View source for Bonao

{{Infobox settlement
|settlement_type = City
|name                    =Bonao
|pushpin_map             =Dominican Republic
|pushpin_relief          = 1
|mapsize                 =
|coordinates             = {{coord|18|57|0|N|70|24|36|W|region:DO|display=inline}}
|image_skyline           =  Bonao Dominican Republic 2.jpg
|image_caption           = View of Bonao city, Dominican Republic
|image_flag              =
|image_seal              = Escudo de Bonao.svg
|subdivision_type        =Country
|subdivision_name        ={{DOM}}
|subdivision_type1       =[[Provinces of the Dominican Republic|Province]]
|subdivision_name1       =[[Monseñor Nouel Province|Monseñor Nouel]]
|established_title       =Founded
|established_date        =1495
|established_title2      =Municipality since
|established_date2       =1865
|area_total_km2          =664.37
|area_footnotes          =<ref name="listado">Superficies a nivel de municipios, [http://one.gob.do/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=283 Oficina Nacional de Estadistica] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417021712/http://one.gob.do/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=283 |date=April 17, 2009 }}</ref>
|elevation_m             =173
|elevation_footnotes     =<ref>{{cite book
  | last = De la Fuente
  | first = Santiago
  | title = Geografía Dominicana
  | publisher = Editora Colegial Quisqueyana
  | year = 1976
  | location = Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  | language = es }}</ref>
|population_total        =158034
|population_as_of        =2012
|total_type              =Total
|population_urban        =60,044
|population_density_km2  =auto
|population_blank1_title =
|population_blank1       =
|population_footnotes    =<ref name="censo">Censo 2012 de Población y Vivienda, [http://one.gob.do/ Oficina Nacional de Estadistica]</ref>
|blank_name              =Distance to<br />&nbsp;– [[Santo Domingo]]
|blank_info              =<br />85 km
|blank1_name             =[[Municipalities of the Dominican Republic|Municipal Districts]]
|blank1_info             =<br />5
|blank2_name             = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
|blank2_info             = [[Tropical rainforest climate|Af]]
}}

'''Bonao''' is a city in the [[Cibao]] region of [[Dominican Republic]]. It is the capital of the  [[Monseñor Nouel Province|Monseñor Nouel]] province. The city is located in the center of the country, to the northwest of the national capital [[Santo Domingo]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Official government PDF - Geography |url=http://www.lmd.gob.do/transparencia/phocadownload/Publicaciones/Division-Territorial-2015.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-09-15 |title=Relation: Bonao (7384719) |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/7384719 |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=OpenStreetMap |language=en}}</ref>

The city is known as "Villa de las Hortensias" - the town of hydrangeas. The [[Hydrangea macrophylla|Hortensia]] is the local flower of Bonao.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

==History==
Upon the arrival of the Spaniards, the territory belonged to the [[Taino]] chiefdom of Maguá. In 1495, [[Bartolomé Colón]], during an exploration journey through the island, ordered the construction of a fortress to combat the resistance of the natives commanded by a chief with the name of Bonao.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nacional |first=El |date=2023-01-14 |title=Conoce el origen de tu pueblo: Bonao |url=https://elnacional.com.do/conoce-el-origen-de-tu-pueblo-bonao/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=El Nacional |language=es}}</ref>

The first fort built on the site was called Bonao Abajo, which was later occupied by [[Francisco Roldán]], a Spanish soldier who rebelled against the colonial authorities in the island. In 1497, Roldán and 70 rebels, fought in the territory of Bonao against the authority of the Columbus. The rebellion was ended in October 1498. The origins of the town of Bonao are associated precisely with this rebellion, to the extent that many who participated stayed in the area.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

On December 7, 1508, Bonao was officially granted the category of town and was granted a [[coat of arms]]. The main economic activity of this town was the mining of gold. When gold mining by the Spaniards on the island declined, two [[sugar mills]] were installed in Bonao. Sugar production was not enough of an incentive to maintain the attraction of the Spaniards over the town of Bonao. Around 1528 it had declined along with nearby towns.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

After the nation's Independence in the middle of the 1800s, it became a military post in the municipality of La Vega, and in 1936 it became a municipality in the province of La Vega, and by the year 1865 the town was elevated to common of that province with the name of San Antonio de Bonao. The town remained relatively isolated and by it only had 5,000 inhabitants.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

