Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

Area

Land Boundaries

Total 275 km, Haiti 275 km

Coastline

1,288 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

None

Climate

Tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

Terrain

Rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

2,250 sq km (1989)

Environment

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

PEOPLE

Population

8,088,881 (July 1996 est.)
7,511,263 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

34% (male 1,401,322; female 1,355,530) (July 1996 est.)
35% (male 1,336,162; female 1,288,210) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

62% (male 2,541,356; female 2,460,509) (July 1996 est.)
61% (male 2,312,555; female 2,246,791) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

4% (male 156,238; female 173,926) (July 1996 est.)
4% (male 149,157; female 178,388) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.73% (1996 est.)
1.17% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

23.51 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
23.92 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

5.66 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.15 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-6.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.03 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

47.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
49.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

2.66 children born/woman (1996 est.)
2.72 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Spanish

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

2.3 million to 2.6 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

DR

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

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 or married persons regardless of age

Note: Members of the armed forces and police cannot vote

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)

Senate (Senado)

Elections last held 16 May 1994 (next to be held May 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (30 total) PRSC 15, PLD 1, PRD 14

Chamber of Deputies (Camara De Diputados)

Elections last held 16 May 1994 (next to be held May 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) PLD 13, PRSC 50, PRD 57

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges are elected by the Senate

Political Parties and Leaders

Note: In 1983 several leftist parties, including the PCD, joined to form the Dominican Leftist Front (FID); however, they still retain individual party structures

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Collective of Popular Organzations (COP)

Member of

ACP, Caricom (observer), ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM (guest), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

National Anthem

Flag

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

ECONOMY

Overview

Economic reforms launched in late 1994 contributed to exchange rate stabilization, reduced inflation, and relatively strong GDP growth in 1995. Output growth was concentrated in the tourism and free trade zone (ftz) sectors while sugar and non-ftz manufacturing declined last year. Drought in early 1995 hurt agricultural production but favorable world prices for export commodities helped mitigate the impact. Sugar refining was devastated by a disastrous harvest resulting from the drought and ongoing problems at the state-owned sugar company. Unreliable electric supplies continue to hamper expansion in manufacturing; small and medium-sized retail firms also suffer due to the dismal power situation. A presidential election scheduled for May 1996 could lead to increased government spending before and in the immediate aftermath of the vote, raising the potential for rising inflation and increased pressure on the Dominican peso.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $26.8 billion (1995 est.); $24 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

3.5% (1995 est.)
2.9% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$3,400 (1995 est.)
$3,070 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

9.5% (1995)
14% (1994)

Unemployment Rate

30% (1995 est.)
30% (1994 est.)

Budget

Exports

$837.7 million (f.o.b., 1995)
$585 million (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$2.867 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
$2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$4.6 billion (1994)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 6.3% (1995 est.); 3.4% (1994); accounts for 32% of GDP

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 13% of GDP and employs 50% of labor force; commercial crops - sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, and tobacco; food crops - rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; animal output - cattle, hogs, dairy products, meat, eggs; not self-sufficient in food

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the U.S. and Europe

Economic Aid

Currency

1 Dominican peso (RD$) = 100 centavos

Exchange Rates

Dominican pesos (RD$) per US$1 - 13.589 (December 1995), 13.617 (1995), 13.160 (1994), 12.676 (1993), 12.774 (1992), 12.692 (1991), 8.525 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Pipelines

Crude oil 96 km; petroleum products 8 km

Ports

Barahona, La Romana, Puerto Plata, San Pedro de Macoris, Santo Domingo

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

190,000 telephones (1987 est.); relatively efficient domestic system based on islandwide microwave radio relay network

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 2,212,012; males fit for military service 1,391,472; males reach military age (18) annually 83,611 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $116 million, 1.4% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas

Last modified: 4 january 1998