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| Geography |
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Shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti
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| Location: |
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: |
19 00 N, 70 40 W
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| Area: |
total: 48,670 sq km
land:
48,320 sq km
water:
350 sq km
Size comparison:
slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
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| Land Boundaries: |
total: 360 km
border countries:
Haiti 360 km
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| Coastline: |
1,288 km
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| Maritime claims: |
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
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: |
tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall
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| Terrain: |
rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed
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| Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m
highest point:
Pico Duarte 3,175 m
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| Natural resources: |
nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
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| Land use: |
arable land: 22.49%
permanent crops:
10.26%
other:
67.25% (2005)
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| Irrigated land: |
2,750 sq km (2003)
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| Natural hazards: |
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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| Current Environment Issues: |
water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation
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| International Environment 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
signed, but not ratified:
Law of the Sea
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| People |
| Population: |
9,650,054 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
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| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 31.4% (male 1,543,141/female 1,488,016)
15-64 years:
62.7% (male 3,087,351/female 2,960,319)
65 years and over:
5.9% (male 264,476/female 306,751) (2009 est.)
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| Median age: |
total: 24.9 years
male:
24.8 years
female:
25.1 years (2009 est.)
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| Population growth rate: |
1.489% (2009 est.)
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| Birth rate: |
22.39 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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| Death rate: |
5.28 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
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| Net migration rate: |
-2.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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| Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.86 male(s)/female
total population:
1.03 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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| Infant mortality rate: |
total: 25.96 deaths/1,000 live births
male:
28 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
23.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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| Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 73.7 years
male:
71.88 years
female:
75.6 years (2009 est.)
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| Total fertility rate: |
2.76 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
1.1% (2007 est.)
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| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
62,000 (2007 est.)
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| HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
4,100 (2007 est.)
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| Nationality: |
noun: Dominican(s)
adjective:
Dominican
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| Ethnic groups: |
mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%
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| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%
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| Languages: |
Spanish
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| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
87%
male:
86.8%
female:
87.2% (2002 census)
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| Government |
| Country name: |
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: |
democratic republic
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| 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)
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| 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
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| Independence: |
27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
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| National holiday: |
Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
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| Constitution: |
28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002
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| 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
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| Suffrage: |
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: |
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%
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| 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 (178 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
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
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| 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)
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| 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]
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| Political pressure groups and leaders: |
Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS)
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| International organization participation: |
ACP, BCIE, Caricom (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, PetroCaribe, RG, SICA (associated member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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| Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto SALADIN
chancery:
1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
[1] (202) 332-6280
FAX:
[1] (202) 265-8057
consulate(s) general:
Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Sun Valley (California)
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| Diplomatic representation from the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador P. Robert FANNIN
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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| Economy |
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The Dominican Republic has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, but 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 destination for about two-thirds of exports. Remittances from the US amount to about a tenth of GDP, equivalent to almost half of exports and three-quarters of tourism receipts. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GDP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of GDP. High unemployment and underemployment remains an important long-term challenge. The Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) came into force in March 2007, boosting investment and exports and reducing losses to the Asian garment industry. In the middle of 2008, however, the Dominican Republic's economy started slowing after several years of strong GDP growth, as the global recession had a significant negative impact on tourism and remittances. The financial crisis and the US recession caused GDP to dip in 2009, but a rebound is expected in 2010.
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| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity):
$78.89 billion (2009 est.)
$79.12 billion (2008 est.)
$75.14 billion (2007 est.)
note:
data are in 2009 US dollars
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| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate):
$44.72 billion (2009 est.)
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| GDP - real growth rate: |
-0.3% (2009 est.)
5.3% (2008 est.)
8.5% (2007 est.)
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| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,200 (2009 est.)
$8,300 (2008 est.)
$8,000 (2007 est.)
note:
data are in 2009 US dollars
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| GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 10.5%
industry:
21.3%
services:
68.2% (2009 est.)
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| Labor force: |
4.417 million (2009 est.)
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| Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 14.6%
industry:
22.3%
services:
63.1% (2005)
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| Unemployment rate: |
15.1% (2009 est.)