The economic revival of Bonao began in the 1920's when the Duarte highway was inaugurated, linking [[Santo Domingo]] with the Cibao region. The highway crossed through the town and became a popular stop for people making the long trip between the capital and [[Santiago de los Caballeros|Santiago]]. At that stop, the cars or buses refueled and the passengers rested, to drink and eat. It was in those years that several restaurants were opened.{{cn|date=February 2023}}
===Historic neighborhood of Bonao===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">
File:Bonao Dominican Republic neighborhood average.jpg
File:Bonao Dominican Republic neighborhood average 2.jpg
Bonao Dominican Republic town house.jpg
Bonao Dominican Republic countryside town.jpg
</gallery>
In that year, 1920, the first national census was carried out and in it the town of Bonao appeared with only 1,069 inhabitants, later rising to 2,129 in 1935 and 10,536 in the 1950 census. The most recent census, from 2010 , tells us that the municipality of Bonao has 125,338 inhabitants.{{cn|date=February 2023}}

==Economy==
Bonao's economy is based on local businesses, agricultural producers and by the income generated by the mining company Americano Níquel (Falcondo), also known as Falconbridge Dominicana.

Bonao's agricultural production is 80% rice and the rest is divided into cocoa and coffee. There are also important companies that provide jobs such as: Bonao Industrial, Hanesbrands Dos Rios Textiles, Inc.

==Education and technology==
[[File:Bonao_Monseñor_Nouel_Dominican_Republic.jpg|thumb|right|School students in Bonao, Dominican Republic.]]
There are several public and private basic and secondary schools in Bonao, among which the Elías Rodríguez Secondary School stands out, the so-called Francisco Antonio Batista García School, former Reform Plan; The Francisco Antonio Batista García Polytechnic with the areas of Computer Science, Commerce, Nursing, Industrial Technician; Polytechnic Ing. José Delio Guzmán and Pedro Antonio Frías, both from the public sector and the San Antonio de Padua private schools, Bonao Educational Center, sponsored by the Universidad Central del Este and Mercer University, Colegio San Pablo and Colegio Juan Pablo Duarte. Bonao also has a higher education center, a regional headquarters of the state Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (CURCE-UASD).

The first [[syngas]] plant in the country and the Caribbean, a plant that produces energy from vegetable materials such as rice straw, banana peels and other materials, was installed near the headquarters of the Dominican Agrarian Institute in Bonao. It was named in posthumous homage after Engineer Quilvio Cabrera, an outstanding promoter of technology in agriculture, and the main promoter of the installation of this plant in the country.

===City of Bonao===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="160px">
File:Bonao City Dominican Republic 2.jpg
File:Bonao City Dominican Republic.jpg
File:Bonao Dominican Republic City 2.jpg
File:Cibao Dominican Republic Bonao.jpg
File:Bonao Dominican Republic City.jpg
File:Bonao Dominican Republic City Shopping Center.jpg
</gallery>

==Telecommunications==
The city of Bonao has variety of local media, including Television, Radio and Digital formats. In the television media, the province has the Telecasa company that offers different television channels for the towns of Bonao and other cities and towns within the province.

Bonao is historically the home of [[La Voz Dominicana]], the official radio and television station of the Dominican Republic during the regime of [[Rafael Trujillo]]. At first the station was a local radio broadcast called La Voz del Yuna (1943) in Bonao until Jose Trujillo (Petan), the brother of President Trujillo, acquired the station. Petan Trujillo later convinced his brother to get the equipment to turn the station into a radio/TV station, and in the early 1950s, what is called Radio Television Dominicana (RTVD) was founded. At this time in Latin America only three countries, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Mexico had TV stations. 

