Puerto Plata Province

Puerto Plata
Province
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic downtown area.
Flag Seal Coat of arms
Motto(s):  La Tacita de Plata La novia del Atlantico
Location of the Puerto Plata Province
Coordinates: 19°44′12″N 70°46′12″W / 19.73667°N 70.77000°W / 19.73667; -70.77000
Country	Dominican Republic
Province since	1850
Capital	San Felipe de Puerto Plata
Government
• Type	Subdivisions
• Body	9 municipalities 12 municipal districts
• Congresspersons	1 Senator 6 Deputies
Area
• Total	1,852.90 km2 (715.41 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	470,839
• Density	250/km2 (660/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-4 (AST)
Area code	1-809 1-829 1-849
ISO 3166-2	DO-18
Postal Code	57000

Puerto Plata (Spanish pronunciation: [pweɾtoˈplata], Silver Port); (French: Port-de-Plate)^[1] is a province in northern Dominican Republic. It is divided into 9 municipalities, 12 municipal districts and its capital is the resort city of the same name. Neighboring provinces clockwise: Monte Cristi to the southwest, Valverde and Santiago to the south and Espailat to the east, along with the Septentrional mountain range to the north (which separates it from Laguna Salada), and has a coastline with the Atlantic Ocean. The area has become an increasingly popular tourist attraction since the late 1990s mainly due to its fine beaches.

Created from the Santiago Province in 1867 as a "maritime district", it became a province in 1907, when maritime districts were suppressed by a new Dominican constitution.