Duvergé, also known locally as ''Las Damas'' ( Spanish: "the ladies", after the local Las Damas River) is the largest city in the province of Independencia in the Dominican Republic. The first settlers of this community were the gentlemen Christopher Pérez and María del Pulgar, originating from San Juan de la Maguana.

History

The village became a part of Baoruco Province of Azua, on May 9, 1850 by law number 533 on territorial division. On May 17, 1876, due to the number of inhabitants and its agricultural importance, the president

Ulises Francisco Espaillat Ulises Francisco Espaillat Quiñones (February 9, 1823 – April 25, 1878) was a Dominican author and politician. He served as president of the Dominican Republic from April 29, 1876 to October 5, 1876. Espaillat Province is named after him. ...

signed decree 1524, assigning the city to

Azua Province Azua () is a province which is collectively one of the thirty-two provinces of the Dominican Republic. It is divided into 10 municipalities (the same as Santiago) and its capital city is Azua de Compostela. It is bordered by the provinces of La ...

On September 12, 1881, it became a part of the Maritime District of Barahona, which today is the Municipality of Enriquillo. During the government of Ulises Heureaux, the vice president of the Republic, Wenceslao Figuereo changed the name of Las Damas to Duvergé on June 22, 1891, in honor of Dominican War of Independence general Antonio Duvergé. Duvergé was later integrated into Barahona Province, by law number 229 on March 18, 1943. In the year 1949, in the government of

Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( , ; 24 October 189130 May 1961), nicknamed ''El Jefe'' (, "The Chief" or "The Boss"), was a Dominican dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from February 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He ser ...

passed law number 2107, which placed Duvergé into Independencia Province, where it stands today.

Geography

The municipality of Duvergé is a plain entrenched between saws and mountains. It is located geographically in the Neiba Valley, but politically belongs to Independencia Province. It is 17 km. from Neiba and 42 km. from

Jimaní Jimaní is the capital and the second largest city of the Independencia Province of the Dominican Republic. It serves as one of the two main border crossings to Haiti (with Dajabón), with a duty-free open-air marketplace operating on the border ...

,the capital of the province. Duvergé is located in an arid area, with abundant cacti, like ''

Melocactus lemairei ''Melocactus lemairei'' is a species of cactus endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti). It is named after French botanist and cactus expert Charles Antoine Lemaire.Urs Eggli, Leonard E. New ...

''. Nevertheless, it depends on currents of groundwater and superficial sources that dampen the lands, and in spite of the arid climate, the land is fertile.

Limits

*North: Lago Enriquillo and Baoruco Province *South: Pedernales Province *East:

Cristóbal Cristóbal or Cristobal, the Spanish version of Christopher, is a masculine given name and a surname which may refer to: Given name *Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972), Spanish fashion designer *Cristóbal Cobo (born 1976), Chilean academic *Cri ...

*West:

Area

The urban area extends outwards approximately 6 to 8 km from the center of the city. The municipality of Duvergé has a territorial extension of 501.43 km^2. This population has followed an evolutionary process of growth and development marked for phases, with dynamic influences in the emigration and immigration. The area has a population of 17,320 inhabitants, of which 12,053 live in the urban zone and 5,267 in the rural zone.

Climate

Duverge has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

( Köppen climate classification: BSh).

Economy

The main source of income of Duvergé is agriculture. The great majority of the agricultural lands are dedicated to the production of bananas, plantains, cassava, yams, coconuts, and vegetables. As the municipality of Duvergé borders Lake Enriquillo, fishing of tilapia in large quantities is performed, which is locally consumed and exported to the adjoining municipalities.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duverge Populated places in Independencia Province