==Climate==
Bonao has a trade-wind [[tropical rainforest climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Af''). There is no dry season, as all months average above {{convert|100|mm|in|0|disp=or}} of rain, although there are distinctly wetter periods of the year in May and, under the influence of Atlantic hurricanes, from August to November.
{{Weather box
|location = Bonao (1961-1990)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|width = auto
|temperature colour = pastel
|Jan record high C = 35.2
|Feb record high C = 36.3
|Mar record high C = 37.5
|Apr record high C = 36.8
|May record high C = 37.5
|Jun record high C = 38.9
|Jul record high C = 39.2
|Aug record high C = 38.9
|Sep record high C = 38.9
|Oct record high C = 38.9
|Nov record high C = 37.1
|Dec record high C = 36.5
|year record high C = 39.2
|Jan high C = 29.5
|Feb high C = 29.9
|Mar high C = 30.8
|Apr high C = 31.3
|May high C = 31.7
|Jun high C = 32.9
|Jul high C = 33.0
|Aug high C = 33.0
|Sep high C = 33.1
|Oct high C = 32.6
|Nov high C = 31.2
|Dec high C = 29.5
|year high C = 31.5
|Jan low C = 18.1
|Feb low C = 18.1
|Mar low C = 18.7
|Apr low C = 19.5
|May low C = 20.1
|Jun low C = 20.9
|Jul low C = 21.1
|Aug low C = 21.0
|Sep low C = 20.6
|Oct low C = 20.3
|Nov low C = 19.6
|Dec low C = 18.7
|year low C = 19.7
|Jan record low C = 12.0
|Feb record low C = 12.2
|Mar record low C = 14.5
|Apr record low C = 14.8
|May record low C = 15.8
|Jun record low C = 17.0
|Jul record low C = 17.2
|Aug record low C = 16.5
|Sep record low C = 17.0
|Oct record low C = 16.3
|Nov record low C = 13.2
|Dec record low C = 12.4
|year record low C = 12.0
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 107.2
|Feb rain mm = 108.3
|Mar rain mm = 117.7
|Apr rain mm = 204.1
|May rain mm = 333.3
|Jun rain mm = 138.8
|Jul rain mm = 176.3
|Aug rain mm = 203.9
|Sep rain mm = 180.2
|Oct rain mm = 251.8
|Nov rain mm = 248.2
|Dec rain mm = 146.4
|year rain mm = 2216.2
|unit rain days = 1.0 mm
|Jan rain days = 9.5
|Feb rain days = 8.3
|Mar rain days = 9.2
|Apr rain days = 11.6
|May rain days = 14.0
|Jun rain days = 9.6
|Jul rain days = 13.6
|Aug rain days = 13.5
|Sep rain days = 12.1
|Oct rain days = 13.7
|Nov rain days = 14.5
|Dec rain days = 12.4
|year rain days = 142.0
|source 1 = [[NOAA]]<ref name= NOAA >{{cite web 
| url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/DR/00000004.TXT
| title = Bonao Climate Normals 1961-1990
| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201031205902/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/DR/00000004.TXT
| archive-date = 2020-10-31
| url-status = dead
| access-date = September 11, 2016}}</ref>
}}

==Local scene==
Motorcycles (especially mini-bikes and scooters also known as 'PASOLA') are the most common form of transportation in the city. There are also taxi and car rental services available. [[DR-1]] (Autopista Duarte) bypasses the city to the east.
[[File:Carnaval de Bonao.jpg|thumb|A costumed reveler during the 2006 carnival in Bonao.|right]]
A popular annual attraction is the [[Carnival]].  Groups that parade in the Carnival start out in "caves" (typically a blocked-off street) where loud music is played. Costumes are often slightly demonic in nature. During Carnival season, there is often a concert in the town square (El Parque Duarte), on Saturday night.

==People from Bonao==

Sports

[[Major League Baseball]] former pitcher [[Carlos Mármol]] and [[Philadelphia Phillies]] catcher [[Deivy Grullón]] are from Bonao. [[Hansel Robles]], relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, is also from Bonao. Free agent third basemen [[Juan Francisco]], "Baby Huey", is from Bonao. Also, former big league pitcher [[Benito Baez]] is from there too, as well as [[Joel Peralta]], relief pitcher for Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Entertainment

The singer and music composer, [[Héctor Acosta (singer)|Hector Acosta]] 'El Torito', is one of the icons of the country.  [[Luis Días (composer)|Luis Días]], composer of the popular song "Baile en la Calle", was born in Bonao. 

Politics

[[Aniana Vargas]], a prominent female activist during the 1965 Civil War, was born and raised in Bonao.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Provincial capitals of the Dominican Republic}}
{{Municipalities of the Dominican Republic}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|18|57|0|N|70|24|36|W|source:nlwiki_region:DO_scale:50000|display=title}}

[[Category:1495 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:Municipalities of the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 1490s]]
[[Category:Populated places in Monseñor Nouel Province]]