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Motto:
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[Dios,
Patria, Libertad]
" God, Fatherland, Liberty."
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Background:
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A
legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative, rule for much
of the 20th century was brought to an end in 1996 when free
and open elections ushered in a new government.
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Geography
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Location:
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Caribbean,
eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the
Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti
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Geographic coordinates:
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19 00
N, 70 40 W
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total:
48,730 sq km
land: 48,380 sq km
water: 350 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
more than twice the size of New Hampshire
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Land boundaries:
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total:
275 km
border countries: Haiti 275 km
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Coastline:
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1,288
km
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Maritime claims:
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contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 6 NM
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Climate:
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tropical
maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal
variation in rainfall
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Terrain:
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rugged
highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m
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Natural resources:
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nickel,
bauxite, gold, silver
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Land use:
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arable
land: 21%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 43%
forests and woodland: 12%
other: 15% (1993 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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2,300
sq km (1993 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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lies
in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe
storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic
droughts
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Environment - current issues:
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water
shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs;
deforestation; Hurricane damage
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Geography - note:
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shares
island of Hispaniola with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the
Dominican Republic, western one-third is Haiti
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People
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Population:
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8,581,477
(July 2001 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 34.11% (male 1,495,477; female 1,431,406)
15-64 years: 60.99% (male 2,664,679; female 2,569,398)
65 years and over: 4.9% (male 199,240; female 221,277)
(2001 est.)
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Population growth rate: |
1.63%
(2001 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
24.77
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
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Death rate: |
4.7
deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
-3.81
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate: |
34.67
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 73.44 years
male: 71.34 years
female: 75.64 years (2001 est.) |
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Total fertility rate: |
2.97
children born/woman (2001 est |
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HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
130,000
(1999 est.) |
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Ethnic groups: |
white
16%, black 11%, mixed 73% |
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Religions: |
Roman
Catholic 95% |
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Languages: |
Spanish |
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Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.1%
male: 82%
female: 82.2% (1995 est.) |
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Government |
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Country name: |
Dominican
Republic |
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Government type: |
Representative
democracy |
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Capital: |
Santo
Domingo |
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Administrative divisions: |
29
provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito);
Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte,
Elias Pina, El Seibo, 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, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal,
San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez,
Valverde |
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Independence: |
27
February 1844 (from Haiti) |
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National holiday: |
Independence
Day, 27 February |
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Constitution: |
28
November 1966 |
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Legal system: |
Based
on French Civil codes |
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Judicial
branch: |
Supreme
Court or Corte Suprema (judges are elected by a Council made
up of members of the legislative and executive branches with
the president presiding) |
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Executive
branch: |
chief
of state: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez
(since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros ORTIZ-BOSCH
(since 16 August 2000); note - the president is both the chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President Rafael Hipolito MEJIA
Dominguez (since 16 August 2000); Vice President Milagros
ORTIZ-BOSCH (since 16 August 2000); 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 term; election last
held 16 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2004)
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Legislative
branch: |
bicameral
National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate
or Senado (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara
de Diputados (149 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
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Political parties and leaders: |
Dominican
Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican
Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hatuey DE CAMPS]; Social Christian
Reformist Party or PRSC [Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo] |
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International organization participation: |
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
See our
search |
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief
of mission: Ambassador Charles T. MANATT
embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle
Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo
mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500
telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171
FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437 |
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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 is at the center of the cross |
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Economy |
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Overview: |
The
Dominican economy experienced dramatic growth over the last
decade, even though the economy was hit hard by Hurricane
Georges in 1998. 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. The country suffers from marked income
inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less
than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest ten percent enjoy 40%
of national income. In December 2000, the new MEJIA
administration passed broad new tax legislation which it hopes
will provide enough revenue to offset rising oil prices and to
service foreign debt. |
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GDP: |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
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GDP - per capita: |
purchasing
power parity - $5,700 (2000 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
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Population below poverty line: |
25%
(1999 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
7.9%
(2000 est.) |
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Labor force: |
2.3
million - 2.6 million |
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Unemployment rate: |
13.8%
(1999 est.) |
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Budget: |
revenues:
$2.3 billion
expenditures: $2.9 billion, including capital
expenditures of $867 million (1999 est.) |
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Industries: |
tourism,
sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles,
cement, tobacco |
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Industrial production growth rate: |
8%
(2000 est.) |
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Electricity - production: |
7.29
billion kWh (1999 |
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Electricity - consumption: |
6.78
billion kWh (1999) |
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Agriculture - products: |
sugarcane,
coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn,
bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs |
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Exports: |
$5.8
billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
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Exports - commodities: |
ferronickel,
sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats |
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Exports - partners: |
US
66.1%, Netherlands 7.8%, Canada 7.6%, Russia 7.4%, UK 4.5%
(1999 est.) |
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Imports: |
$9.6
billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
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Imports - commodities: |
foodstuffs,
petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals |
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Imports - partners: |
US
25.7%, Venezuela 9.2%, Mexico 4%, Japan 3%, Panama 2.6% (1999
est |
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Debt - external: |
$4.7
billion (2000 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient: |
$239.6
million (1995) |
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Currency: |
Dominican
peso (DOP |
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Exchange rates: |
Dominican
pesos per US dollar - 16.888 (January 2001), 16.415 (2000),
16.033 (1999), 15.267 (1998), 14.265 (1997), 13.775 (1996) |
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Fiscal year: |
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Communications |
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Telephones - main lines in use: |
709,000
(1997) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
130,149
(1997) |
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Telephone system: |
domestic:
relatively efficient system based on islandwide microwave
radio relay network
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations: |
AM
120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998 |
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Radios: |
1.44
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast
stations & Televisions: |
25
(1997
770,000 (1997) |
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Televisions: |
770,000
(1997) |
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Internet Service Providers
(ISPs) & Users: |
25
25,000 (1999 |
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Transportation |
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Railways: |
757
km
standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge (Central Romana
Railroad)
narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge (Dominican Republic
Government Railway)
note: 240 km operated by sugar companies in various
gauges (0.558-m, 0.762-m, 1.067-m gauges) (2000) |
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Highways: |
total:
12,600 km
paved: 6,224 km
unpaved: 6,376 km (1996) |
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Ports and harbors: |
Barahona,
La Romana, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo |
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Merchant marine: |
1
ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT
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Airports: |
total:
13
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total:
13
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total:
16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.) |
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Military |
Army,
Navy, Air Force, National Police |
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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 |
