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National Map
Of |
Dominican Republic |
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National Flag
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Dominican Republic |
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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 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
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National Emblem(Coat Of Arms)
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Dominican Republic |
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National Anthem
Of |
Dominican Republic |
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Categories National Symbol Of |
Dominican Republic |
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Background:
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Explored
and claimed by 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. The Dominican
economy has had one of the fastest growth rates in the
hemisphere over the past decade. |
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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:
360 km
border countries: Haiti 360 km |
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Coastline:
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1,288 km
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Maritime claims:
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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 |
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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: 22.65%
permanent crops: 10.33%
other: 67.02% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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2,590 sq
km (1998 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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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shares
island of Hispaniola with Haiti |
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Population:
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8,950,034
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 32.9% (male 1,505,964/female 1,438,809)
15-64 years: 61.7% (male 2,815,544/female
2,703,012)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 226,372/female
260,333) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
23.88 years
male: 23.68 years
female: 24.09 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.29%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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23.28
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.35
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-3.02
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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 (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
32.38 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 34.81 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 71.44 years
male: 69.94 years
female: 73.03 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.86
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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1.7%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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88,000
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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7,900
(2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican |
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Ethnic groups:
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white
16%, black 11%, mixed 73% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 95% |
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Languages:
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Spanish
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 84.7%
male: 84.6%
female: 84.8% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Dominican Republic
conventional short form: The Dominican
local long form: Republica Dominicana
local short form: La Dominicana |
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Government type:
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representative democracy |
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Capital:
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Santo
Domingo |
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Administrative divisions:
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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
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Independence:
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27
February 1844 (from Haiti) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 27 February (1844) |
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Constitution:
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28
November 1966; amended 25 July 2002 |
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Legal system:
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based on
French civil codes; undergoing modification in 2004
towards an accusatory system |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age, universal and compulsory; married persons
regardless of age
note: members of the armed forces and national
police cannot vote |
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Executive branch:
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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% |
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Legislative branch:
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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 May 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16
May 2002 (next to be held 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 |
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Judicial branch:
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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) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Dominican
Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna];
Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Vicente Sanchez
BARET]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC
[Enrique ATUN] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Citizen
Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania);
Foundation for Institution-Building (FINJUS) |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, FAO,
G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA
(observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory),
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador-designate 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: Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez
(Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York,
Philadelphia, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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) 221-2171
FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437 |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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The
Dominican Republic is a Caribbean representative
democracy which enjoyed GDP growth of more than 7% in
1998-2000. Growth subsequently plummeted as part of the
global economic slowdown. 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 10% enjoys nearly
40% of national income. Growth turned negative in 2003
with reduced tourism, a major bank fraud, and limited
growth in the US economy (the source of about 85% of
export revenues), but recovered slightly in 2004.
Resumption of a badly needed IMF loan, slowed due to
government repurchase of electrical power plants, is
basic to the restoration of social and economic
stability. Newly elected President FERNANDEZ in mid-2004
promised belt-tightening reform. His administration has
passed tax reform and is working to meet preconditions
for a $600 IMF standby arrangement to ease the country's
fiscal situation. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$55.68
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.7%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $6,300 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 10.7%
industry: 31.5%
services: 57.8% (2003) |
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Labor force:
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2.3
million - 2.6 million (2000 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 17%, industry 24.3%, services and government
58.7% (1998 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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17% (2004
est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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25% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 37.9% (1998) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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47.4
(1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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55% (2004
est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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18.9% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $2.625 billion
expenditures: $3.382 billion, including capital
expenditures of $1.1 billion (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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61.1% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans,
potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products,
beef, eggs |
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Industries:
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tourism,
sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles,
cement, tobacco |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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2% (2001
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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9.583
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 92%
hydro: 7.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.4% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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8.912
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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129,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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129,900
bbl/day (2003) |
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Current account balance:
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$762.2
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$5.446
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa,
tobacco, meats, consumer goods |
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Exports - partners:
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US 80%,
South Korea 2.1%, Canada 1.9% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$8.093
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and
pharmaceuticals |
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Imports - partners:
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US 48.1%,
Venezuela 13.5%, Colombia 4.8%, Mexico 4.8% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$426
million (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$7.745
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$239.6
million (1995) |
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Currency (code):
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Dominican
peso (DOP) |
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Currency code:
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DOP |
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Exchange rates:
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Dominican
pesos per US dollar - 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003), 18.61
(2002), 16.952 (2001), 16.415 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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901,800
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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2,120,400
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 120,
FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998) |
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Radios:
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1.44
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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25 (2003)
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Televisions:
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770,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.do |
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Internet hosts:
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64,197
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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24 (2000)
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Internet users:
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500,000
(2003) |
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Railways:
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total:
1,743 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)
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Highways:
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total:
12,600 km
paved: 6,224 km
unpaved: 6,376 km (1999) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Boca
Chica, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 11,230 GRT/17,011 DWT
by type: cargo 3 (2005) |
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Airports:
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31 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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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 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
18
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 10 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army,
Navy, Air Force |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 2,108,197 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 1,420,693 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
91,597 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$180
million (1998) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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1.1%
(1998) |
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Disputes - international:
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increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the
Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to
Puerto Rico to find work |
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Illicit drugs:
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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
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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