| Dominican Republic |  | Click to enlarge

Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

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This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006

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| Introduction | Dominican Republic | Top of Page

Background:

Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much of its subsequent history was brought to an end in 1966 when Joaquin BALAGUER became president. He maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term. The Dominican economy posted high growth rates from the mid-1990s until extensive bank frauds revealed in 2003 destabilized national finances. An IMF standby loan helped re-establish growth and improve oversight of the banking sector. In 2005 the country ratified CAFTA-DR, the free trade agreement with the US and five Central American countries.

| Geography | Dominican Republic | Top of Page

Location: | Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
Geographic coordinates: | 19 00 N, 70 40 W
Map references: | Central America and the Caribbean
Area: | total: 48,730 sq km land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundaries: | total: 360 km border countries: Haiti 360 km
Coastline: | 1,288 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 6 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate: | tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
Terrain: | rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m
Natural resources: | nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Land use: | arable land: 22.49% permanent crops: 10.26% other: 67.25% (2005)
Irrigated land: | 2,590 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: | water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: | shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti

| People | Dominican Republic | Top of Page

Population: | 9,183,984 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 1,531,145/female 1,464,076) 15-64 years: 61.9% (male 2,902,098/female 2,782,608) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 235,016/female 269,041) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 24.1 years male: 24 years female: 24.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 1.47% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 23.22 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | -2.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 28.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 71.73 years male: 70.21 years female: 73.33 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 2.83 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 1.7% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 88,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 7,900 (2003 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican
Ethnic groups: | mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%
Religions: | Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: | Spanish
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.7% male: 84.6% female: 84.8% (2003 est.)

| Government | Dominican Republic | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana
Government type: | representative democracy
Capital: | Santo Domingo

Administrative divisions:

31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde

Independence: | 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
National holiday: | Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Constitution: | 28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002
Legal system: | based on French civil codes; undergoing modification in 2004 toward an accusatory system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: | 18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age note: members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 16 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2008)
election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ (PLD) 57.1%, Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD) 33.7%, Eduardo ESTRELLA (PRSC) 8.7%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (150 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 2002 (next to be held in May 2006)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 29, PLD 2, PRSC 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 73, PLD 41, PRSC 36

Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by a the National Judicial Council comprised of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and an opposition or non-governing party member)
Political parties and leaders: | Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Vicente Sanchez BARET]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ATUN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building (FINJUS)
International organization participation: | ACP, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario Espinal JACOBO chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280 FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Hans H. HERTELL embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500 telephone: [1] (809) 221-5511 FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437

Flag description:

a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon

| Economy | Dominican Republic | Top of Page

Economy - overview:

The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative democracy that enjoyed strong GDP growth until 2003. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. Growth turned negative in 2003 with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited growth in the US economy (the source of about 80% of export revenues), but recovered in 2004 and 2005. With the help of strict fiscal targets agreed in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan, President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial situation. Although the economy continues to grow at a respectable rate, unemployment remains an important challenge. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. The Dominican Republic's development prospects improved with the ratification of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in September 2005.

GDP (purchasing power parity): | $60 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): | $17.63 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 6.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $6,600 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 10.7% industry: 31.5% services: 57.8% (2003)
Labor force: | 2.3 million-2.6 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 17%, industry 24.3%, services and government 58.7% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 17% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 25%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 37.9% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 47.4 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 4.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): | 25.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $5.322 billion expenditures: $5.485 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (2005)
Public debt: | 51.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: | sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
Industries: | tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate: | 2% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: | 12.6 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption: | 11.71 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2003)
Oil - consumption: | 128,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | 129,900 bbl/day (2003)
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 300 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | NA cu m
Current account balance: | $-383 million (2005 est.)
Exports: | $5.818 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities: | ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
Exports - partners: | US 80%, South Korea 2.1%, Canada 1.9% (2004)
Imports: | $9.747 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities: | foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Imports - partners: | US 48.1%, Venezuela 13.4%, Colombia 4.8%, Mexico 4.8% (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $850 million (31 December 2005)
Debt - external: | $7.907 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $571.6 million (2004)
Currency (code): | Dominican peso (DOP)
Exchange rates: | Dominican pesos per US dollar - 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61 (2002), 16.952 (2001)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

| Communications | Dominican Republic | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 936,200 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 2,534,100 (2004)
Telephone system: | general assessment: NA domestic: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network international: country code - 1-809; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)
Television broadcast stations: | 25 (2003)
Internet country code: | .do
Internet hosts: | 81,598 (2005)
Internet users: | 800,000 (2005)

| Transportation | Dominican Republic | Top of Page

Airports: | 32 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 13 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 10 (2005)
Railways: | total: 517 km standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m, 0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2004)
Roadways: | total: 12,600 km paved: 6,224 km unpaved: 6,376 km (1999)
Merchant marine: | total: 1 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2005)
Ports and terminals: | Boca Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo

| Military | Dominican Republic | Top of Page

Military branches: | Army, Navy, Air Force
Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 2,108,197 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 1,420,693 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males: 91,597 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $0 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0% (2002 est.)

| Transnational Issues | Dominican Republic | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find work
Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006