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Guide
Introduction
| |
| Background: |
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. |
| Location: |
Caribbean, eastern two-thirds
of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
19 00 N, 70 40 W |
| Map
references: |
Central America and the
Caribbean |
| 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: 275 km
border countries: Haiti 275 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
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 |
| 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 |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 21%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 43%
forests and woodland: 12%
other: 15% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
2,300 sq km (1993 est.) |
| 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 |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Geography
- note: |
shares island of Hispaniola
with Haiti (eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic, western
one-third is Haiti) |
| Population: |
8,581,477 (July 2001 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
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.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.63% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
24.77 births/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
4.7 deaths/1,000 population
(2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-3.81 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| 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.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
34.67 deaths/1,000 live
births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
73.44 years
male: 71.34 years
female: 75.64 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.97 children born/woman
(2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
2.8% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
130,000 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
4,900 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Dominican(s)
adjective: Dominican |
| Ethnic
groups: |
white 16%, black 11%, mixed
73% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 95% |
| Literacy: |
definition: age
15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.1%
male: 82%
female: 82.2% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional long form:
Dominican Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republica Dominicana
local short form: none |
| Government
type: |
representative democracy |
| 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 |
| Independence: |
27 February 1844 (from Haiti) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day, 27 February
(1844) |
| Constitution: |
28 November 1966 |
| Legal
system: |
based on French civil codes |
| 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 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)
election results: Raphael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez elected
president; percent of vote - Rafael Hipolito MEJIA Dominguez (PRD)
49.87%, Danilo MEDINA (PLD) 24.95%, Joaquin BALAGUER (PRSC) 24.6% |
| 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)
elections: Senate - last held 16 May 1998 (next to be held
NA May 2002); Chamber of Deputies - last held 16 May 1998 (next to be
held NA May 2002)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PRD 24, PLD 3, PRSC 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 83, PLD 49, PRSC 17 |
| 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) |
| 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] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Collective of Popular
Organizations or COP |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, Caricom (observer),
ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL,
OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Roberto Bienvenido SALADIN-SELIN
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, San Francisco, and
San Juan (Puerto Rico)
consulate(s): Houston, Jacksonville, Mobile, and Ponce
(Puerto Rico) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Economy
- 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. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$48.3 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
8% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$5,700 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
11.3%
industry: 32.2%
services: 56.5% (1999 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
25% (1999 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 39.6% (1989) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
7.9% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
2.3 million - 2.6 million |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services and government
58.7%, industry 24.3%, agriculture 17% (1998 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
13.8% (1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $2.3
billion
expenditures: $2.9 billion, including capital expenditures
of $867 million (1999 est.) |
| Industries: |
tourism, sugar processing,
ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
8% (2000 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
7.29 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
87.19%
hydro: 12.4%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.41% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
6.78 billion kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sugarcane, coffee, cotton,
cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs,
dairy products, beef, eggs |
| Exports: |
$5.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
ferronickel, sugar, gold,
silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 66.1%, Netherlands 7.8%,
Canada 7.6%, Russia 7.4%, UK 4.5% (1999 est.) |
| Imports: |
$9.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000
est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton
and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 25.7%, Venezuela 9.2%,
Mexico 4%, Japan 3%, Panama 2.6% (1999 est.) |
| Debt
- external: |
$4.7 billion (2000 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$239.6 million (1995) |
| Currency: |
Dominican peso (DOP) |
| 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) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
709,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
130,149 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general assessment:
NA
domestic: relatively efficient system based on islandwide
microwave radio relay network
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4
(1998) |
| Radios: |
1.44 million (1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
25 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
770,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.do |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
24 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
25,000 (1999) |
| Railways: |
total: 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) |
| Highways: |
total: 12,600 km
paved: 6,224 km
unpaved: 6,376 km (1996) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil 96 km; petroleum
products 8 km |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Barahona, La Romana, Puerto
Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo |
| Merchant
marine: |
total: 1 ship
(1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,587 GRT/1,165 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 (2000 est.) |
| 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.) |
| 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.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air Force,
National Police |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age 15-49:
2,281,035 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
1,430,776 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 87,404
(2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$180 million (FY98) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
1.1% (FY98) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| 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 |
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