Map of Dominican Republic | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: The Dominican Republic has had a legacy of unsettled mostly non-representative rule for much of the 20th century.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries

Coastline: 1,288 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Extended economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 6 nm

Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed

Elevation

Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Land use: 23% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 43% meadows and pastures; 13% forest and woodland; 14% other; includes 4% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)


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Population: 7,240,793 (July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)

Nationality: noun--Dominican(s; adjective--Dominican

Ethnic groups: 73% mixed, 16% white, 11% black

Languages: Spanish

Religions: 95% Roman Catholic

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 28 births/1000 population (1990)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1000 population (1990)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: subject to occasional hurricanes (July to October; deforestation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 62 deaths/1000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 69 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 3.2 children born/woman (1990)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 74%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name: conventional long form: Dominican Republic (no short-form name)

Government type: republic

Capital: Santo Domingo

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

Constitution: 28 November 1966

Legal system: based on French civil codes

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 or if married; members of the armed forces and police cannot vote

Executive branch: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo (since 16 August 1986; Vice President Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso (since 16 August 1986)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IRC, ISO, ITU, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso (serves concurrently as Vice President; Chancery at 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 332-6,280; there are Dominican Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Charlotte Amalie (U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. U.S. Virgin Islands), Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis, Mobile, Ponce (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Paul D. TAYLOR; Embassy at the corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo (mailing address is APO Miami 34,041-0008; telephone p809o 541-2,171

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, the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms is at the center of the cross

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy is largely dependent on the agricultural sector, which employs 50% of the labor force and provides about half of export revenues. The principal commercial crop is sugarcane, followed by coffee, cocoa, and tobacco. Industry is based on the processing of agricultural products, durable consumer goods, minerals, and chemicals. Rapid growth of free trade zones has established a significant expansion of manufacturing for export, especially wearing apparel. Over the past decade tourism has also increased in importance and is a significant earner of foreign exchange and a source of new jobs. Unemployment is officially reported at about 25%, but underemployment may be much higher.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 18% of GDP and employs 49% of labor force; sugarcane most important commercial crop, followed by coffee, cotton, and cocoa; food crops--rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; animal output--cattle, hogs, dairy products, meat, eggs; not self-sufficient in food

Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate: 30% (1987 est.)

Labor force:

Unemployment rate: 25% (1988)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $413 million; expenditures $522 million, including capital expenditures of $218 million (1988)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $711 million (f.o.b., 1988)
Commodities: sugar, coffee, cocoa, gold, ferronickel
Partners: US, including Puerto Rico, 74%

Imports: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1988)
Commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Partners: US, including Puerto Rico, 37% (1985)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $3.6 billion (1989) est.

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Dominican pesos per US$1--6.3400 (January 1990), 6.3400 (1989), 6.1125 (1988), 3.8448 (1987), 2.9043 (1986), 3.1126 (1985)


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Electricity
Capacity: 1,376,000 kW capacity; 4,000 million kWh produced, 560 kWh per capita (1989)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 1.2% of GDP, or $61 million (1989 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 44 total, 30 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil, 96 km; refined products, 8 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,335 GRT/40,297 DWT

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs