The municipalities of the Dominican Republic are, after the provinces, the second level of the political and administrative division of the Dominican Republic.
The division of provinces into municipalities (municipios) is established in the Constitution and further regulated by Law 5220 on the Territorial Division of the Dominican Republic. It was enacted in 1959 and has been frequently amended to create new provinces, municipalities and lower-level administrative units.
Municipalities may be further divided into secciones (literally: sections) and parajes (literally: places or neighborhoods). Municipal districts (distritos municipales) may be formed in the case of municipalities with several urban centres. Law 176-07 replaced Law Nº 3455 de Organización Municipal from January, 29, 1953; that had long served as the basis for municipal administration, see
The provinces as the second level of political and administrative division contain at least two municipalities. The Distrito Nacional, which is neither a municipality nor a province, consists of only one municipality, Santo Domingo (Constitution: "the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán is the Distrito Nacional").
Administration According to the Constitution and the law, the municipalities are administered by the municipality's Municipal Office (ayuntamiento), which is a legal entity in its own right consisting of two bodies: the alcadía (Mayor's Office), with the alcalde (Mayor), and the Municipal Council (concejo de regidores), with at least five members (regidores). The Municipal Council is an exclusively normative, regulatory and supervisory body, the Mayor's Office the executive one. The 2007 law, unlike the 2015 Constitution, uses the terms Sindicatura, Síndico, and (by majority) Concejo municipal. The mayor is a voting member of the Municipal Council. He and his deputy, as well as the regidores and their deputies, are elected by the electorate on the occasion of elections held nationally every four years.
If a municipality consists of more than one urban center, the additional centres may be elevated to the status of municipal district (distrito municipal), with the remaining district of the municipality called cabecera (main municipality). The administration of the municipal district is the responsibility of a municipal district office (junta municipal), which includes the director (director) and a municipal district council (junta de vocales) with at least three members (vocales). The director and his deputy, as well as the vocales and their deputies, are elected by the electorate on the occasion of elections held nationally every four years.Ley 176-07. Tít. V Cap. II Art. 81. 2007, S. 40. The 2007 law uses the term Junta de distrito municipal. Results 2020 see (XLSX). They represent the municipal district to the municipality and are subordinate to it.
If a municipality is further divided into secciones, the municipal council appoints an alcalde pedáneo for each of them. He reports to the mayor or, if his sección is in a municipal district, to its director. If the municipality is further divided into parajes, the municipal council appoints an ayudante del alcalde pedáneo for each of them.
Municipalities are often given special designations because of their number of inhabitants: ciudad (city) in the case of urban centers with over 10,000 inhabitants or the capital of a province, villas (town) in the case of towns with over 1,000 inhabitants or seats of a local government, poblados (village) in the case of villages.
Municipalities The following is a list of the 158 municipalities (municipios) of the Dominican Republic as of June 1, 2021.
NameProvinceCreated PopulationCensus 2010 Area (km2) Density Old names /Full names Altamira Puerto Plata /km2 Arenoso Duarte /km2 Azua de Compostela Azua /km2 Baitoa Santiago /km2 Bajos de Haina San Cristóbal /km2 Baní Peravia /km2 Bánica Elías Piña /km2 Barahona Barahona /km2 Bayaguana Monte Plata /km2 Villa Bisonó Santiago /km2 Boca Chica Santo Domingo /km2 Bohechío San Juan /km2 Bonao Monseñor Nouel /km2 Cabral Barahona /km2 Cabrera María Trinidad Sánchez /km2 Tres Amarras Cambita Garabitos San Cristóbal /km2 Castañuelas Monte Cristi /km2 Castillo Duarte /km2 Cuaba Cayetano Germosén Espaillat /km2 Cevicos Sánchez Ramírez /km2 Comendador Elías Piña /km2 Elías Piña Constanza La Vega /km2 Consuelo San Pedro de Macorís /km2 Cotuí Sánchez Ramírez /km2 Cristóbal Independencia /km2 Dajabón Dajabón /km2 Duvergé Independencia /km2 Damas El Cercado San Juan /km2 El Factor María Trinidad Sánchez /km2 El Llano