La Altagracia Province

La Altagracia
Province
Higuey, La Altagracia province, Dominican Republic
Coat of arms
Location of the La Altagracia Province
Country	Dominican Republic
Province since	1944
Government
• Type	Subdivisions
• Body	2 municipalities 5 municipal districts
• Congresspersons	1 Senator 4 Deputies
Area
• Total	3,010.34 km2 (1,162.30 sq mi)
Population  (2014)
• Total	372,289
• Density	120/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-4 (EST)
Area code	1-809 1-829 1-849
ISO 3166-2	DO-11
Postal Code	23000

La Altagracia (Spanish pronunciation: [la altaˈɣɾasja]) is a province located in the eastern part of the Dominican Republic. It is the only region that borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is divided into two municipalities and its capital is the beach city of Punta Cana. The province was part of the old La Altagracia Province, which split into two, La Altagracia Province and La Romana Province, on February 27, 1961.

The name "La Altagracia"' meaning the "High Grace" commemorates a painting, Our Lady of Altagracia, which was brought to this area from Spain in the early 16th century. Numerous miracles are attributed to the image.

Currently it is the leading province of the country in terms of tourism. This province is serviced by the Punta Cana International Airport, which is the most important airport on the island.