14.1% (2008 est.)
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| Population below poverty line: |
42.2% (2004)
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| Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 1.5%
highest 10%:
38.7% (2005)
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| Distribution of family income - Gini index: |
49.9 (2005)
47.4 (1998)
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| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.4% (2009 est.)
10.6% (2008 est.)
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| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed):
16.6% of GDP (2009 est.)
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| Budget: |
revenues: $6.361 billion
expenditures:
$7.588 billion (2009 est.)
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| Public debt: |
41.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
37.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
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| Agriculture - products: |
sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs
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| Industries: |
tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco
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| Industrial production growth rate: |
-7% (2009 est.)
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| Electricity - production: |
14.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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| Electricity - consumption: |
12.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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| Electricity - exports: |
0 kWh (2008 est.)
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| Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (2008 est.)
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| Oil - production: |
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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| Oil - consumption: |
119,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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| Oil - exports: |
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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| Oil - imports: |
116,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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| Oil - proved reserves: |
0 bbl
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| Natural gas - production: |
0 cu m (2008 est.)
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| Natural gas - consumption: |
470 million cu m (2008 est.)
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| Natural gas - exports: |
0 cu m (2008 est.)
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| Natural gas - imports: |
470 million cu m (2008 est.)
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| Natural gas - proved reserves: |
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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| Current account balance: |
$-2.274 billion (2009 est.)
$-4.436 billion (2008 est.)
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| Exports: |
$5.372 billion (2009 est.)
$6.95 billion (2008 est.)
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| Exports - commodities: |
ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods
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| Exports - partners: |
US 58.1%, Haiti 9.3%, Netherlands 2.9% (2008)
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| Imports: |
$12.14 billion (2009 est.)
$16.1 billion (2008 est.)
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| Imports - commodities: |
foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals
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| Imports - partners: |
US 39.2%, Venezuela 7.7%, Mexico 5.4%, Colombia 4.9% (2008)
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| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$2.288 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
$2.288 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
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| Debt - external: |
$11.85 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
$11.42 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
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| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: |
$17.19 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
$15.59 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
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| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: |
$NA (31 December 2009 est.)
$59 million (31 December 2008 est.)
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| Market value of publicly traded shares: |
$NA
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| Exchange rates: |
Dominican pesos (DOP) per US dollar - 36.141 (2009), 34.775 (2008), 33.113 (2007), 33.406 (2006), 30.409 (2005)
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| Communications |
| Telephones in use: |
985,700 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 82
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| Cellular Phones in use: |
7.21 million (2008)
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| 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 75 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) (2008)
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| Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)
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| Television broadcast stations: |
25 (2003)
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| Internet country code: |
.do
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| Internet hosts: |
280,457 (2009)
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| Internet users: |
2.147 million (2008)
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| Transportation |
| Airports: |
35 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 108
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| Airports (paved runways): |
total: 16
over 3,047 m:
3
2,438 to 3,047 m:
4
1,524 to 2,437 m:
4
914 to 1,523 m:
4
under 914 m:
1 (2009)
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| Airports (unpaved runways): |
total: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m:
1
914 to 1,523 m:
1
under 914 m:
17 (2009)
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| Railways: |
total: 1,784 km
standard gauge:
375 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:
1,368 km 1.076-m, 0.889-m, and 0.762-m gauges
note:
1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m, 0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2008)
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| Roadways: |
total: 19,705 km
paved:
9,872 km
unpaved:
9,833 km (2002)
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| Merchant marine: |
total: 1
by type:
cargo 1
registered in other countries:
1 (Panama 1) (2008)
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| Ports and terminals: |
Boca Chica, Caucedo, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo
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| Military |
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| Military branches: |
Army, Navy (Marina de Guerra), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Dominicana, FAD) (2009)
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| Military service age and obligation: |
18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)
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| Manpower available for military service: |
males age 16-49: 2,440,203
females age 16-49:
2,326,694 (2008 est.)
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| Manpower fit for military service: |
males age 16-49: 2,056,774
females age 16-49:
1,921,836 (2009 est.)
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