Elías Piña /km2 El Peñón Barahona /km2 El Pino Dajabón /km2 El Seibo El Seibo /km2 Icayagua El Valle Hato Mayor /km2 Enriquillo Barahona /km2 Esperanza Valverde /km2 Estebanía Azua /km2 Fantino Sánchez Ramírez /km2 Fundación Barahona /km2 Galván Bahoruco /km2 Gaspar Hernández Espaillat /km2 Guananico Puerto Plata /km2 Guayabal Azua /km2 Guayacanes San Pedro de Macorís /km2 Juan Dólio Guaymate La Romana /km2 Guayubín Monte Cristi /km2 Hato Mayor del Rey Hato Mayor /km2 Higüey La Altagracia /km2 Hondo Valle Elías Piña /km2 Eugenio María de Hostos Duarte /km2 Imbert Puerto Plata /km2 Blanco Ingenio Quisqueya San Pedro de Macorís /km2 Jamao al Norte Espaillat /km2 Jánico Santiago /km2 Jaquimeyes Barahona /km2 Jarabacoa La Vega /km2 Jima Abajo La Vega /km2 Jimaní Independencia /km2 Juan de Herrera San Juan /km2 Juan Santiago Elías Piña /km2 La Ciénaga Barahona /km2 La Descubierta Independencia /km2 La Mata Sánchez Ramírez /km2 La Romana La Romana /km2 La Vega La Vega /km2 Laguna Salada Valverde /km2 Las Charcas Azua /km2 Las Guáranas Duarte /km2 Las Matas de Farfán San Juan /km2 Las Matas de Santa Cruz Monte Cristi /km2 Las Salinas Barahona /km2 Las Terrenas Samaná /km2 Las Yayas de Viajama Azua /km2 Licey al Medio Santiago /km2 Loma de Cabrera Dajabón /km2 Los Alcarrizos Santo Domingo /km2 Los Cacaos San Cristóbal /km2 Los Hidalgos Puerto Plata /km2 Los Mameyes Los Ríos Bahoruco /km2 Luperón Puerto Plata /km2 Bajabónico Maimón Monseñor Nouel /km2 Mao Valverde /km2 Valverde Matanzas Peravia /km2 Mella Independencia /km2 Los Yesos Miches El Seibo /km2 El Jovero Moca Espaillat /km2 Monción Santiago Rodríguez /km2 Guaraguanó Monte Cristi Monte Cristi /km2 Monte Plata Monte Plata /km2 Nagua María Trinidad Sánchez /km2 San José de Matanzas, Julia Molina Neiba Bahoruco /km2 Nizao Peravia /km2 Oviedo Pedernales /km2 Padre Las Casas Azua /km2 Paraíso Barahona /km2 Partido Dajabón /km2 Pedernales Pedernales /km2 Pedro Brand Santo Domingo /km2 Pedro Santana Elías Piña /km2 Pepillo Salcedo Monte Cristi /km2 Manzanillo Peralta Azua /km2 Peralvillo Monte Plata /km2 Piedra Blanca Monseñor Nouel /km2 Pimentel Duarte /km2 Barbero Polo Barahona /km2 Postrer Río Independencia /km2 Pueblo Viejo Azua /km2 Puñal Santiago /km2 Ramón Santana San Pedro de Macorís /km2 Rancho Arriba San José de Ocoa /km2 Restauración Dajabón /km2 Villa Capotillo Río San Juan María Trinidad Sánchez /km2 Sabana de la Mar Hato Mayor /km2 Sabana Grande de Boyá Monte Plata /km2 Sabana Grande de Palenque San Cristóbal /km2 Sabana Iglesia Santiago /km2 Sabana Larga San José de Ocoa /km2 Sabana Yegua Azua /km2 San Ignacio de Sabaneta Santiago Rodríguez /km2 Santiago Rodríguez Salcedo Hermanas Mirabal /km2 Juana Núñez Samaná Samaná /km2 San Antonio de Guerra Santo Domingo /km2 San Cristóbal San Cristóbal /km2 San Felipe de Puerto Plata Puerto Plata /km2 San Francisco de Macorís Duarte /km2 San Gregorio de Nigua San Cristóbal /km2 San José de las Matas Santiago /km2 San José de los Llanos San Pedro de Macorís /km2 San José de Ocoa San José de Ocoa /km2 San Juan de la Maguana San Juan /km2 San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís /km2 San Rafael del Yuma La Altagracia /km2 San Víctor Espaillat /km2 Sánchez Samaná /km2 Santiago de los Caballeros Santiago /km2 Santo Domingo de Guzmán Distrito Nacional /km2 Ciudad Trujillo Santo Domingo Este Santo Domingo /km2 Zona Oriental Santo Domingo Norte Santo Domingo /km2 Villa Mella Santo Domingo Oeste Santo Domingo /km2 Herrera Sosúa Puerto Plata /km2 Tábara Arriba Azua /km2 Tamayo Bahoruco /km2 Tamboril Santiago /km2 Peña Tenares Hermanas Mirabal /km2 Vallejuelo San Juan /km2 Vicente Noble Barahona /km2 Villa Altagracia San Cristóbal /km2 Villa González Santiago /km2 Villa Hermosa La Romana /km2 Villa Isabela Puerto Plata /km2 Villa Jaragua Bahoruco /km2 Barbacoa Villa Los Almácigos Santiago Rodríguez /km2 Villa Montellano Puerto Plata /km2 Villa Riva Duarte /km2 San Antonio del Yuna Villa Tapia Hermanas Mirabal /km2 La Jagua Villa Vásquez Monte Cristi /km2 Santa Ana, Villa Isabel Yaguate San Cristóbal /km2 Yamasá Monte Plata /km2
Provincial maps with their municipalities
Bibliography Constitución de la República Dominicana. June 13, 2015. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Ley Nº 176-07 del Distrito Nacional y los Municipios. Congreso Nacional, July 20, 2007.
See also List of cities in the Dominican Republic
References
External links Federación Dominicana de Municipios (FEDOMU), Dominican federation of municipalities Oficina Nacional de Estadística (ONE), Statistics Portal of the Dominican Republic