[1] The river was named by the Arawak-speaking indigenous inhabitants of the island, the Taínos, as "Dahabōn", which derivates from dajaus, a freshwater fish that lives in the Caribbean region.

[4] It has its source in the Central Cordillera at Pico de Gallo mountain in the Dominican Republic.

In recent years it has lost its flow due to environmentally unsustainable practices, in particular the destruction of the forest due to massive felling without subsequent reforestation, and the practice of indiscriminately removing sand from the bed of the channel without any technical criteria.

In 2023, a dispute over water in the Dajabon River led the Dominican President Luis Abinader to close the border with Haiti.

Issues such as border delimitation, river navigation and environmental preservation have exacerbated these tensions.