Baiguate, Jimenoa and the Yaque del Norte, the last two merge in the Confluencia, continuing on as the Yaque del Norte, the second largest river in the country.