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 followed capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-61. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962 but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965 the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966 Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER 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.

Geographic coordinates: 19 00 N 70 40 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 48,730 km²
Land: 48,380 km²
Water: 350 km²
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries
Total: 360 km
Border countries: (1) Haiti 360 km

Coastline: 1288 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
Extremes 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: 2,750 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 21 km³ (2000)

Natural hazards: lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts

Geography
Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti

Population: 9,507,133 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 1.495% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Dominican
Adjective: Dominican

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

Languages: Spanish

Religions: Roman Catholic 95% other 5%

Age structure
0-14 years: 31.8% (male 1,537,981/female 1,482,546)
15-64 years: 62.4% (male 3,029,349/female 2,905,471)
65 years and over: 5.8% (male 255,898/female 295,888) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 24.7 years
Male: 24.6 years
Female: 24.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.495% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 22.65 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 5.3 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.4 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

Environment
Current issues: water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
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, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male/female
Total population: 1.03 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 26.93 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 29.01 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 24.78 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.39 years
Male: 71.61 years
Female: 75.24 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.7% (2003 est.)
People living with hivaids: 88,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 7,900 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
Water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2006)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 87%
Male: 86.8%
Female: 87.2% (2002 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 12 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 13 years (2004)

Country name
Conventional long form: Dominican Republic
Conventional short form: The Dominican
Local long form: Republica Dominicana
Local short form: La Dominicana

Government type: democratic republic

Capital
Name: Santo Domingo
Geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 31 provinces (provincias singular - provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua Bahoruco 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; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of 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)
Cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president
Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held 16 May 2008 (next to be held in May 2012)
Election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ reelected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ 53.6%, Miguel VARGAS 41%, Amable ARISTY less than 5%

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 22, PRD 6, PRSC 4; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 96, PRD 60, PRSC 22

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the president the leaders of both chambers of congress the president of the Supreme Court and an additional non-governing party congressional representative)

Political parties and leaders: Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE]; National Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ANTUN]

International organization participation: ACP BCIE Caricom (observer) FAO G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO (suspended) ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC LAES LAIA (observer) MIGA NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW (signatory) PCA RG UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO Union Latina UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL Jacobo
In the us chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 332-6,280
In the us fax: [1] (202) 265-8,057
In the us consulates general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador P. Robert FANNIN
From the us embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo
From the us mailing address: Unit 5,500, APO AA 34,041-5,500
From the us telephone: [1] (809) 221-2,171
From the us fax: [1] (809) 686-7,437

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 overview: The Dominican Republic has enjoyed strong GDP growth since 2005 with double digit growth in 2006. In 2007 exports were bolstered by the nearly 50% increase in nickel prices; however prices are expected to fall in 2008 contributing to a slowdown in GDP growth for the year. 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 economy is highly dependent upon the US the source of nearly three-fourths of exports and remittances represent about a tenth of GDP equivalent to almost half of exports and three-quarters of tourism receipts. With the help of strict fiscal targets agreed to in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial situation lowering inflation to less than 6%. A fiscal expansion is expected for 2008 prior to the elections in May and for Tropical Storm Noel reconstruction. Although the economy is growing at a respectable rate high unemployment and underemployment 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 Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) came into force in March 2007 which should boost investment and exports and reduce losses to the Asian garment industry.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $61.67 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 8.5% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $6,600 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.7%
Industry: 23.8%
Services: 64.4% (2007 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: 2.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 4.027 million (2007 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 17%
By occupation industry: 24.3%
By occupation services: 58.7% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15.6% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.4%
Highest 10: 41.1% (2004)

Distribution of family income gini index: 51.6 (2004)

Budget
Revenues: $7.423 billion
Expenditures: $7.259 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 41% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 6.1% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 15.83% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit: $15.92 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$2.231 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $7.237 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: ferronickel sugar gold silver coffee cocoa tobacco meats consumer goods
Partners: US 66.4% Belgium 3.7% Finland 3.2% (2007)

Imports: $13.82 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs petroleum cotton and fabrics chemicals and pharmaceuticals
Partners: US 46% Venezuela 8.1% Mexico 5.9% Colombia 4.7% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $2.562 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $10.21 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $12.75 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $59 million (2007 est.)

Exchange rates: Dominican pesos (DOP) per US dollar - 33.113 (2007) 33.406 (2006) 30.409 (2005) 42.12 (2004) 30.831 (2003)

Electricity
Production: 13.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Consumption: 11.81 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 250 million m³ (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 239.8 million m³ (2005)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 907,000 (2007)
Mobile cellular: 5.513 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network
Domestic: fixed telephone line density is about 10 per 100 persons; multiple providers of mobile cellular service with a subscribership of roughly 60 per 100 persons
International: country code - 1-809; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Internet
Country code: .do
Hosts: 105,546 (2008)
Users: 1.677 million (2007)

Military expenditures: 0.8% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Airports: 34 (2007)
With paved runways total: 15
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 19
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 11 (2007)

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 (2006)

Roadways
Total: 19,705 km
Paved: 9,872 km
Unpaved: 9,833 km (2002)

Merchant marine
Total: 1
By type: cargo 1
Registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Boca Chica Caucedo Puerto Plata Rio Haina Santo Domingo

Disputes international: Haitian migrants cross the porous border into the Dominican Republic to find work; illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find better 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; significant amphetamine consumption