World Facts Index
 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.
Geography of the Dominican Republic
|
Location:
|
Caribbean, eastern
two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and
the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti |
|
Coordinates:
|
19 00 N, 70 40 W |
|
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:
|
contiguous zone: 24
NM
territorial sea: 6 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental
margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
|
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 |
|
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; Hurricane
Georges damage |
|
Geography - note:
|
shares island of Hispaniola
with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western
one-third is Haiti)
|
Population of the Dominican Republic
|
Population:
|
9,507,133 (July 2008 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) |
|
Median age:
|
24.1 years |
|
Growth rate:
|
1.47% |
|
Infant mortality:
|
28.25 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 71.73 years
male: 70.21 years
female: 73.33 years |
|
Fertility rate:
|
2.83 children born/woman |
|
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%
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Dominican
Republic
local long form: Republica 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, 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 Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez,
Santo Domingo, Valverde |
|
Independence:
|
27 February 1844 (from Haiti) |
|
National holiday:
|
Independence Day, 27 February (1844) |
|
Constitution:
|
28 November 1966 |
|
Legal system:
|
based on French civil codes; undergoing
modification in 2004 towards an accusatory system |
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age, universal and compulsory;
married persons regardless of age
note: members of the armed forces and 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) |
|
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 House of Representatives or Camara de Diputados (150 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) |
|
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) |
Economy
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
diminishs losses to the Asian garment industry.
|
GDP:
|
$61.67 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
9.3% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$7,000 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 11.2%
industry: 30.6%
services: 58.2% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
4.2% |
|
Labor force:
|
2.3 million - 2.6 million |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
services and government 58.7%, industry
24.3%, agriculture 17% |
|
Unemployment:
|
17% |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $5.322 billion
expenditures: $5.485 billion |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 92%
hydro: 7.6%
other: 0.4%
nuclear: 0% |
|
Industries:
|
tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and
gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco |
|
Agriculture:
|
sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco,
rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs |
|
Exports:
|
ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee,
cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods |
|
Export partners:
|
US 78.8%, South Korea 2.4%, Netherlands 2.2% |
|
Imports:
|
foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics,
chemicals and pharmaceuticals |
|
Import partners:
|
US 44.9%, Venezuela 14.6%, Colombia 5%, Mexico 4.9% |
|
Currency:
|
Dominican peso (DOP) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |