Sanchez Ramirez Province
Hosts Pueblo Viejo gold mine (Latin America's largest, 13th globally); 2% of GDP, 31% of exports (2013-2020); $2.6B taxes paid, operating until 2041.
Sánchez Ramírez Province hosts Latin America's largest gold mine and the 13th largest globally: Pueblo Viejo, a Barrick Gold (60%) and Newmont (40%) joint venture that began production in 2012 and expects to operate until 2041. The mine, 15km west of Cotuí (the provincial capital), employs roughly 2,350 workers plus 2,500 contractors and represents 2% of Dominican GDP. From 2013-2020, Pueblo Viejo gold averaged 31% of national exports and paid over $2.6 billion in taxes. A 2024 expansion substantially completed further plant capacity.
The province sits in the country's mining heartland alongside Monseñor Nouel and Barahona. In 2024, the Dominican Republic established Empresa Minera Dominicana (Emidom), a state mining company, to assess economic viability of resources including rare earths. Rice cultivation remains significant—Sánchez Ramírez ranks among the six leading rice provinces—and the irrigated lowlands maintain agricultural tradition despite mining's dominance. Social responsibility programs have benefited an estimated 65,000 people across education, health, and entrepreneurship initiatives.
By 2026, Sánchez Ramírez will test whether mining wealth translates to durable development. If Pueblo Viejo's expansion extends the mine's life and royalties fund diversification, the province could demonstrate how extraction builds rather than extracts. If mineral reserves deplete faster than alternatives develop or if environmental costs mount, the province may repeat the pattern of Caribbean boom-bust commodities.